Ever since I learned that Widman Steve Brill got arrested for harvesting a dandelion in Central Park, whenever I forage in public places, I try to be as inconspicuous as possible. For instance, while foraging for edibles in a field, one must assume a hunched over/crawling position in which to observe/collect the edibles greens of the ground. Every so often I look up and do a panoramic scan of the vicinity before I drop my focus back to the ground to harvest more wild edibles. The other day I finally understood how grazing animals must feel. Whenever there is a car or passerby I hide my foraging tools, plop my tookus down and look very immersed in my journal or guide, brow furrowed and all to give off the appearance that I am just a normal person doing normal things in a park.
This week I have been crafting wild Spring salads for me and Slack to enjoy with dinner. I've been gathering greens in the parks in town and it has been a trip! It amazes me when I come across a plant that tastes similar to a food commonly purchased in the grocery store. I would love to study the chemical makeup of these edibles in comparison to their mainstream "tastealikes" to test my inference that their chemical profiles must be similar. Both Dandelions and Wild Lettuces impart a bitterness to the plate. Violets offer texture and color with their mucilaginous spade-shaped leaves and five-petaled purple flowers. Plantain provides a somewhat mushroomy taste. Clover contribute a crispness which I liken to green beens off the vine. Garlic Mustard adds a pleasantly pungent kick to the mix. Ground Ivy offers decadence with its spike of scolloped leaves and fluorescent blue flowers. See what you're missing out on? There is a whole mess of greens that can add texture, color and flavor to your meals and they are right under your foot-free for the tasting...just be sure you know your Miranda rights!
* Disclaimer: I do not assume any responsibility for the disappointment one might experience after tasting any of the greens above and deciding that my comparisons have been made in error. After all not all tastebuds are not created equal.
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| Wild Lettuce |
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| Violets |
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| Plantain |
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| Dandelion |
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| Clover |
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| Garlic Mustard |
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| Ground Ivy |
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| Wild Spring Salad |
