Have you ever gone to your local park, forest or garden to collect edible weeds? My kids and I love to go out and pick our dinner in ‘the wild’. It’s fun, and I think it teaches them something about food and nature. Also, it motivates them to help prepare dinner (and eat it).
We’ve been making quiches from stinging nettles, salad from dandelion leaves and wild rocket, pesto from nasturtium, we’ve picked and eaten chickweed and wild garlic. All of which we’ve picked in the park, forest, or uncultivated parts of the garden. Isn’t it intriguing how much of the plants and flowers growing around us (and are considered weeds) we can actually eat?
Our biggest discovery this year has been the bishop’s weed (elder) in the the garden of my parents-in-law. It’s absolutely delicious in a quiche or stir fried with some (wild) garlic. Do you know of any other delicious weeds you can eat, or maybe you have a good recipe to share?
xxx Esther
Comments (11)
We sometimes collect arugula, it’s common weed in Poland and a delicious addition to any salad (or salad base itself).
Yes! It’s delicious and the wild variety is so much more tasty than the shop bought leaves. 🙂
We have never done this, never even thought about it, I wouldn’t know where to start?! I know you can, obviously, but my horticultural knowledge is nowhere near secure enough to make me feel confident feeding it to my children!!
You can find great websites with a lot of ideas and explanations!
In that case, maybe you’ll like this post
http://madamezsazsa.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/handboek-voor-wildplukkertjes-de-wilde.html
Oh wat leuk! Ga ik gelijk bestellen :). Dank! x
I live in a city where they chemically “treat” the trees and surroundings for “weeds”. So, I wouldn’t trust eating anything I find. But, I grew up in the country picking dandelion, and wild ramps. My mom and grandma would both dry and pickle the ramps to be used in cooking(quiches and stir fry)/salads. The dried ramps could be ground into a powder for seasoning soups and meats. Delicious!
Oooh Esther we need to get together and talk weeds!! We love foraging and I think it’s great that the children can get involved too. Nasturtium pesto and my summer favourite this year. Wild garlic frittata is scrumptious and borage soup is delicious. I have this soup bookmarked to make this summer which you may like too – http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/allotment/2012/aug/02/allotments-gardeningadvice
Happy foraging. Vanessa xx
Next time we’re in France together we’ll have to make a foraging date!! : )
You can also make a sweet drink from the Elder Flower blossoms:
http://www.swedishfood.com/swedish-drink-recipes/133-elderflower-cordial
It’s a very traditional Swedish drink for kids and adults!
I love elderflower cordial! I never tried to make it myself (I have to try it next year!), but every year I make elderberry cordial, or mix the berries with apple pies. Delicious! x