Wild Edibles of the summer in the Hudson Valley

Greetings herbal enthusiasts! I apologize for my lack of attentiveness to this blog, sometimes it's hard for me to sit in front of a computer when it's so beautiful and lush out there in the wild world. I want to encourage you all to participate, even if it's just a short little post or comment, it will help help with the momentum!
So much has happened out there since my last post, the fiddleheads sprouted, unfurled and are now almost as tall as I am! It seems like it was just yesterday that my cousin and I were collecting them as tiny little curlicues and sauteing them in garlic and olive oil...yum! Our staple spring foods are now drying up and fading away in the summer sun. Our sudden heat wave we recently experienced has charmed the out the berries and fruit earlier than usual. And the rain we've had for the last few days has blessed the soil with needed nourishment.
Things are starting to happen, ideas are blossoming into fruition. Such is the energy of the season if you take the time to tap into it.
I just did a "Wild Edible Tapas and Tea" table with some local herbalist friends of mine, Diana Seiler, Jason Rosenberg and Simon Thrasher this past Saturday at the Phillies Bridge Farm festival. People loved it! We put it together super last minute, but between the four of us, we had a beautiful overflowing table of deliciousness. We harvested some wild greens such as garlic mustard greens, daisy greens, violet greens, nettles, wood sorrel, grape leaves and dandelion greens. We harvested wild edible flowers like rosa rigosa, daisies, and lilies. And of course we harvested some of the berries that have just recently ripened like the mulberry, black-cap raspberry, and my new favorite, the juneberry or service berry- the sweetest and most untalked about little treat. With these things, we made a salad that we dressed with some berry vinaigrette (blended berries, olive oil, vinegar, and spices.) Diana made stuffed grape leaves, which were easier to make than I thought and were delicious- she simplified most of the recipes we found on the internet by just soaking the grape leaves in hot water and rolling them up with rice, steamed nettles, spices, vinegar and a little olive oil. I made a wild pesto, which was a big hit (garlic mustard greens, wood sorrel, violet leaves, nettles, and I added some nasturtium leaves and a little bit of basil from the garden, sunflower seeds, and dulse flakes- blended up with garlic and olive oil.) Jason made a fabulous rose-honey spread that is so simple and so scrumptious- just rose petals soaked in honey with some hot water if needed. Simon and Jason brought some nourishing medicinal teas, one that had 28 ingredients that I'll have to get back to you on. And I made a sun tea with chamomile, lemon balm, and nettles. Sun teas for anyone who doesn't know is simply a tea that is made in a jar outside and heated by the sun. They are usually very subtle and fresh tasting.
I had some tinctures for sample out on the table, which I will tell you all about in a separate post and Diana had her amazing lotion. Simon and Jason have both been researching the Japanese Knotweed plant and are making some breakthrough discoveries, such as it's restorative effect on the immune system, particularly relating to lyme disease.
We had all of our favorite books and information to share with eachother and the folks at the fair. It was a big success and we'd love to do it again elsewhere if anyone has any ideas.
The four of us are starting a local herbal collective in the Hudson Valley, so if anyone would like to be part of it, contact me. We're having our first meeting this Thursday afternoon (6/17/10).
Cheers and happy foraging!

Wild Edibles!

Here are some tips on identifying wild herbs and a few of my favorite wild edible recipes from my teacher Jane Bothwell from the Dandelion School of Herbs in Kneeland, CA (who by the way has some amazing classes coming up that you can check out at www.dandelionherb.com).

Wild Foods to Enjoy and Avoid:

Be sure to positively identify the wild food you intend to ingest prior to harvesting it.

ENJOY:..........................................

Plantain (Plantago spp.) Chickweed (Stellaria media)

Dock (Rumex crispus) Sheeps sorrel (Rumex acetosella)

Miners lettuce (Montia perfoliata) Indian lettuce (Montia siberica)

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinalis) Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)

Mallow (Malva spp.) Purslane (Portulaca oleracea)

Fuschia flowers Violet flowers (Viola spp.)

Borage flowers (Borago officinalis) Calendula flowers (Calendula officinalis)

Pansy flowers Alyssum flowers

Bachelors Buttons Dandelion flowers (Taraxacum officinale)

Wild berries: salal, huckleberry, blackberry, salmon berries, strawberries, raspberries (and so many more....)

AVOID............................................

Poison Hemlock (Conium maculatum) Water Hemlock (Cicuta douglasii)

Daffodils (Narcissus spp.) Poison Oak (Rhus spp.) (or Ivy on the east coast!)

Buttercup (Ranunculus acris) Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)

Scarlet pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis)


Herbal Recipes:

Wild Herb Casserole

425 degrees

Cover baking dish with olive oil or butter. Fill with herbs -fillaree (Erodium circutarium & E. moschatum) nettle (Urtica dioica), lambs quarters (Chenopodium album), purslane (Portulaca oleracae), sheep sorrel (Rumex acetosella), yellow dock (Rumex crispus), chicory (Cichorium intybus), dandelion greens (Taraxacum officinale), mallow leaves (Malva spp.), violet leaves (Viola spp.), etc. Can also add some cultivated vegetables-- onions, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.

Grate cheese on top and/or chunks of tofu

Put in blender and blend: 2 cups water, 1 cup flour, 4 eggs, any culinary herbs.

Pour over casserole and bake for 20 minutes.

Substitute for eggs: 1 c. almond meal, 4T flax seeds

Spring Salad

Enjoy the fresh young delectable wild greens and flowers. A few of my favorite Spring salad additions include: purslane, lambs quarters, amaranth, dandelion, filaree, sweet cicely, chickweed, fennel shoots, calendula flowers, borage flowers, violet flowers….

Wild Green Dressing

Put olive oil, lemon juice and garlic in the blender. Add sprigs of fresh basil, oregano, thyme, mint, parsley and lots of wild greens of your choice (sheep sorrel, chickweed, miners lettuce, etc). Blend until creamy.

Druid Ceremony for Planting a Tree

"In earth and water will you grow.  

In the air will your leaves speak as you reach 

towards the fire of the sun.  

We respect and honour and admire you, 

O tree, and all trees,

for you represent both Peace and Power - 

though you are mighty you hurt no creature. 

Though you sustain us with your breath, 

you will give up your life to house and warm and teach us.  

We give thanks for your blessing upon our lives 

and upon our lands.  

May you fare well in this chosen place.  

Awen." 

Crocus sativus

Happy Vernal Equinox lovers of the outdoors!

As far as I've noticed, the purple spring crocuses bloomed for the very first time yesterday, right in time to greet the official first day of spring! My friend Heather and I were amazed at their perfect timing! These magical beings open in the sunlight in the late morning and close up to sleep at night or on rainy days. So in honor of our colorful friends, I've decided to make it our plant of the month and write up a brief profile.

The genus, Crocus is botanically in the Iris family (Iridaceae) and includes about 80 species of varying styles. The plants grow from corms, solid, bulb-shaped stem bases that grow underground, storing food and nutrients. This designs them as very hardy perennials, able to withstand a variety of habitats. They can be found in woodland areas, as well as scrub habitats and meadows. The flowers are tube shaped and can be dissected into 3 lobes.They are a great to plant in flowerbeds or around your house because they will return year after year for up to five years, they require little maintenance, and they are a colorful way to start the season. They can be found in a variety of colors, lilac, mauve, yellow and white being most common.Crocuses typically have three stamens, which are the little hairs in the middle of the flower. The spice saffron is obtained from the stamen of an autumn-blooming species. These saffron hairs are picked with tweezers by hand, hence the reason saffron is so expensive. Statistically, the general consensus is that it takes 140 flowers to make just one gram of dried saffron! There is also no substitute for the bitter-sweet unique flavor of saffron.There seems to be varying opinions on the crocus in general as an edible. To be on the safe side, I would deem the only edible crocus as the saffron-producing Crocus sativus,The name of the genus Crocus is derived from the Greek work and is thought to be a loaned word from a Semetic language, such as the Hebrew word karkom, the Aramaic term kurkama, or kurkum in Persian and Arabic, all which mean saffron or saffron yellow.

With spring just over the horizon, many of our plant friends are emerging back up from the earth such as chickweed and cleavers here in the Hudson Valley. These two hardy medicinal weeds apparently survive the winter hibernating under the snow and then flourish in the warmer seasons.