What To Eat In Springtime

The fast procession of Spring blossoms is dizzying -- Acacia and Loquats, Anemones and Redbuds, Violets, Primroses, Bluebonnets and Black Eyed Susans; Irises, Pear Trees, and snow white Yarrow. The flowers of this Season are too many to name. Come Springtime, there is just no stopping the momentum which propels all of life forward.

It is this incredible burst of green life which makes Spring the most opportune time to gather wild edibles and brew daily teas from the herbs growing just beyond your door. It is these plants which thrive in Springtime which have an astounding ability to reawaken the body and sharpen the mind, in preparation for the coming season of fullness. It is a time of deep green nourishment, and we hope you will join us, in drinking deep of all that spring has to offer through this verdant introduction to our favorite seasonal wild foods.

Violet

Viola spp.

Parts Used  //  Leaf + Flower
Energetics  //  Cool + Moist
Herbal Actions  //  Demulcent, Astringent, Vulnerary, Alterative, Nutritive

Violet tops the list of our favorite Spring edibles.  The leaves are pleasingly succulent and satisfying eaten raw and the flowers are mellow but fragrant with a subtle sweetness to them.  Wildcrafted Violet leaves + flowers are two of the star ingredients in our Healing Breast Oil. Used externally, this blossoming beauty helps to keep the lymph flowing smoothly, relieves tenderness and swelling, helps to prevent and resolve lumps, bumps, and other growths, and increases the suppleness and resilience of the skin of the breasts and nipples.  Also called Heartsease, due to both the shape of its leaves and its affinity for gladdening a heavy heart, Violets help to bring a subtle brightness back to the world during bouts of ennui.  Enjoy leaves and flowers eaten fresh on the trail or added to salads.  The Leaves can also be made into a truly unique pesto with an incredibly unique and indescribably delicious demulcent quality.  They're particularly rich in vitamins A and C and help to keep digestion and elimination regular with their nourishing mucilage.

Stinging Nettle

Urtica spp.

Parts Used  //  Leaves
Energetics  //  Drying, Stimulating
Herbal Actions  //  Anti-Inflammatory, Nutritive, Alterative, Rubafacient, Diuretic

Nettles is, perhaps, the most famous and infamous of all herbs.  Those who meet it unsuspectingly in the wild, don't soon forget their encounter.  The sting of nettles lingers for up to twenty four hours and can be likened to an electric buzzing as it dissipates. Historically, some have taken advantage of this irritating quality and intentionally undergone what is referred to as Urtication (for the latin, Urtica spp.).  Urtication involves intentionally stinging oneself with Nettles in order to bring circulation and immune factors to a certain part of the body.  It has been used to counteract joint pain, numbness (I can only laugh at this...), baldness, and more spiritual ills which have driven the Soul from a certain part of the body.  While I have never personally undergone Urtication, I am curious about attempting it on my increasingly overtaxed right thumb (thank you, iPhone),

Nettle is incredibly rich in minerals -- most notably calcium, magnesium, potassium, and iron -- making it useful for addressing a wide range of complaints including adrenal fatigue, spasmodic cramping, anemia, and general weakness.  It is one of our favorite herbs to enjoy as a nourishing infusion and it combines well with Raspberry Leaf and Oatstraw for this purpose.   Note :: Do not try to eat this plant fresh unless you have been shown how by someone who has done so and remained unscathed.  Do not harvest leaves plant has gone to seed.  Enjoy the fresh leaves as a strong infusion or cook them with olive oil, garlic, and spinach for a real treat. Dried leaves can be powdered and added, to smoothies at a later date.  Oh, and we cannot sing the praises of our Wild Onion + Nettle Seed Finishing Salt loudly enough.  It is so good.

Chickweed

Stellaria media

Parts Used // Aerial Parts
Energetics // Cooling
Herbal Actions // Nutritive, Vulnerary, Demulcent, Diuretic, Anti-Inflammatory, Alterative

Chickweed is a true darling of Springtime.  It often grows in close quarters with Cleavers and the two make a winning combination as a daily tea to breathe life back into the body after a long winter's rest.  Chickweed is also a favorite herb to infuse in oils and salves for its incredible skin healing properties.  Used both internally as a tea or food and externally as a wash, salve, or oil, it is one of the finest plant allies for resolving longstanding skin conditions.  It combines particularly well with Dandelion and Rose to this end, particularly when the underlying cause is hepatic.  Easy to digest yet incredibly nutrient dense, it is a favorite food for restoring the body after illness or convalescence.  Super Abundant in most places where it grows, Chickweed can be enjoyed daily in salads, smoothies, and pestos.

Henbit

Lamium amplexicaule

Parts Used // Aerial Parts
Energetics // Mildly Cooling
Herbal Actions // Nutritive, Astringent, Vulnerary

Henbit is, at first glance, a diminutive and innocuous plant.  It grows tenaciously through cracks in city sidewalks, covers lawns and parks, and unfortunately, goes mostly unnoticed even by plant lovers.  It's taste is mild and mineral and its small purple flowers possess a subtly sweet nectar and seem to have a sense of humor about the world.  Add it to pestos, infuse it in vinegar, or enjoy it to other spring greens raw or cooked.  The entire plant is edible and quite tasty.  A strong infusion of the entire plant can be used as a compress to soothe bites, stings, mild skin irritations, and swellings.  And, as the name implies, Hens love it.

Spiderwort

Tradescantia spp.

Parts Used // Leaf, Stalk, and Flower
Energetics // Cool + Moist
Herbal Actions // Demulcent, Vulnerary, Nutritive

This succulent and mild blossom is coming up through the sidewalks and blooming in thickets in lawns and on by ways. She is cool and moist, sweet and tender. With a distinctly nourishing and demulcent quality, she balances the Vata nature of Spring with ease. Her prolific flowers can be enjoyed raw in salads or smoothies and and the young leaves and shoots can be cooked along with wild onions. Due to the mucilaginous quality of this plant (think okra) it can be added to soups, stews, and gumbos as a thickener. Additionally, this mucilage lends a cooling soothing quality making Spiderwort a great choice for helping to heal mild burns in a manner much like Aloe Vera. Pro tip, eat a few flowers along the trail and see what color they turn your spit!

Cleavers

Gallium aparine

Parts Used // Above Ground Parts
Energetics // Cool + Dry
Herbal Actions // Vulnerary, Lymphatic, Diuretic, Nutritive,  Alterative, Anti-Inflammatory

Cleavers encourages the flow of lymph throughout the body and can help to resolve fibrocystic tissue.  Helpful both internally as a tea and externally as a wash for eruptive skin conditions such as acne, eczema, and boils.  This incredibly prolific plant has an affinity for the urinary tract and kidneys and acts as a stimulating and soothing diuretic in cases of infection.  A relative of the dye plant Madder, the roots can be used to produce a red dye -- though this seems a futile endeavor considering the pithiness of the roots.  Enjoy above ground parts as a daily infusion to support lymphatic health in spring or combine with Turks Cap Leaf + Flower and drink freely as a strong infusion for irritation or infection of the urinary tract.

Wild Arugula

Eruca sativa

Parts Used // Young Leaves + Flowers
Energetics // Warm + Dry
Herbal Actions // Digestive, Warming, Aperient, Nutritive

Wild Arugula is a real treat in its immature "micro" stage. Peppery and stimulating, it makes the perfect addition to any late Winter meal. I especially enjoy it sprinkled over eggs, added to beans and rice, or as a simple salad tossed with lemon and oil and backed within a roasted winter squash. It can be enjoyed mature as well but becomes increasingly spicy as it grows larger. Try it in this state thinly sliced, sautéed, and added to a kale salad with bacon, dates, and blood oranges. One of the first flowers to emerge on the cusp of Winter and Spring -- the bright yellow blossoms make a for a sunny garnish when most edible flowers are still months away.

Wild Onions

Allium spp.

Wild Onions are one of the first feral foods to appear in Spring.  I am here in Central Texas, in Austin, where I was born and raised, and these tender alliums are everywhere!  My mother's lives just up the street from a remarkably vital stretch of water and wild.  Less than a quarter mile from a medium sized highway, this natural sanctuary so tucked away, feels like my own private Eden whenever I come to visit her.  The diversity of wild foods and medicines which thrive in this small haven is astounding.  The Wild Onions are some of the first to find their way onto my plate in Spring, along with cheerful dandelions blossoms and their delicious bitter greens.  Then there are the diminutive and tart Oxalis leaves, the creeping Dewberry now in bloom, the overgrown mats of Cleavers, and the Pecans overhead just beginning to leaf out. There are also sizable Trout in good numbers in the creek, and though I'm not yet much of an angler, they've piqued my curiosity.  All of  this against a backdrop of what is to me, an iconic Springtime vision -- a profusion of edible magenta blossoms covering the Redbud trees.

Harvesting wild onions is a deliciously grounding way to reconnect with the Earth as she grows more fertile with each passing day of Spring. I recommend finding a patch of damp earth, dappled with sun and shade, and placing one palm flat on the ground as you gently coax each bulb from its subterranean resting place. The soft sound and gentle release as the roots succumb to the pull of your hand, moving from soil to sunlight, is marvelously wholesome and satisfying. It is also a resplendent thing to have your fingers covered in wild dirt. I like to leave just a little bit of it on the bulbs rather than washing them too thoroughly. I am a strong believer that a little dirt is very good for you. If that sounds strange, I encourage you read more about that here.

Dandelion

Taraxacum officinale

Parts Used // Entire Plant
Energetics // Warm + Dry
Herbal Actions // Digestive, Hepatic, Aperient, Nutritive, Diuretic, Alterative

First and foremost, Dandelion is an excellent nutritive herb. Useful as both a food and a medicine, Dandelion is remarkably mineral rich and high in antioxidants A + C making it useful in some forms of anemia as well as for strengthening bones + teeth. The implications of including wild and mineral rich greens in your daily diet cannot be overstated--eat a salad of of Dandelion leaves and blossoms each day of Spring and you will surely notice a marked shift in your mood, cognitive function, energy, skin, digestion, and general connection to all that is Wild, within and without.

The leaves of the Dandelion are a potent diuretic which, unlike diuretic medications, works to replenish the minerals (read :: potassium) lost through urination and ultimately to strengthen the kidneys and entire urinary tract through its careful use.  Because of its diuretic effect, Dandelion is an excellent choice for treating Urinary Tract Infections when combined with increased fluid intake and soothing herbs such as Marshmallow Root or Cornsilk--an infusion of the leaves is preferred for this application.  The entire plant, but particularly the root, acts on the system as a mild laxative, or aperient.  It helps to move sluggish bowels, making it an excellent choice for the change of seasons.  Its regular use improves liver function significantly and can therefore have a profound and lasting effect on skin conditions, hormonal imbalances, and even conditions as significant as Hepatitis.  Through its action on the liver, Dandelion effectively cleanses the blood and supports optimal lipid and hormone metabolism.  The bitter taste of the herb itself speaks volumes about its uses.  The powerful bitter flavor promotes bile secretion and soothes indigestion--particularly when the imbalance is caused by impaired fat absorption and digestion.  Greasy stool is a strong indication that Dandelion may be of great use.  The root of Dandelion is also incredibly high in Inulin--a complex sugar which nourishes the beneficial bacteria in our intestinal tract.  Healthy gut flora effects everything from cognitive function to auto-immune processes, so drink up.  To optimize Inulin extraction, a long slow decoction of the root is preferred--combine with Marshmallow Root (soothing and nourishing to the intestinal tract) and Burdock Root (also full of Inulin) for a heavy hitting dose of the good stuff!

Note // Proper identification is of paramount importance. Please consult a

field guide or local wild foods expert before harvesting any new plants you not familiar with. Additionally, always ask permission and offer sincere thanks to the plants for their sustenance.

[via  La Abeja Herbs]

This Little Weed is one of the Most Useful Medicines on the Planet

You’ve stepped on it, ignored it, and tried to eradicate it from your lawn. However, this innocuous little weed is one of the most useful medicines on the planet, just begging to be harvested.

There are two major types of plantain in BC, Canada: Lance and Broadleaf. Generally, all 200-plus varieties of plantain yield the same results. It grows especially well in poor, rocky soil (such as driveways) and is often seen alongside dandelion. More often than not, you will see plantain growing in gravel pits and construction sites as nature seeks to regenerate the soil. Introduced to North America in the 1600s, it was once called “White Man’s Foot” by the Native Americans who witnessed that where the Europeans tread and disrupted the soil, plantain sprung up.

Plantain has often been the go-to remedy for hikers plagued by mosquitos. Because it draws toxins from the body with its astringent nature, plantain may be crushed (or chewed) and placed as a poultice directly over the site of bee stings, bug bites, acne, slivers, glass splinters, or rashes. Bandage the area and allow the plantain to work its magic for 4-12 hours. Plantain may also be used to create a balm for emergency kits, or an infusion used as a skin or general wash. It is also a notable, soothing remedy for hemorrhoids.

Plantain is renowned for its healing effect on the digestive system. This is especially useful for anyone who has been damaged by antibiotics, anti-inflammatory or pain medications, food allergies, or Celiac disease. Both leaves and seeds specifically target the digestive system for healing. The leaves may be steeped as tea, added to soups, or dried with a sauce similar to kale chips. The seeds – a type of psyllium – can be ground or soaked for bulk mucilage or absorbable fibre, which, consumed before meals, may help with weight loss.

Because plantain is a gentle expectorant and high in silica, an infusion can be helpful for lung problems, coughs, and colds.

Plantain is almost a panacea for the human body, treating everything from all menstrual difficulties, all digestive issues, to nearly all skin complaints, and even arthritis. Add to salads, chew to ease thirst, or enjoy in stir fries. This versatile wild vegetable will keep you in good health for years to come!

Resources:
- Prescription for Herbal Healing: 2nd Edition – Phyllis A. Balch, CNC
- Hygieia: A Woman’s Herbal – Jeannine Parvati
- Healing Secrets of the Native Americans – Porter Shimer
- The New Age Herbalist – Richard Mabey

[via The Future of Health Now]

Stinging Nettle: How To Identify, Harvest, and Eat

It’s unbelievable how much food you can collect from the wild! Our society is so accustomed to running to the grocery store for food that foraging for wild edibles has become a novelty instead of a necessity. Our ancestors not only knew how to identify wild plants that were edible, but they also wisely used this free bounty of nature.

Now that we’re learning more about edible wild plants, we have had several meals and snacks made up of weeds, plants, berries, and vegetables we harvested while out walking. (And no, we didn’t have to steal them from anyone’s yard!) Recently we had a beautiful salad with chickweed and dock, embellished with some of our favorite salad toppings. But one of our new spring favorites is sautéed stinging nettles with pasta or veggies.

Why stinging nettles?

Stinging nettle definitely lives up to its name – it will sting like crazy if you brush up against it or handle the plants without wearing gloves. But this nuisance of a plant is highly nutritious and readily available in most areas, making it one of the perfect wild plants to consume.

When cooked or dried, nettles completely lose their stinging properties, making them perfectly safe for consumption. You can steam, sauté, or boil them and enjoy with a meal or in soups. You can also make a wonderful tea with the leaves, sweetening with honey and lemon. Use them in any dish you would normally use spinach. They have an earthy, wholesome flavor that you’re sure to enjoy if you enjoy other greens.

Stinging nettles are also packed with nutrients. They are high in Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and full of calcium, magnesium, iron, and potassium. Nettles are also a wonderful source of protein. Seriously!

Finding and harvesting stinging nettles

Nettles will begin popping up in early spring, and can be found all across North America. Its proper habitat is in sunny places where there is rich, moist soil. You’ll find them growing along rivers, streams, lakes, ditches, fencerows, and on the edges of cultivated farm fields. When Matt and I walk along one of the nearby rivers, we always notice it growing abundantly as a “weed.”

Stinging nettle will grow in dense clusters, and stalks can reach 5-8 feet at maturity. Leaves are about 2-5 inches long with jagged edges, found in opposing pairs along the upper half of the stalk.  Leaves are pointed at the tips, with a heart-shaped base and indented veins. The plant will have small “hairs” up the stalk and stems. (This is where the sting comes from!) Young plants will have smaller, heart-shaped leaves with a purple-ish hue, while the mature plants have longer, pointed leaves that appear very green. (For more pictures, click here.)

The best time to harvest nettles is the first few weeks after they come up in the spring, before they grow to be a foot tall. Wearing gloves, pick the first two or three pairs of leaves from the tops of plants. Carefully place nettles into a paper or plastic bag for transport. Nettles can still be harvested into summer, but keep in mind the top few pairs of leaves will be most tender, and stalks and stems will be very fibrous.

Once you are ready to use your nettles, use kitchen tongs to remove from the bag and place in a colander to rinse well. To avoid stinging, continue using tongs as you transfer your nettles from the sink to the stove.

Sautéed Nettles With Onions and Pasta

(Makes 2-3 servings)

You will need:

• 8 cups stinging nettles, rinsed well and chopped into smaller pieces if desired (use tongs while rinsing and dealing with nettles)
• ½ cup spring onions or ramps, sliced
• 2 Tbsp butter, preferably pastured
• 2 Tbsp other fat, like bacon grease, coconut oil, lard, etc. (we like bacon grease)
• ½ cup cooked ham, cubed (optional)
• 1 cup noodles, uncooked
• sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
• freshly grated parmesan

Directions:

Boil water and cook noodles. Strain noodles, add a little olive oil to prevent sticking, and set aside. Melt fats in a large skillet on medium heat. Add spring onions and sauté for a few minutes. Using tongs, carefully add nettles to skillet and toss in fat and garlic until cooked down. Add optional cubed ham and toss until warm. Add noodles and gently toss all ingredients together to combine. Season with salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste. Garnish with freshly grated parmesan and enjoy!

We eat this as a complete meal, but it can also be served as a side dish.

Spring is the perfect time to find tender stinging nettles, so start foraging and take advantage of this natural free food source!

We highly recommend these books if you’re interested in learning more about edible wild plants:

• Nature’s Garden, by Samuel Thayer 
• The Forager’s Harvest, by Samuel Thayer

[via DIY Natural]

Urban Foraging

Today's post comes from Bistro OneSix, an entertaining blog full of stories about all things delicious. Enjoy this post about urban foraging and then head over to Bistro OneSix for more fabulous tales from the kitchen. 

I hear the term “urban foraging” tossed around more and more lately and knew what my definition of it was but decided to look it up in the Urban Dictionary to confirm.

1.	urban foraging
	Urban foraging is a process of sorting through the dumpsters, gargbage bins, and other containers of waste to reclaim “wasted” food.

In looking a little further I found : Urban foraging can be defined as foraging for free fruits, vegetables, and other “wild food” around the city.

I walk and bike a lot around my neighborhood, and often come across trees that are so laden with fruit that they droop across the street, littering the pavement and sidewalk with overly ripe little bombs. I have contemplated doing a little harvesting but always considered that to be stealing. It’s someone else’s tree after all.

But then this whole “urban foraging” idea came to light. In fact, there’s a Google map for it in Boise, Idaho, charting out delicacies that can be found all over town. But the sound of my mom’s voice is in my head…”Just because everyone else is doing it doesn’t make it right.”

So, I wonder – when is urban foraging stealing?

I love blackberries. Like REALLY love blackberries and there is this huge blackberry bush on a road I cycle on all the time. Year after year I have admired them. This year intoxicated by the idea of urban foraging, I stopped one morning… just to sample a few. Before I knew it my hands were stained dark reddish purple. I quickly rode off like a kid that had just gotten away with something, feeling more than a little guilty. But shortly thereafter, their sweetness overtook my guilt and I returned with a box and picked as many as I could reach. It’s a busy road and with each passing car, I felt like at any moment I was going to get busted by the blackberry police. Or worse…the owner of the property.

But that begs the question, who does own these? They are on the side of a highway, seemingly in the easement. Does that mean they are ripe for the taking?

I like to explore the alleys of my neighborhood (there are lots of interesting things to look at in the alleys afterall) and there is an apricot tree that hangs heavy over the fence, rotten fruit strewn around the ground. Apricots are definitely on my list of summer fruit favorites (although let’s be honest…which summer fruit isn’t?) and so I stand there and ponder. Fair game to take them since obviously the owners aren’t harvesting or because I just used the word “owner” does that denote that indeed they intrinsically belonged to someone else? Are they “wild food” if they are in someone else’s yard?

My parents have gleaned potatoes and onions out of neighbor’s fields for as long as I can remember, albeit certainly with the farmer’s permission because that’s how they roll. Potatoes and onions that otherwise would have rotted. Potatoes and onions that easily fed our family with extras, to give to others, all winter long.

I refer back to the definition that kicked this all off. That of “reclaiming wasted food”. It sounds valiant. Honorable. Or maybe it’s just the way I justify the bowl of apricots on the kitchen counter.