Tuesday 24 March 2020

Wild Food: Foraging for Salad Leaves in my Garden

Here's a green salad I made yesterday of parsley, thyme and dandelion leaves from my garden.

My local shops have been pretty much out of stock of fresh vegetables for the past week or so, and I was desperate for some salad yesterday. So, I went into my garden and picked dandelion leaves, then mixed them with fresh herbs from the pots I grow on my kitchen windowsill.

Dandelion leaves are edible and full of vitamins. They do taste a little bit bitter, and I must admit I'd prefer rocket or baby spinach. However, for my lunch it did the trick with a bit of dressing on.

I had managed to buy a pack of frozen vegan sausage rolls at Aldi the other day, and the slightly bitter salad was actually a good contrast to the greasy sausage roll I cooked for myself. Probably good, as there's a few more sausage rolls in the pack!

You can also brew dandelion flowers as a tea.

What are your tips for wild food you can forage from the garden at this time of year?

Previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/04/dandelions.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/05/pagan-eye-dandelions-ii.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2017/04/april-mandala-blossom-and-shadows.html

2 comments:

JulieW said...

Nettle tips- the top young 4-6 leaves this time of year are good washed, wilted, blitzed, and pushed through a sieve and lightly salted. They make a fabulous bright green puree with a fresh green taste- good in sauces and soups as well as risottos and on pasta.

Badwitch said...

Thanks JulieW! Good suggestion