Mm Mmm Good Weeds

Now that all the meat eating is over with, It's time to go green. The best place for that is surprisingly still in your back yard or even woods by your home. I'm talking heavy duty foraging It;'s a new again trend that Wednesday's Times Dining section picked up on. The problem is knowing what to pick.

The article, written by Oliver Strand and Joe DiStefano tells of New York's chefs taking a walk back into nature. Instead of choosing regular greens they try sea rocket or sea buckthorn, wild asparagus or morels. Some chefs even use Douglas fir needles. Foraging is not a new trend . Scandinavian cooks have been doing it for centuries, thanks to a lack of greens and an abundance of hearty weeds.

There is a caveat with foraging. Beware of what you pick. there are some goods books on the market as well as Internet sites that can help you. One is Ecosalon which has a good listing , the other is Wild Food School which allows you to download their in color guide and take it with you when you go foraging. There are also classes that you can take as well.

It's good to get back to nature, especially after a decadent holiday meal. Even better is when you can use nature to create healthy and tasty dishes. Forget the canned string beans. head for the woods.