Weeding Out Your Food

The next time you spruce up your lawn pay close attention to your weeds. Yes, they can be pesky little suckers, ruining a fall landscape, yet they can add to any salad or even cooked dish.It's a delicious walk on the wild side.

It was further explored in yesterday's New York Times Dining section.newcomer Ben Paynter described what wild plants can be used and how restaurants are employing them in different dishes, Foraging is nothing new. Humanity has been doing it since our earliest days, Mostly then it was a tremendous hit or miss deal. Pick a weed  then and hopefully it was not only tasty but non toxic.;Nowwe and farmers are better read and equipped to pick out weeds that will go well in various dishes. Many farms now are just growing weeds  to supply the wave of wild plant chefs.

Many chefs are embracing this natural plant cuisine. Mr.Paynter focused on the ones in Kansas City however trendy New York restaurants  such as Daniel, Gramercy Tavern and Acme are also embracing the foraging craze.Weeds can provide an entirely new facet to cooking and cooks can create some new spins on old classics. Chicory is one of the most popular,It can be used in salads to give them a kind of  earthy coffee flavor. The ever common dandelion is turned into an amuse bouche in Kansas City. Sous chef, Josh Eans turns the petals into a tasty morsel while the stems and the rest of the flowers were battered dipped and fried into a tasty tempura.

Foraging is not only a great way of getting rid of those pesky weeds. It;s also an interesting way to change up your menu. Hit the garden and woods this weekend and start looking for your next culinary creation.

NOTE: If you are thinking about foraging , read up on it first whether on the Internet or on a books solely on the subject. ,Be aware of which  plants are poisonous  and which ones are safe.

Dandelions For Dinner

Everyone loves dandelions. Let's face it, they are hard to resist. Their bright, sunny yellow blooms are sweet and look cute as a bouquet or a crown. They're our first bouquet to our moms. Yet Mom could have used them in cooking too. Dandelion may be a weed in the garden but it's a rose in the kitchen. You can make anything with it, from salad to wine to jelly.

The name dandelion comes from the leaves, so deeply toothed it resembled le dent de lion or lion's teeth in Old French. It''s a cousin of chicory, the plant used in making herbal coffee. It's a member of the family Taraxacum and has a long hollow stem and a basal rosette (the yellow bloom part). Harvest the leaves in early Spring or in late Fail before the flowers appear. They will have a bitter taste not unlike chicory and endive. However add them to a salad and they give it a new zing. Add it to miso soup for heartiness and some much needed vitamins. Its' intense flavor will meld with the the soup's milder tasting ingredients.


Unbeknownst to me you can also use the heads or flowers. Dandelion wine is made from them however you can also fry them. Using a simple batter and just hot olive oil you can fry the heads into crunchy little rounds for a summer cocktail party. The flower has an altogether different taste than the leaves and stem. It's sweeter without any aftertaste.

Remember your yard full of dandelions isn't just a future bouquet. They can be made into a variety of different dishes that are not only fum to eat but good for you. Start picking those little bursts of sunshine today!