Foraged Food Friday's

I've been kicking this idea around in my head for a while, a completely local meal at least one day of the week. Beginning this weekend I will post what our meal consists of.

The rule is everything has to either come from your yard, or has traveled for less than an a couple of hours. Nothing from the grocery store.

A strong emphasis will be placed on foraged food, hence the name. Farmers markets are probably the best way to meet the criteria.

(okay, olive oil, soy sauce, wine are exceptions to the rule)

Thinking outside the food box can be a challenge so to get some ideas there are a few forage related links posted.





Wild Food

Southern Forager

Green Deane

By far the best site on the internet for information about foraging from your yard is Eat The Weeds.com. It is the site of Green Deane.


There is a forum there that has helped me over the last couple of years to identify many "weeds" from the yard. It turns out that many, many things are edible.

Just to name a few: sorrel, begonia, henbit, dandelion, pokeweed.

If it's edible, he's probably done a video on it!

Purslane

Spatulated leaves are purslane

I found some purslane (Portulaca oleracea) in the yard today. It's edible and medicinal.

According to Green Deane, "Regardless of what one calls it, purslane contains more omega 3 fatty acids than any other plant source in the solar system, and an extraordinary amount for a plant, some 8.5 mg for every gram of weight.  It has vitamin A, B, C and E — six times more E than spinach — beta carotene — seven times more of that than carrots — magnesium, calcium, potassium, folate, lithium — keep you sane — iron and is 2.5% protein. Two pigments, one in the leaves and one in the yellow blossoms, have been proven anti-mutagenic in lab studies, meaning they help keep human cells from mutating, which is how cancer gets started. And you get all that for about 15 calories per 100 gram (three ounce) serving. As a mild diuretic, it might even lower your blood pressure as well. "

I don't remember ever seeing it before in the yard and it was growing in a shady area.