Best Food You Can Collect in Your Backyard
My father has always opposed what he calls “tenderloin salads in the yard,” in other words, any salad that is not made from romaine or iceberg. This is too bad because literally yard trimmings (and forest trimmings) are not only good for you, but delicious and easy to find. (And they’re usually free.) Let’s explore the edible weeds, ferns, and flowers that can be found outside your door.
Dandelions
Edible parts: Leaves, stems, roots and flowers can be eaten.
Why They Are Good: Dandelions are packed with antioxidants and are rich in vitamins A and K, as well as fiber .
How to Eat Them: The leaves are great for roasting, the flower heads can be fried in tempura batter, and the roots can be dried to make a coffee-like drink . The video below has some great tips for cooking, cleaning, and cooking dandelions.
How to clean them: It’s best to let the leaves soak in a sink with cold water overnight, as this will help get rid of dried-on dirt. Some people recommend soaking greens in a mixture of vinegar and water to help disinfect, but I must point out that vinegar is not a registered disinfectant and will not protect you from all bacteria.
What They Look Like: You know what these guys look like (see above).
Where and when to look for them: Dandelions can be found almost everywhere, but you should still be a little picky when picking them. Avoid areas where weed control may have been sprayed, such as freeway curbs, near telephone poles, or near train tracks (frankly, I wouldn’t eat anything on train tracks) and stay away from dog-friendly open spaces ( this is a pretty good rule of thumb for food hunting in general). Dandelion leaves can be harvested all year round, but tastes best in early spring.
Fun fact: “Dandelion” is also the name of the daughter of Keith Richards and Anita Pallenberg, although her name is Angela (her middle name).
Stinging nettle
Edible parts: Leaves, stems and roots are edible, but young leaves (closer to the top of the plant) taste better.
Why they are useful: stinging nettle is high in vitamin A, calcium, iron and contains an amazing amount of protein .
How to cook them: As mentioned above, this plant can harm you, so collect them and handle them while they are not cooked with gloves. Cooking shuts off their defense system, and a quick blanching will turn the thorny plant into tender greens that taste like a baby’s love of spinach and cucumber.
How to Eat Them: Nettles can be used like any other cooked greens, and can be added to soups , pesto, and baked into cheese tarts . The young shoots are apparently used to make a drink called nettle beer , which is alcoholic, so it’s nice. The roots are said to have medicinal properties (and can help with some “male problems”), but I’m not a doctor and therefore should recommend leaving prostate care to the healthcare professional, not the plant you found in the park.
What They Look Like: Stinging nettle plants are three to six feet tall with toothed, pointed, slightly heart-shaped leaves that are one to six inches in size. Thin earrings of tiny green flowers grow from the axils of the leaves. Yes, and the whole plant is covered in tiny, stinging hairs.
Where and when to find them:Nettles can be found in humid places around rivers, streams, walkways, or any shady area with rich soil. They usually begin to appear in early spring, but they are found already in February and even in April.
Purslane
Edible Parts: Leaves, flowers, and seeds are edible, but young leaves tend to be the most delicate and taste better.
Why it’s good for it: Purslane is high in omega-3s, but it is also full of vitamins E and C.
How to prepare: Store purslane trimmings in a plastic bag until ready to eat, then rinse under cold water and soak in diluted vinegar, rinsing again after soaking. You can skip the vinegar soak if you like your source (like your yard), but I’ll leave that up to you.
How to eat it: Fresh purslane has a mild, pleasant, slightly lemon flavor; it can be eaten raw in salads and sandwiches, fried in chips and even pickled .
What they look like: Purslane is a spreading plant that grows from one main root in all directions. It grows either flat or low to the ground, always more outward than upward. According to Serious Eats :
It is distinctly recognizable, with smooth and succulent leaves like a thornless cactus. Each leaf is shaped like a small oar and tends to clump together at the ends of a thicker stem, sometimes slightly reddish.
Purslane looks a bit like Poisonous Spotted Euphorbia, but the difference can be easily spotted by checking the leaves and sap. Milkweed leaves do not have a juicy taste, and purslane always lacks fluff. Euphorbia also contains milky juice, which is not found in purslane.
Where and When to Find It: This substance is growing everywhere. According to the Penniless Parenting blog , there is not a single continent (other than Antarctica) that does not grow purslane . Purslane loves the heat, so look for it during the hottest part of summer, although you may be able to find it all year round. It is not your biggest fan of shade, so look for this “weed” in sunny places among other plants in the grassy hills or in your garden.
Fiddlehead ferns
Edible parts: Many people focus on the curled head of the fern, but don’t ignore the rest of the stem as you’ll leave a lot of delicious plants behind! When harvesting, look for a plant with at least four stems (a sign that the plant is healthy) and do not take more than half of the leaves available (for sustainability reasons).
Why They Are Good : Fiddlehead ostrich ferns are rich in vitamin C, vitamin A and carotenoid compounds . (This is a plant. It is good for you.)
How to prepare them: Rinse them under running water and scrape off any brown pieces, then simmer or steam for at least twelve minutes to eliminate soil-borne contaminants.
How to eat them: Ostrich ferns have a scent very similar to asparagus, so you can use them the same way. After the necessary cleaning and boiling, you can fry them with a little oil and garlic, or bake frittata from them .
Where to find them: Since tadpoles are not yet untangled ostrich ferns, look for ferns in areas where ferns grow. Think of wet places, such as swamps, near streams and lakes, or at the foot of mountain slopes. But you need to hurry up with these guys, as they crawl out of the soil in April and quickly turn into real adult ferns. (Yes, you missed them this year, but the great thing about the seasons is that they happen once a year.)
What they look like: As the name suggests, you’re looking for something that looks like the top of a violin, that is, a folded fern. The problem is that all ferns go through the “blank” stage, and eating accidentally rolled leaves can make you nauseous. You, my friend, are looking for an ostrich fern that has a distinct U-groove on the inside of a smooth stem and brown paper-thick scales covering each side of the bait. They taste best when they are four to six inches tall.
These are just a few of the many free meals you can find on the street, so feel free to share your favorites (along with any delicious recipes) in the comments. Have a nice hunt!