April 2009

The wild spring garden

by Bodil Meleney

One of my favorite things to do in the early spring is walking about in my small garden and wishing the early plant arrivals welcome and I do it almost every day. The snowdrops make a very early entrance, generally by the end of February soon to be followed by the crocuses, daffodils and more. On the culinary front, by the end of March the chives are coming up and the nettle is leafing out. In fact if the temperature didn’t drop too low in the winter, the nettle would grow all year, low to the ground, but grow.

By the time April arrives the violets are in full swing, the Lambs quarters are showing their little heads and may need thinning, Dandelion, Chicory can be picked and the Sow’s Thistle is still young enough to have soft prickles. The weather can still be a bit unpredictable, but in sunny warm location Chickweed may also be big enough to be picked, later the Spiderwort. There are enough greens to make an early spring salad, but never fear, a few wild greens added to your own salad base is delicious as well. When the stalks of the Wild Onion have hardened enough, a few of the bulbs can be eased out by sticking a table knife down alongside the stalk, wriggle it a little and ease the bulb out, they can be used in the dressing.

As a base for a wild salad I use chick weed if there is enough. Do not pull the roots yet or you’ll run out of chickweed early. One can substitute Boston Bib lettuce it is reasonably similar in taste. Pick a few leaves of Dandelion, Violet, Chicory and Sow’s thistle these are small enough to use without cutting them up. With Lambs Quarters, you can pick either the whole plant, they will still be small and cut the root off, or just pick leaves if they have grown big enough. If you have Oxeye Daisies in the garden, you can add a few sprigs or leaves. Wash and dry the salad.

Wash the Wild onions well. Cut off the stems and rootlets, peel if necessary, the skin will slide right off and crush the bulbs on the inside of the salad bowl. Make light oil and vinegar dressing right in the bowl, add a touch of orange juice and a little ground mustard seed, a dash of salt and pepper and stir. Add the salad mix and sprinkle over it a few flowers from the Violet and/or Pyle wort, Broom, Dandelion (pull the leaves apart) and the Redbud tree and mix. You will have made a very pretty little salad.

A recipe from The English Husband dated 1615, is described in A garden of Herbs, by Eleanour Sinclair Rhode as a salad made entirely of flowers, particularly naming Violet and Broom. There is nothing new under the sky, is there? Since flowers never last long, there are a number of others that can be used as they come along; oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage, roses of various kinds, valerian, mint, pansies (provided that the first crop of leaves after planting is not used, because of sprays), chicory, clover, lavender, elderberry. Pick, experiment and try. They are all safe to eat.

Another favorite dish in the summer is nettle soup, which I described last spring. You can substitute sorrel, spinach, chard, or any a mix of wild greens for the nettle if it is hard to find. It is delicious served hot or cold. As the season wears on and I am dying for some fresh basil pesto but don’t have enough fresh basil yet, I make a mock one from a mix of wild greens, just not chick weed or spiderwort which are too watery. There are no exact measures, just pour a little olive oil into the blender, add a clove or two or three peeled garlic, mix well. Have a couple of handfuls of washed and dried garden greens ready and drop into the whirring oil/garlic mix. Mix well and add enough greens to make it somewhat thick.

If you need more oil, just add. Pour the mixture into a bowl and add enough grated parmesan cheese and well crushed cashews, which are a great substitute for pine nuts and much cheaper. You can use sunflower seeds in a pinch. I have had guests who simply devour whole dishes of this with a sheepish grin on their faces, but no apology. If you don’t want all the fats from the nuts and the cheese, just use the plain mix on fresh bread and in or on other foods. During the summer an early fall months I make enough of this as well a pure basil pesto and freeze; it is a whole lot cheaper than buying. It should be frozen without the nuts and cheese which will get soggy. These greens can be used in many dishes, try them in an omelet, quiche, and lasagna or....

Another delicious dish in late spring early summer is Elderberry flower fritters. Make a simple pancake batter with or without baking powder. Pick, dip/wash and dry (upside down on a towel) the flower clusters. When ready put some butter in a frying pan and heat somewhat, dip flower clusters well in the batter and fry, both sides till golden brown. Serve with very light coating of confectioners sugar and some drops of fresh lime or lemon juice or any sweetener like stevia or any other way that tickles your fancy.

The season is just starting and many culinary delight await the intrepid forager.

Bodil Meleney is an herbalist practicing in Takoma Park. www.midnightsunherbalhealth.com