Foraging dandelion greens

Now is the perfect time to forage for the perfect greens that commonly grow naturally in your own backyard. Yes, I am referring to dandelion greens. The dandelion plant is known as a common weed, but it is chalk full of fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Dandelions are what some people call a lawn nuisance, but I like to think of them as free health food.

These jagged, saw-toothed plants are edible from root to flower, and they are actually known as a superfood.

If you don't have a lawn full of dandelions, they are also available as a tea, supplements, and in some grocery stores, fresh dandelions can be purchased in the produce aisle.

Dandelion greens can be picked, rinsed, and cleaned, then eaten raw or cooked just like any other type of green that you may buy or grow in your home garden.

So why would you want to eat dandelions?

For one thing, dandelions are free food. They grow organically on the lawns of most residential homes, and for another reason, they are a powerhouse of nutrition. Dandelion greens have more nutrients than any other type of green that you'd grow in your home vegetable garden.

The entire dandelion plant is rich in fiber, contains antioxidant beta-carotene, and also contains vitamins A, C, E, and K, along with small traces of B vitamins, plus various minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium.

You can eat dandelions to treat anemia, constipation, and improve digestive health, among other things.

Dandelion plants are low-toxic. So they are generally safe for most people to eat. However, if you're allergic to ragweed and other plants that are related to ragweed, such as bonesets, daisies, echinacea, chrysanthemums, mugwort, and others, then it's possible that dandelions could cause you to have similar allergic reactions too since they are in the ragweed plant family.

Harvesting dandelions

First, I'd like to note that if you plan to harvest your own dandelion plants, do so in an area that hasn't been sprayed with chemicals. Also avoid foraging dandelions that are near city and state parks, sidewalks, farmer's fields, roadways, and ditches. All these areas have probably been sprayed with some type of chemical.

Use a small spade shovel or a paring knife to dig the dandelions up out of the soil. I used a small hand spade and dug around about an inch of the plant while holding up the dandelion leaves. Dandelion roots aren't massively big, and they're fairly easy to pluck out of the ground, similar to digging up carrots.

Shake the dirt off the roots and cover the hole with the loose dirt to prevent anyone from tripping in the holes.

Using fresh-picked dandelions

Before you do anything with your dandelion plants, make sure you soak them in water for a while, then rinse them well several times. They've been outside in the elements of nature and probably have even been stepped on, etc. So they're going to be extremely dirty.

Dandelion roots can be dehydrated and then ground into tea, and they can also be used as a coffee substitute, but you can also eat the entire root just as you'd eat carrots, radishes, and other root vegetables.

To dehydrate the dandelion roots, wash the roots well. Then place them on your dehydrator trays, leaving space between each piece. Set the dehydrator's temperature to 250 degrees. Dehydrate the roots until they become crispy. This will take several hours.

If you're wanting to dehydrate the roots to make tea and coffee, grind the roots in a blender or food processor for a few minutes. Then place the grounds on parchment-lined paper trays and dehydrate them. You can also wait to grind them until after they're dehydrated. I found that it's easier on my machine to grind them before they're dried.

The leaves, stems, and flowers of dandelions can all be dehydrated, steeped, cooked, or simply eaten raw in salads or by themselves. Happy foraging!

Resources:

Malia Frey, M.A. (2021) Dandelion Greens Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits, Verywell Fit. Available at: https://www.verywellfit.com/dandelion-greens-nutrition-facts-4582373 (Accessed: 06 June 2023).

Link, R. (2022) Dandelion Root vs. Dandelion Greens, Dr. Axe. Available at: https://draxe.com/nutrition/dandelion-root/ (Accessed: 06 June 2023).

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Wild edibles to forage

Wild edibles to forage

If you're interested in foraging for free healthy food then today's article might be right up your alley. Every year during spring, summer, and fall, I enjoy going foraging for wild edibles. I believe that there's a better way of living through foraging. For one, it's an enjoyable experience just being outside and for another it's a way to learn about different plants that grow in the wild, and the third reason that I enjoy it so much are the natural health benefits of eating what I find.

First I'd like to stress to you: when foraging, if you aren't familiar with a wild plant leave it alone. There's several that are indeed very poisonous. If you are new to foraging, take someone who's knowledgeable about wild edibles along with you at least for the first couple of times that you go out to forage. 

Never take more from nature than you actually need. Remember that animals in the wild also need these wild edibles to survive.

Wild edibles to forage:

1. Wild plants (burdock (all parts of the plant is edible), clover, dandelions (all parts of the plant is edible), day lilies (flowers and roots are edible), honeysuckle, rose petals, redbud blossoms, wild onions, wild garlic, etc.)

2. Berries and other wild fruit (elderberries (cooked), mulberries, persimmons, passion fruit, etc.)

3. Roots (cattail roots, chickweed, chicory, curly dock, burdock, dandelion roots, day lilies, Jerusalem artichoke, wild carrots; also known as Queen Anne's Lace, etc.)

4. Seeds and nuts (pine nuts, pecans, walnuts, acorns, etc.)

5. Shellfish (clams and mussels)

I like foraging in my own backyard because I am familiar with all my surroundings. I never use any type of chemicals on my land so I know the wild edibles that I pick or dig up are going to be safe to eat once they're washed well. 

You'll be very surprised by just how many different things that are edible in your own yard. In fact, there's numerous cattail plants, day lilies, honeysuckle, wild onions, wild garlic, dandelions, clover, roses, mulberries, pecans, acorns, and pine nuts, etc.

Foraging for cattail plants

In my area I don't have to travel very far to find cattail plants. In fact, the plant grows very well alongside ponds, lakes, rivers, and even in road-side ditches. Today, I'm going to take you along with me while I show you how I uproot some cattail plants from a country roadside ditch. Plus, I will tell you a little bit about my experience and why I like foraging for these wild, perennial, aquatic plants that are often considered problematic for farmers.

Foraging is a hobby of mine and I love being outside in nature. I enjoy the search like a child enjoying a colorful Easter egg hunt. Foraging can be such a treat, especially if you know what you're looking for. 

Cattails happen to be really easy to identify. They reach three to four feet in height and sometimes even taller than that. In early spring, they emerge in semi-aquatic areas such as around the edges of ponds, rivers, lakes, and ditches. 

Cattail leaves are rather long, spike-like curved swords and are yellowish-green and dark green in color. The plant forms brown colored flower heads in midsummer. To me, the brown spikes resemble a candlestick with a wick, but some people think they look like big brown cigars. The plant's flower heads open up in the fall and show its seeds (fluff). Cattails have long and sturdy stocks, with a medium-sized root. 

At this particular time, the cattails haven't yet formed their flower heads; that will be happening soon within the coming weeks. The flower heads can be cut off the plant to be boiled and buttered, or roasted before they begin opening.

Why would you want to eat cattail plants?

Every single part of the cattail plant in its entirety is edible. The plant shoots taste very similar to a cucumber. So, if you like cucumbers more than likely, you'd like to eat cattail shoots too. 

Once the plants grow above three feet in height above the water, uproot them, wash, and peel them. (Always make sure they're washed and cleaned thoroughly before preparing them to eat.) 

Cattails are really delicious, chopped up and used in stir-fries, stews, casseroles, or to be cooked, chopped, and added to pasta salads. However, my favorite way to prepare cattails is to actually pickle their white shoots (Cossack asparagus). The shoots can be found underneath the layers of the plant's green leaves. The lower parts of the green leaves can also be eaten and tossed into a salad, soup, or sauté as well, so don't toss them out.

Various parts of the cattails are best harvested at certain times of the year. The flowering heads only happen around mid-summer. However, cattail roots can be harvested all throughout the year, even during the winter. 

Should you be interested in harvesting the roots to make homemade flour, I would suggest you wait until the plants mature in late fall and early winter because the roots are bigger then. Before grinding the cattail roots into flour, they first need to be peeled and then dried. (Note: cattail flour is not gluten free.)

Cattails are really nutritional and they contain certain vitamins and minerals, which are: beta carotene, iron, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, magnesium, manganese, potassium, phosphorus, vitamin B-6, vitamin K, and vitamin C.

Collecting cattail plants

First, always watch for snakes when you're foraging for cattails. I often see snakes swimming around the plants in the water during both spring and summer.

Since we are headed for a drought, this location had very little water for me to wade through to get to the cattail plants. As you can see, a lot of the leaves have turned brown and the plants aren't nearly as big as they usually get this time of year.

The plants generally are easy to pull up by hand since they're normally grown in standing water. To collect them, grab the inner stalk of the plant low and pull upwards. With a good tug, they should pull straight up without breaking the plant. As y'all can see in the photo above, I am holding the camera and taking photographs all while I am pulling the cattails up out of the ground.

The cattails I have uprooted today are close to being five feet in height. I know this because I am 4 feet, 9 inches tall and the cattails were actually taller than me. 

The flowering heads haven't yet emerged from the centers of the plants, yet here at my location. 

Note:

Do not harvest cattails to eat if they're in locations where there's a lot of pollution. And remember to always wash and cook each part of the plant thoroughly to avoid water-borne illnesses.

Cattails can also be grown in large pots for outside container gardens. If you're interested in planting them in containers, you'll need to submerge their pots in water about one inch above the rim of the containers. To prevent the plants from spreading, cut off the flower spikes before they open.

Cattails have multiplied in some Arkansas farmers' rice fields over the past few years. So, in some areas, they're considered invasive because they grow rapidly and crowd out other aquatic plant species.

Resources:

Cattail Nutrition. (n.d.). Prospre. https://www.prospre.io/ingredients/cattail-7433