I've written before about how important it is to me that my girls learn about the natural world around them. And even in this urban setting, there are wild plants in our neighborhood that we can eat--one of them being dandelion greens. I carried a basket around the block and the kids raced about pulling up dandelions left and right. This is a fantastic plant for urban foraging because the plant is so clearly identifiable, even to small children.
We hunted for dandelions last year when we had a dandelion-themed playgroup, but we merely tasted a leaf or two dipped in some vinaigrette. This year I had more serious plans:
The girls picked a huge basket full of dandelions (mixed with grass, sticks, and other goodies that I had the pleasure of picking through...) After a couple of good washings in the salad spinner, they looked sparkling and delicious:
Dandelion greens mingling with romaine lettuce, walnuts, grated carrots, and our ever-so-precious unsweetened dried cranberries, usually reserved (and used sparingly) for things like homemade granola:
Green salad just so happens to be on both of the chicks' "will-eat" list (this month, anyway), so they were both able to eat the fruits of their labor.
We also foraged some moss from the community garden where it was growing on the beds, destined to be turned into the soil as we prepared them for planting. We salvaged a bucketful and brought it home for our fairy garden, a project that I think I'm even more excited about than the chicks are.
Don't you love moss? I do. I think I'm a little infatuated with it, this year especially. I have big plans for it.
11 comments:
My mother-in-law says her diapers were made of moss when she was a baby. It was a different kind than you have pictured though.
The salad looks great. We had an old family friend who used make "dandelion wine". In our neighbourhood many of the locals harvest dandelions from the park for salads. Did the chicks find the salad bitter?
ps also love moss. I heard a great way to get it started is to blend your existing moss with some plain yogurt to make a shake and then pour it on the desired area.
I love moss!
Your salad looks delicious! Still working on getting my kids to eat salad of any kind...
I've always wanted to make a dandelion salad and make dandelion wine, but am too nervous about pesticides/herbicides here in the US...are people less chemical-crazy in Montreal?
And also...do you remember when those guys in our Wilderness Survival class covered their shelter in moss, then tried to burn it to cover the evidence???
KJ--I actually tried that last summer, with beer instead of yogurt, but it was a bit of a disaster because I used my itty bitty $10 food processor from the pharmacy, and it never really turned into a shake. I'm keeping my eye out at garage sales for a blender this summer, so we'll try it again when we have one.
Jill--it depends on the neighborhood. You can tell by the yards. Our neighborhood just doesn't seem too concerned with having flawless bright green grass-only yards (which makes me extremely happy), and while I have no assurances that some of the yards don't have pesticides, I feel pretty confident. And we did avoid a few places here and there that I was unsure about.
Though to answer the question in another way, I would say that the general ethos here is much more eco-friendly than what I experienced in the States. Much of the city has curbside compost pickup, you aren't allowed to idle your car unless it's freezing outside, etc.
And I totally remember the guys who burned the moss! Actually, I think about that about 50% of the times that I think about moss :).
Dandelion greens are an Italian tradition. So, it's something I grew up eating. Though we cook them, usually with garlic. My mom would always stop by the side of the road & pick them. It's great because they're free & people never complain when you dig them up. It's a win-win!
I had NO IDEA you could eat dandelion greens! I thought they were only good for staining your skin yellow and making fun bouquets for moms and teachers! You learn something new everyday! (I learn something new just about every time I check out your blog friend!!!)
Can't wait to see what you have in store for the moss!! <3
LOVE this!!! What other ideas or what other things do you look for when you have your foraging outings? Just looking for some ideas to do with little E!
O.k. Two things...
One: Let us not forget the dandelion pesto from the playgroup day (my daughter has extremely fond memories of that part)... and,
Two: I don't know WHY it took me until now to remember this - you are not allowed to use pesticides on your lawn in Montreal - ILLEGAL. The stored won't sell any to you (they are in locked cases) unless you have some special document from the city. How's that for eco-friendly.
Oh Yeah... and, Three: No idling more than 30 seconds, period. Not just if it's not freezing. Never. Illegal.
Nadia--I agree--free, and you don't really have to sneak around since people don't recognize their value! I've recently come to appreciate the beauty of the flower itself, too. My kids pick bouquets of them every time we go for a walk.
Laura--you can also color with them! Just have the kids drag them somewhat forcefully across the paper. The helpers at the community garden had the kids doing the most wonderful thing the other day--they were painting with muddy water (brown) and drawing with dandelion flowers (yellow), and I think they maybe even had something to make green, too. It was very cool.
Sequined Lobster--I'm still so unsure in my own plant identification that I'm a little nervous recommending other things! To let you know how nervous I get: I actually googled "poisonous plants that look like dandelions" before we did this even though I've known dandelions since I was a child AND we foraged and ate them last year. But if you google "urban foraging," there's actually a ton of info out there. I bet you can find information local to your area as well.
JM--I wanted to talk about the dandelion pesto from last year, but since we hadn't technically foraged for those dandelions, I wasn't sure how to squeeze that in...and then I got tired and called it a day :). I actually really liked the pesto that Jane just made from the dandelions at the community garden a couple of weeks ago. Also, that info about the laws in Montreal is so exciting to me! I love, love, love that it's illegal to put pesticides on your lawn. That's one of the best things I've ever heard. What about herbicides? I'l have to look this up.
Post a Comment