Tuesday, May 15, 2012

ramps

we're still seeking out wild edibles here since our garden isn't producing much yet. i found two small patches of ramps recently and brought a small bundle home to transplant. i hope they take. anyone ever have success with this?

dandy syrup                                     
i made two big batches of dandelion blossom simple syrup and plan to make dandelion fritters soon.




baby brassicas                                  
all of our brassicas are in the garden with their cute little makeshift collars made from yogurt containers. down with cutworm i say!

japanese knotweed                                

this spring i tasted japanese knotweed for the very first time in an almond cake. if you like rhubarb, you'll probably like knotweed. it's an invasive, which means it's good to pull up some to be used in your kitchen.

as always, be sure you can confidently identify the plant before you cut some for use in your kitchen. my rule of thumb is to find someone in the know to go with you the first time you gather wild edibles. remember not to gather knotweed by the roadside. you'll often find it in polluted areas. check out what wild man steve brill says about knotweed here.

first aid kit in the making
and finally, the beginnings of my herbal first aid kit. yarrow and plaintain which i took home to dry. yarrow stops bleeding and plaintain pulls out poisons. plaintain is particularly good for bee stings. what's new in your neck of the woods or city?

4 comments:

  1. I had no idea you could eat Japanese Knotweed! My grandfather's house had a river running through the property where it grew like crazy, he always called it "Indian Rhubarb"...I guess he wasn't far off the mark...

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  2. I brought home some wild leeks last year and tried to transplant them, but they did not take. Hope you have better success! Going to see if there is Japanese knot weed in my neck of the woods.

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  3. I transplanted some ramps this year too. I heard from someone else that they planted 12 years ago and the same 12 come up every year. Hard to plant enough to harvest I guess. I picked some knotweed while I was in NY last week but my Mom refused to eat it so I didn't make anything with it. :-(

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  4. I love plantain! it grows crazy in my yard, and I've taught my toddler to pick it, chew on it, and rub bug bites with it - instant relief. I'll have to go looking for yarrow, now, too.

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