Eat'n Weeds

Inspired by a tv show called Hot on the Trail which mom recorded for us to watch together, that featured a super model type woman, named Sunny Savage (I can't, being named Rain, roll my eyes, but feel free), prancing through the forest picking leaves and cooking gormet soups over a campfire, I dug out some books I have on eating wild foods which haven't had much attention, and decided to try eating some wild plants.  After all, I walk through weeds all the time at work, and know most of the them by name.  Since I've been focusing on eating and juicing more vegetables, what better way to save some money on groceries than to eat free weeds, right?  So, on our next field day, Joe and I picked a mess of several different plants.   

We picked garlic mustard, an invasive plant that I enjoy killing anyway, some dandilion leaves, which I remember my grandmother eating in a salad with tuna fish, some stinging nettle, stings and all, and some dock, which is in the photo above.  And, just like when I buy a bunch of parishables at the grocery and then get really busy, most of these are getting slimy in the refrigerator because I haven't taken the time to cook them.  Since I didn't pay for them, I think this is progress, and I like these weeds already!

I did, however, cook the dock, and have survived to tell the tale.  Not that I was really worried, but most of the sources I looked to for cooking instructions referred to Rumex crispus, which is called curly dock and is an exotic species and grows almost everwhere.  The dock I picked was Rumex verticillatus, which is called water dock, and is a native species that likes damp soil and wetlands.  So, does this mean that only curly dock is edible, or do most people only come accross curly dock, and all docks are edible?  I found one source that said all docks are edible, but it didn't specifically mention water dock.  I've never had this problem with spinach, so eating weeds is more complicated. 

I sauted some onions, garlic, and mushrooms in an iron skillet with the chopped water dock and then added some tomato sauce.  Once that was all cooked up, I cracked some of Helen and Mrs. Hall's beautiful eggs in it, and let them slowly cook through with some spices sprinkled on top.  Sort of a weedy ratatoulli with eggs, I guess. 

I debated with myself about whether I should tell Brandon that dinner had strange weeds in it, just so I could have a true guinea pig, but I was worried that maybe he would be the only concious person to call the hospital when we were having convulsions and so he would need to be able to tell them what we ate in case there was a water dock antidote that should be administered.  I casually mentioned that dinner had wild greens, but then I made him repeat the scientific name a few times, just in case.   

Brandon opted to have his weeds and eggs burrito style, with a side of fried bologna, of all things.  I just ate mine with a fork, bologna free.  The taste of water dock, when smothered in other things, as this was, is not very distinct.  Similar to putting spinach or kale in something; all the other ingredients over powered the taste of the dock, which is okay by me.  At least now I know I can put it in our food and it doesn't taste bad.  Dock is like other greens, chock full of nutrients and healthy stuff.  Maybe next time I'll be brave enough to try it plain and really see how it tastes.   Not only does it not taste bad, it also didn't make us sick.  This might not be a very high standard to hold my weeds to, but it's a start.