Last summer I force fed myself winter cress—a wild mustard that grows all over the place, eventually flowering into splashes of fantastic fluorescent yellow. Euell Gibbons includes a chapter on winter cress (Barbarea vulgaris, B. verna) in Stalking the Wild Asparagus (1962), … [Read more...]
Fun with Wild Waterleaf
Waterleaf is an interesting edible wild plant that does not get a lot of press in the wild food media. The local species I know is Fendler’s waterleaf (Hydrophyllum fendleri), a native perennial that grows from Colorado’s Front Range west, in damp to moist soil from 5,500 to … [Read more...]
Wild Greens & Potato Pie with Kochia
I’m having wild greens and potato pie for breakfast again, as I have for the last two mornings. You wouldn’t think greens mixed into mashed potatoes in a pie crust would be all that exciting, but I am definitely smitten. The inspiration came from Ellen Zachos’ book, Backyard … [Read more...]
Wilted Wild Greens with Lemon & Chive Flower
A simple plate of wilted greens, kissed with fresh-squeezed lemon juice and a dash of sweet wine—doesn’t that sound wonderful? I daresay this one came out just right, judged a winner not only by my taste buds but the better half’s astonished declaration: “These are gourmet,” he … [Read more...]
Tumbleweed Salad
Just when I think I know everything there is to know about wild mustards, I find another one to eat and then do happy kicks about. This time, I am excited about tumblemustard (Sisymbrium altissimum), which you might know better as tumbleweed, because at maturity when it dries out … [Read more...]
