Yesterday I harvested the small dandelions growing in our yard. I didn't realize until I was working at it that the nice rain we had overnight was making it very easy to pry my screwdriver-like tool into the base of the plant and pull it out. I shook off the dirt and collected about a quart sized baggie of plants. Inside I cut the roots off and put the greens and any small unopened buds into the salad spinner with a teaspoon of vinegar (standard veggie washing procedure here) and swished thru,
picking out any grass etc. After rinsing and spinning I put the greens into the fridge to crisp up a bit. For dinner I had a bed of lightly dressed greens with a salmon filet on top. Very good! Pricey mesclun mix contains dandelion greens and so I had a 'gourmet' meal for a frugal cost. Bonus: the American side of me liked the fast that I "weeded" the yard while the Eurochic side enjoyed the foraging/frugal/healthy benefits!
About Me
- la
- history, antiques, roses, the beach, motown-with lots of horns, cheese, bourbon manhattans, pugliese, coffee, red wine, reading, 1920's Paris, bergamot and earl grey tea, tea tree oil, green, walking the dogs in the woods, black, Toronto, repose/elegance, style, making soup, dining alfresco, yoga, thyme, wit, silver cockerels, piano sonotas, black bakelite trays with silver edging and more......
RUE SAINT LOUIS EN L'ILE
3 comments:
La, did you say you use a teaspoon of vinegar to clean the greens? That is a fabulous idea. Thanks for sharing. In my Italian American family my relatives always made dandelion salads, but sometimes I worry about doing so in the urban area where I live because I worry about pesticides that have blown over to my yard or whatever .... maybe this time of year before people are putting chemicals on their grass would be the perfect time to do this. Thanks again.
K
Kristi, I wash/soak everything (fruit or veggie wise) in the salad spinner with a teaspoon of vinegar before rinsing and spinning or drying. Vinegar is one of those fabulous cleaners, like baking soda - that are edible and safe. Also vinegar kills about as much bacteria etc as bleach. I even wash bananas, melons etc so that fruit flies get assassinated and the peel/rind doesn't infect the cutting board later.
La
Thanks La.
I actually use vinegar as a cleaning agent in the rest of my house, but never heard this trick with produce. Am going to start doing it now!
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