BlackBerry Users Apparently Not Foragers of Blackberries

I checked my blog stats today and apparently BlackBerry users do not like to forage. How hypocritical of them, using a device whose moniker is derived from such a yummy wild comestible...

Faux Spinach With a Mean Streak

If you do not like the taste of spinach, STOP READING NOW, DO NOT READ THE REST OF THIS POST. If you do like the taste of spinach, it is time to pick some weeds. In their raw state, nettles are less than palatable but, once cooked, they lose their sting and gain in flavor. Wood nettle (Laportea canadensis) (pictured at left) is very similar to its better-known "cousin" stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) and they both taste surprisingly like Popeye's preferred performance enhancer. Even so, most people seem to prefer the later due to wood nettles' slight "mucilaginousness". To prepare, harvest the younger leaves from plants that have not yet flowered, place in a cooking pot and cover with cold water. Next, stir gently and remove any bugs that float to the surface (if desired). Drain the water leaving the leaves wet but with no standing water and simmer for about 10 minutes on medium-low heat. You can then just stand by the stove and eat them right out of the pot unless the wife is present, whereas proper plating is prudent (pictured below). While the two varieties do resemble one another they can be easily distinguished. Wood nettle has an alternate leaf arrangement but stinging nettle leaves are borne oppositely. Also, stinging nettle seems to be more commonly found in populated areas while I tend to find wood nettle in less accessible environs. However, the easiest way to tell which one you have found is the "sting test". Stinging nettle will sting at the slightest provocation but wood nettle is somewhat less irascible. Some wood nettle stingers even appear to be totally stingless - Until you lick them...

Don't "Roundup" Your Lions

While many misguided lawn aficionados attempt to drown this most useful of weeds with a quite toxic cocktail of isopropylamine salt glyphosate and polyethoxylated tallow amine (otherwise know as Monsanto's Roundup weed killer), foragers recognize the dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) as a delicious and free source of vitamins A, B complex, C and D, as well as yummy minerals such as iron, potassium and zinc. This lawn "pest" is one of the most versatile and easy to identify edible wild finds and is ubiquitous throughout our galaxy and most others. The tender new leaves can be added to any green salad; older leaves can be Sautéed alone or added to red and white pasta sauces; the flowers can be fashioned into fritters or dandelion wine; and the roots can be dried and ground into a passable coffee substitute sans the caffeine. One surprising bit of dandelion trivia is the fact that prior to Mr. Columbus' voyage, the New World was completely dandelionless...