Late spring is when the forest really comes alive and starts producing all kinds of wonderful delicacies in MASS that I used to get in small bunches for big $$ in the city. Go figure.....:)
Ramps or wild leeks, fiddle heads, rhubarb, dandelion greens and asparagus are all up and ready for picking as well as daffodils, tulips and many blooming and budding branches. :)
I love to add the greens of wild leeks to my salads for a little extra zing. I chop the white part and use it like I would an onion or galic....basically goes well with anything savory but especially with foods like quiches, tarts and frittatas. I also love to make pesto and ramp butter! :)
Fiddleheads need to be flash boiled twice and then can be cooled and added to salads or pickled. You can put them in soups at the end so they don't get to mushy or to stir-frys. Also good in quiches and egg dishes! :)
Dandelion greens are a little bitter but I personally love that. You can cook them like you would spinach, juice them raw or add them raw to salads. My father, the traditionalist, likes his dandelion greens smoothed in a "white sauce" and served with fried pork belly and biscuits. Oh my!
I like fiddleheads, although I forget I like them. I steam them for 10 minutes and then saute them with grapeseed oil, onion and garlic.
ReplyDeleteYum, nice!! I didn't realize you could just steam them....always thought you had to change their water/boil, albeit quickly twice?
DeleteI'm not an expert at all... in fact, this was the first time I had made them myself. I did search the Internet and found a site that looked pretty reliable. It said steam for 10-12 minutes or boil for 15. This is the site : http://umaine.edu/publications/4198e/
DeleteWell, you are still alive, so I say it's A GO! ;-)
Delete