As I’ve written previously, I attended an all-day workshop on wild and raw food put on by my friends Julie Taggart and Jane McKay (see previous posts Wild and Free: A Feast From the Land, Wild and Free: Oregon Grape Cooler and Wild and Free: Apricot and Grilled Purslane Salad). The most surprising thing for me, I think, from that entire day was the sumptuous drink our hosts made out of common weeds from the yard.
Julie and Jane took us all outside and started gathering, all the while telling us the names of various weeds and grasses and reciting their nutritional content.
I was stunned. Julie’s yard is a veritable cornucopia of bounty—and it’s all FREE! They picked wild items as well as some cultivated from the garden—lettuces for our lunch. But many of the weeds were planned for the green drink we were to share while we were putting our lunch together.
Weed Drink
Amaranth greens
Thistle
Mallow
Plantain
Lambs quarters
Dandelion
1/2 apple
1/2 lemon
Water (top off the blender)
Combine it all in a blender, strain the pulp, and drink! Delicious and so very good for you. I felt like I was drinking summer sunshine and my body seemed to radiate good health. Every one of you should try it.
If you’re concerned about identifying wild edibles, Sergei Boutenko sells a Wild Edibles app available through the App Store. You’ll find it on his website, SergeiBoutenko.com which is also a wealth of information about wild edibles.
So, happy grazing to you all. I’m a convert!
Love to you all,
Jeane
