Salad

[Becka]

I just want to say thanks again. You all have been very nice. Sometimes people do't want to bother with a newbie hiker. Although I'm a newbie, I do know Mother Nature well. LOL My son says I could make a salad from leaves. I do know my herbs but don't plan on a leaf salad in the Sipsey. Anyway, its nice to be welcome so nicely.
JustADude

[Magic City Matt]

Hey Becka,
It is great having you on the forum but let's try to keep the subjects on topic. I have moved your post from under the bat conversation to here because it is more appropriate. In addition you can send private messages to people by clicking the envelope icon under their names in their posts.

[Becka]

Thanks. It does fit here better. And I don't know how the justadue ended up on the bottom. It wasn't a personal message. I think I was going to say something about birds and forgot. haha. But of course I will try to stay on topic. Thanks again.

[Lesley]

Ooooh, wild salad!

Are there any resources/books that would tell us how to make a "salad" using wild plants? I know of some obvious things to eat such as wild garlic, wild straw/blue/blackberries, oxalis is lemon-y... I've read that cattail root is similar to potato and young dandelion greens are good if a little tart, pine needle "tea" is vitamin c rich. (Thank you smokey the bear) But it's always nice to learn more. So, who know what about eating wild?

[Becka]

Catails are good. Heres a few more.

Violets-flowers and leaves are edible.

Watercress young leaves only and not a large amount to one salad, they are strong tasting and packed with vitamins as well as minerals.

Yarrow leaves add a sage taste to the salad.

Wild Carrot leaves and roots are tender and tasty right now. Spring Beauty leaves, flowers and root or corm has a pleasant nutty flavor high in vitamins A and C.

Lyre-leaved sage is not very strong tasting, and has a rather pleasant minty flavor, fresh young leaves are edible in salads colorful too, adding reddish tint.

Chickweeds are very nutritious and easy to find in abundance. Purple Dead Nettle (dead because it doesn’t sting) plants tops are tender and have purple flowers to spruce up your salad.

Ground ivy in that salad it will work on those mucus membranes that are so inflamed, also very pretty and has a light taste, very agreeable in salads.

Spearmint, young sprouts are coming up right now, and talk about tasty, just right to top off a salad, and for a refreshing cool drink on the side! YUMMM! I know what’s for supper tonight!

Cattails are a versatile food stuff. The roots, new shoots and flowering heads are edible. In the spring, simply find the shoots, reach down into the mud and pull. Peel off the off the outer leaf and underneath is a tender tongue of cattail. Saute this delicate core for 3-5 minutes in butter. Deeper in the soil is a long root where the cattail was attached. The root core is an excellent source of starch. Eat the starch raw as quick energy food or better yet, crush the roots in cold water and leach out the starch. The starch may be added to soups and stews as a thickener.

[Pathfinder]

Here in Alabama you can't forget Poke Sallet.