Spring is here! Things are turning green! There are blooms from early flowers like my daffodils beginning to show, we hatched out 52 baby chicks this weekend to start off hatching season, and the temperatures are beginning to be mild & pleasant (at least during the day!). But for all that excitement, the local & homegrown food scene is still a bit on the bleak side. The supply in the freezer is getting low, and we're still a long way from tomato season. But if you know what to look for, the first tastes of spring are out there already!
As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, I have added perennials to the farm over the past few years, and they are often some of the earliest edibles. The chives are taking off to the point that I can snip a few for dinner now without stunting the whole plant. I also have parsley in the garden, which is a biennial, meaning this year the plant will try to reproduce, making seeds rather than a lot of leaves. But the leaves have to come first to give the plant energy, and my parsley is waking up. A new herb I planted last year was salad burnet, a neat looking plant that tastes like cucumber. Those are showing signs of life as well. So I do have a nice mix of herbs, but for dinner I was craving a bit more green than even that!
When we think of edible plants, we primarily think of what we see in the grocery store or the seed catalog. While this is a wide array of tasty plants, there is a largely untapped world all around us, too. Over the years, I've learned a lot about wild edibles- it's something my husband Dan and his brother have always been interested in, and we love books and have an assortment covering wild mushrooms & edible plants. What has been the most mind-blowing aspect to me is that you don't have to wander deep into the forest to find wild edibles- there is an amazing array of them that flourish in yards, gardens and roadsides. In fact, many of the plants we've been conditioned to think of as weeds, and are encouraged to spray and kill, are actually edible greens packed with vitamins, and they're growing right now!
As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, I have added perennials to the farm over the past few years, and they are often some of the earliest edibles. The chives are taking off to the point that I can snip a few for dinner now without stunting the whole plant. I also have parsley in the garden, which is a biennial, meaning this year the plant will try to reproduce, making seeds rather than a lot of leaves. But the leaves have to come first to give the plant energy, and my parsley is waking up. A new herb I planted last year was salad burnet, a neat looking plant that tastes like cucumber. Those are showing signs of life as well. So I do have a nice mix of herbs, but for dinner I was craving a bit more green than even that!
When we think of edible plants, we primarily think of what we see in the grocery store or the seed catalog. While this is a wide array of tasty plants, there is a largely untapped world all around us, too. Over the years, I've learned a lot about wild edibles- it's something my husband Dan and his brother have always been interested in, and we love books and have an assortment covering wild mushrooms & edible plants. What has been the most mind-blowing aspect to me is that you don't have to wander deep into the forest to find wild edibles- there is an amazing array of them that flourish in yards, gardens and roadsides. In fact, many of the plants we've been conditioned to think of as weeds, and are encouraged to spray and kill, are actually edible greens packed with vitamins, and they're growing right now!
So dinner last night was a delicious steak salad. I found a beef tip roast in the freezer, which I love because it's a pretty versatile cut- delicious as a roast, but also great sliced thin for things like steak salad, sandwiches, fajitas and more. Not quite as tender as steak, it does taste better if allowed to marinate first to tenderize a bit, which I did. Then I wandered out into the garden and began foraging. It's prime time for wintercress, which is considered a common garden weed. The leaves are young & tender and, in our opinion, even tastier than lettuce right now. Unlike many spring "tonic" greens, its flavor is mild & sweet, not at all bitter. Dandelion greens are great too, and young burdock leaves are also edible, so it's possible this time of year to make a great salad! Since it's been awhile since I've posted a recipe, here is what we did for dinner last night! This recipe isn't big on amounts, adjust to the number of folks eating dinner and your personal preference. It's hard to mess up, just use what you love to eat!
Spring Green Steak Salad
Greens
Herbs
Other Seasonal Veggies
Potatoes- In Western PA, fries are put on the salad. It's a regional specialty, but so delicious!
Oil (for frying)
Minced garlic
Steak (or chicken or protein of your choice)
Shredded cheese (I used a garlic & chive raw milk cheese)
Hard boiled eggs, cut into pieces
-Take beef and cut into bite sized pieces. Marinate, if desired.
-Slice potatoes into french fries. Heat oil. Pat potatoes dry before adding to oil and fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
-Cook beef/other protein. Add some garlic too, if desired.
-Bed of Greens- foraged, homegrown, and/or store bought. I also mixed in fresh parsley, chives salad burnet and garlic greens from some volunteer garlic I needed to move in the garden.
-Top with whatever vegetables you have handy. I had some onion and some sun-dried tomatoes I grew and preserved last year. I find for spring salads, what I'm really craving is the greens, so as long as I have a nice mix, the rest of the veggies can be minimal and it's still amazing! Add some chopped hard boiled eggs, too if you have them.
-Top with warm french fries, then the steak, then your shredded cheese.
-Add your favorite salad dressing (I prefer Italian or a vinaigrette of some kind, while Dan's a ranch man) and dig in!
Spring Green Steak Salad
Greens
Herbs
Other Seasonal Veggies
Potatoes- In Western PA, fries are put on the salad. It's a regional specialty, but so delicious!
Oil (for frying)
Minced garlic
Steak (or chicken or protein of your choice)
Shredded cheese (I used a garlic & chive raw milk cheese)
Hard boiled eggs, cut into pieces
-Take beef and cut into bite sized pieces. Marinate, if desired.
-Slice potatoes into french fries. Heat oil. Pat potatoes dry before adding to oil and fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
-Cook beef/other protein. Add some garlic too, if desired.
-Bed of Greens- foraged, homegrown, and/or store bought. I also mixed in fresh parsley, chives salad burnet and garlic greens from some volunteer garlic I needed to move in the garden.
-Top with whatever vegetables you have handy. I had some onion and some sun-dried tomatoes I grew and preserved last year. I find for spring salads, what I'm really craving is the greens, so as long as I have a nice mix, the rest of the veggies can be minimal and it's still amazing! Add some chopped hard boiled eggs, too if you have them.
-Top with warm french fries, then the steak, then your shredded cheese.
-Add your favorite salad dressing (I prefer Italian or a vinaigrette of some kind, while Dan's a ranch man) and dig in!