The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/148479
Wild Foods Featured At Area Eatery Friday, June 14, was initially like any other summer day, where I have two young men come to weed and make pretty my wild medicinal herb and weed gardens at my East Meredith home. Yet this usual Friday morning soon became a fun-filled afternoon, when Carver Farrell, owner of Brooklyn restaurant The Pines, arrived, followed by chef Angelo and three of his assistants. Suddenly, my gardens were abundant with life and many human hands pointing, asking "is this edible?" and then harvesting. The weeds they came for would soon be part of a chic 12-course meal at Table on Ten in Bloomville, where the owners collaborated with the Pines to produce a unique and delicious dinner spanning many hours of fine dining highlighted by wondrous nutritious delicious wild foraged edibles. The following wild foods were harvested: Bedstraw (Galium) top greens and stems can be eaten raw or cooked. Its simple, non-bitter green taste is great in smoothies, wraps, salads, marinades and stir-fry. Burdock (Arctium lappa) stems can be eaten raw or cooked, but must be harvested and prepared appropriately. This bitter food is crunchy, like a cross between a soft carrot and celery. Use in sautés, stuffings, soups, anything cooked. Chickweed (Stellaria media) greens and flowers can be eaten raw or cooked, but are best raw, in green smoothies, 18 O-Town Scene August 1, 2013 salads, wraps and soups. Ox-eye daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum) leaves and buds can be eaten raw or cooked. This green, sweet-tasting vegetable is very palatable, with a flavor similar to mild fennel or anise. Can use in any raw or cooked meal you think it would taste good in. Dame's rocket (Hesperis matronalis) leaves and flowers have a mild peppery flavor, and can be eaten raw or cooked. This wild vegetable from the mustard family can be difficult to identify, but in June, the four-petaled flowers can help with an accurate ID. Lamb's quarter (Chenopodium album) leaves can be eaten raw or cooked. Its spinachlike, non-bitter quality gives it its common name, Poor Man's Spinach. A staple worth keeping in the garden. Common mallow (Malva neglecta) leaves and flowers can be eaten raw or cooked. The slippery, bland texture and taste are ideal for thickening soups and sauces. Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) must be identified with 100 percent accuracy, as there is a poisonous lookalike called dog mallow. On top of that, it must be cooked in boiling water, or it can cause severe nausea. Cooked properly, the top 4 to 6 inches of leaves and buds have the taste and texture of asparagus or broccoli, and can be used in stir-fry, soup, quiche or other preparations. To cook, put plants into boiling water, and after water has Table On Ten + The Pines Below is a partial menu of the meal prepared by The Pines' Angelo Romano and Carter Farrell at Table on Ten in June: Fermented Turnip with Yarrow Vinegar Trout with Angelica Goat Cheese and Dill Buds Agnolotti with Duck Leg and Spring Onion Milkweed with Bone Marrow and Amaranth Smoked Pork Shoulder with Rhubarb Pie Slow-Cooked Pork Loin with Burnett Mibuna Bavette Steak Rhubarb Ice Black Bottom Spruce Custard Duck Breast with Spring Garlic, Black Garlic and Maple returned to a full boil, cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and repeat. Stinging nettles (Urtica dioica) leaves and stems must be boiled for five minutes, or sauteed for 10 to 15 minutes, to eliminate the sting. This bland-tasting green has a spinach-like flavor and is a great soup starter. Red clover (Trifolium pretense) flowers can be eaten raw or cooked. They are great in salads and other raw preparations, or dried, ground and used as part of a flour for baked goods. Sow thistle (Sonchus) leaves, buds and flowers must be cooked, and are best steamed, giving them a light, bitter taste resembling cooked escarole. Sheep sorrel (Rumex acetosa) leaves, flowers and seeds have a strong lemony flavor and can be eaten raw or cooked in salads, sautes, soups and dressings. Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) leaves have a dryish, bitter flavor and can be eaten raw or cooked. A little bit goes a long way. Best if dried and used as a spice to flavor salad dressings, soups, meat and fish. So there you have it, quite a few wild veggies, eh? Most all of them possibly grow in your gardens, too. And there are so many more through out the growing season and many other types of plants at other locations, which is why I love to give plant identification walks at other Delaware County and Otsego County locations. I am always finding many other types of Northeastern wild edibles that are unique to the various micro regions. For more fun ideas of wild food recipes, take a little trip over to Table on Ten for an interesting and flavorful meal, or even a day trip to the city and dine at The Pines in Brooklyn. To share your thoughts or recipe ideas with Marguerite UhlmannBower, email her at 3moonsisters@gmail. com.