The Family That Forages Together... won't go hungry
(Page 4 of 7)
Euell Gibbons reminds us that the botanical name for the
dandelion, Taraxacum officinale , suggests that it
is the "official remedy for disorders". An ancient name for
dandelion was "scurvey plant", derived from its use in
curing or preventing that disease.
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The dandelion bud has been found to contain a fair amount
of vitamins A and C and a rather high quantity of protein.
Dandelions should be considered an essential part of any
survival diet because of the plant's nutritional value, its
abundance and variety of uses. Even the roots - diced and
roasted for about four hours - make a good coffee
subsitute. Dandelion blossoms, of course, are famous for
their use in making wine.
WILD CARROT
While clearing some "unwanted weeds" from my garden this
spring, I discovered that most of the plants were wild
carrot (Queen Anne's-lace). Many had sizeable roots and,
within a short time, I gathered a full pail. The plant is
easily identified by its delicate feathery leaves, tall
slender stalks topped by white flowering umbels - some of
which are flattened like saucers - and a characteristic
carrot odor. The edible roots are white, rather than
yellow-orange.
Wild carrots should be washed, scraped and boiled for about
twenty minutes. Before serving, season with butter and
salt. The tough pulpy cores can be removed quite easily
before eating. Wild carrots can also be used to flavor camp
stew or soup.
It is said that the best part of the plant is the seeds.
They can be used to make tea (mixed with a little spearmint
or peppermint), as a spice for cooking and as an herbal
medicine (for flatulence, coughs and hiccups).
PLANTAIN
The lowly lawn and garden pest known as plantain ranks near
the top of the list of nutritional greens. Plantain is said
to outrank garden greens in nutrients because it grows more
slowly and, thus, has more time to store vitamins and
minerals. The early pioneers used plantain extensively in
their diets and the plant is still an important food in
certain sections of the U.S.
Plantain is available almost everywhere and its appearance
is readily discernible: Ribbed, long, broad oval leaves and
slender seed stalks growing out of the center of the leaf
cluster.
Its bland taste makes plantain a palatable addition to any
salad. I much prefer it to dandelion greens. It isn't as
tender as head lettuce but plantain can be chopped and made
tender enough to suit any taste. As a general rule the
young, smaller, rather shiny broad-oval leaves are best.
These small plantain leaves are available all summer
because new leaves continue to form throughout the season.
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