Harvesting Wild Greens

Image Gallery Find out how to make Wild Wilted Salad using watercress salad greens, one of several edible wild plants. PHOTO: FOTOLIA/EWA BROZEK

A few years ago, the outdoor editor of our local (Kamiah, Idaho) daily newspaper approached me with a story idea. "Why don't you put together a complete meal — salad, main course, side dishes, dessert, everything — comprised entirely of wild plants ... and write it up for our next `outdoor recreation' supplement?"

Being a natural foods forager from way back, all I could think of as an answer was: "Sure!"

The editor's response: "OK. Have the story on my desk in four days."

Holy mackerel! What had I done? There I was in early May and many — if not most  — of the wild edibles I normally foraged (things like lamb's-quarters, green amaranth, purslane, mustards, and other frost-sensitive fare) weren't out yet! Even such hardy volunteer plants as the docks and sorrels weren't far enough along to eat.

But I had committed myself, so — accompanied by my sister, Nita — I took to the countryside fully expecting to find few — or no — wild vegetables worth eating (let alone writing about). Imagine our surprise, then, when we ran up against copious quantities of miner's lettuce, watercress, yellow monkey flower, spearmint, dog-tooth violet, wild hyacinth, plantain, salsify, burdock, and other delicious "free eats!" Even in early spring, we had learned, foraged fare was out in abundance ... and, as a result, I got my story.

From this experience I learned that it is possible to gather wild foods (whole sack-loads of them, in fact) even as far north as Idaho and as early as spring or late winter ... if you know which plants to look for.

Waterleaf: An Uncommonly Good "Find"

One of the more abundant springtime "volunteer vegetables" here in Idaho is waterleaf (Hydrophyllum capitatum), a delicate, leafy herb that grows in moist, rich, shaded soils — at elevations ranging from sea level to 9,000 feet — throughout the West. (Two related species — H. canadense and H. virginianum — thrive in the northeastern U.S., where the plants are sometimes called "John's cabbage.")

The nice thing about waterleaf is that all parts of it — roots, stems, blossoms (when young), and leaves — are edible. (The stems — in particular — are delightful in salads, or pickled.) Even after the plant's purplish flowers — each of which resembles a cat's paw — have appeared and the leaves are old, there's no bitter taste ... at least, not in the species I've been eating.

I like to steam enough of this plant's leaves and stems to make two cups of cooked greens. Then — for ten minutes — I simmer together one tablespoon each of vegetable oil and honey, the juice of half a lemon, two tablespoons of cider vinegar, two green apples (chopped or sliced, unpeeled), one teaspoon each of caraway seed and celery seed, and a quarter teaspoon of mace or allspice. Finally, I combine the steamed greens with the hot apple/ seasonings mixture, and serve the resulting "Sweet and Sour Waterleaf" as a delightful meal for two.