Eat your weedies

(For the Chronicle/Gary Fountain, February 25, 2012) Dr. Mark Vorderbruggen with winged elm seeds at the Spring Creek Greenway Nature Center. (For the Chronicle/Gary Fountain, February 25, 2012) Dr. Mark Vorderbruggen with winged elm seeds at the Spring Creek Greenway Nature Center. Photo: Gary Fountain Photo: Gary Fountain Image 1 of / 45 Caption Close Eat your weedies 1 / 45 Back to Gallery

Chickweed. Dollarweed. Thistle. Dandelions.

Many of us all over south and central Texas spend lots of money and time eradicating these plants from our yards this time of year.

Yet, these very plants - called "weeds" by most of us - make our lawns a veritable wild produce section. These common weeds, along with dozens of others, are edible. Many of them are incredibly high in vitamins and minerals and, according to author and forager Hank Shaw, were brought to this country from Europe as food.

Shaw is one of a growing number of foodies, naturalists and gardeners who tout the benefits of foraging for wild edibles. Shaw began foraging for berries, beach peas and wild grapes as a child with his family in New England, and recently wrote "Hunt, Gather, Cook: Finding the Forgotten Feast" (Rodale, 2011, 324pp).

He believes that foraging and eating wild plants has multiple benefits. "The nutritional benefits are huge," Shaw says, adding that some plants like amaranth - plentiful during Texas summers - are so nutritious they make spinach look like a Twinkie.

Common foods like salads and greens also are more interesting and flavorful if they contain wild edibles like chickweed, wood sorrel, pony's foot, red buds or purslane. "Wild simply has more flavor," says award-winning Houston chef Randy Rucker, who uses foraged edibles on the menus in his restaurants.

Both men point to deeper philosophical reasons for eating wild foraged plants. Rucker sees them as the "natural luxuries" of an area that, when foraged and eaten, create a completely local and contextualized experience.

"When I go into the woods for a couple of hours and come out with 20 pounds of oyster mushrooms, I feel that is a luxury that is inherently ours, and I want to share that emotion with my guests," Rucker said. The foraged menu items open his restaurant guests to new experiences, even though what they are eating probably has been growing around them all along. Shaw says people should ground themselves in nature. Most people "live and work in boxes," he says, which creates a "second-hand existence that is very sterile and apart from nature. Nature is our home. It's not a museum ... Foraging reconnects us to what we are all about and to nature."

Nutrition and community connection are the best reasons to eat wild foods says local foraging expert Mark Vorderbruggen. He works as a chemist for an oil company, but dons an alternative identity as "Merriwether" on his foraging website, a rich source of information for edible plants in Texas.

"Most store-bought fruits and vegetables have been bred to look good after long distance shipping," he says. As a result, they no longer contain many of the beneficial vitamins and minerals that wild foods retain. Additionally, Texas law prohibits picking a plant from any public or private property without the owner's permission and imposes a fine of up to $500 on violators.

More Information Nine edible plants you can easily find in the area They may just look like weeds, but many plants growing in your backyard or along the side of the road are edible. If you start foraging for any of these plants, just make sure you wash them thoroughly before eating them. Source: www.foragingtexas.com. Redbud Use it: The flowers can be eaten raw or cooked in spring; later, young seedpods can be cooked. Nutrition: Flowers provide vitamins, minerals and antioxidants; seeds have protein. Dollarweed Use it: The leaves and stems of this plant are tasty in spring, summer and fall. Nutrition: A thorough washing can remove potential bacteria; the plant provides some minerals. Sow Thistle Use it: The young leaves work in salads as well as steamed or boiled; the stems can be peeled and steamed like asparagus. Nutrition: It's rich in vitamins A, B and C and has some minerals. Lichen Use it: Boil tree lichen with baking soda to neutralize acid, then add it to stew, soup or bread. Nutrition: Most lichen found here is edible and provides carbohydrates to your diet. Wild Lettuce Use it: The young leaves, shoots and flower buts can be eaten raw or boiled. Nutrition: A serving of this plant provides fiber and some minerals. Pony's Foot Use it: The raw leaves and stems of pony's foot can be added to salads in the spring, summer and fall. Nutrition: This plant provides some minerals. Curled Dock Use it: Its very young leaves and seeds may be eaten raw, but boiling removes toxins and reduces bitterness. You can also roast seeds or grind them into flour. Nutrition: Leaves are high in protein and vitamins A and C; roots are high in iron. Smartweed Use it: Eat young leaves or seeds raw, boiled or steamed in spring, summer or fall. Nutrition: Thoroughly wash to kill dangerous microbes; it has antioxidants. Chickweed Use it: The leaves and stems can be eaten raw or cooked, winter, spring and summer. Nutrition: Too much can cause stomach distress, but it's full of iron, potassium and vitamins A, D, B and C. RESOURCES Guidebooks: "The Forager's Harvest" and "Nature's Garden" by Sam Thayer are the two most popular and well-regarded books on foraging. Eighty percent of the plants he discusses are found in Texas. Recipes/Cookbooks: "Hunt, Gather, Cook," by Hank Shaw; www.foragingfoodie.net Classes: Houston Arboretum and Nature Center, www.houstonarboretum.org; Spring Creek Greenway Nature Center, www.springcreekgreenway.org Web sites: Mark Vorderbruggen's site, www.foragingtexas.com, has lots of images, class schedules and other information. Phone apps: any of the apps by Steve Brills; "Wild Edibles" is a popular one

"This means that to get the plants I want I need to talk to people," Vorderbruggen says. "Everyone in my neighborhood knows me ... because I've worked at developing friendships with them so that they'll let me eat their weeds."

So, how can the newbie forager in southeast Texas get started?

You can eat from your own yard, as Texas law allows. And it's an easier, more focused place to start. Positively identify all the weeds and landscaping plants in your yard, and then use a guidebook, website or other reputable source to narrow down the ones that are edible. The number one rule is this: Don't swallow it if you don't know what it is. Berries are a good place to start - dewberries, blackberries and others. All sweet berries are edible, as are some bitter berries; you may need to taste a berry if you don't immediately recognize the variety. Taste it cautiously and don't swallow. It's important to positively identify any berry before you eat it. With berries and all other foraged plants, familiarity comes with practice.

Jill Carroll is a freelance writer in Pearland.

Many of us, though, are already familiar with some of the most edible plants around us. Instead of spraying them with chemicals or pulling them up by the roots and tossing them into the trash, maybe this year we could try a new approach.

We could simply eat them.

Chickweed Pesto

From www.foragingfoodie.net

5-6 cups of chickweed

1 clove garlic

3 wild leeks

¹⁄3 cup pine nuts

¹⁄3 cup olive oil

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions: Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend/pulse until they're puréed. Serve on bread or hot pasta.

Nettle or Wild Greens Risotto

From "Hunt, Gather, Cook: Finding the Forgotten Feast," by Hank Shaw

1 cup cooked nettles or other wild greens

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large shallot, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup risotto rice (Carnaroli, Arborio or Vialone Nano)

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups homemade beef or vegetable stock (use only 2 cups if store-bought)

¼ cup grated pecorino cheese

Instructions for the greens: Depending on what variety of greens you use, you will need four or five big handfuls to get the 1 cup of cooked greens. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Fill a large bowl with ice water.

Grab the nettles with tongs and add them to the boiling water. Stir around to submerge. Boil for 1-2 minutes for dwarf nettles, or 2-4 minutes for regular nettles.

Amaranth, orache, lamb's quarters, dandelions or chicory greens need 3-4 minutes.

Remove greens from the boiling water with a skimmer or tongs and immediately put them into the bowl of ice water. Once they are cool, drain in a colander, and then roll the greens in a clean tea towel.

Twist one end of the towel one way and the other end the other way, squeezing out as much moisture as you can.

Finely chop the greens. (Don't use a food processor, or you will get mush.)

The finer you chop, the smoother your risotto will be. Pick out any stray stems, which will show themselves after you chop the greens.

Instructions for the risotto: Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large heavy pot set over medium-high heat.

When the butter stops frothing, add the shallot.

Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, then add the garlic and rice, and stir to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute, or until the rice is well coated. Stir the salt and 1 cup of the stock into the rice and turn the heat to high.

When it starts boiling, turn the heat down to medium and cook, stirring at least every minute or so, until the rice absorbs the stock.

Repeat with a second cup of stock.

When the second cup has been absorbed, add the greens and a third cup of stock. If you are using store-bought broth, switch to water so the risotto doesn't become too salty.

Stir well to combine.

From this point on, you should be stirring constantly to develop the creaminess in the risotto and to distribute the nettles evenly.

When the third addition of liquid has been absorbed, taste the risotto.

The rice should be al dente - soft enough so you want to eat it, but still a little firm.

Add up to 1 more cup of stock or water, as you want the risotto to have a loose consistency. Add the cheese and the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Stir everything well and let the butter and cheese melt in the risotto for 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Add salt to taste and serve at once.

If you have leftovers, you can stir a beaten egg into the risotto, form into patties or balls, roll in bread crumbs, and fry in olive oil for a traditional Italian treat called arancini.

Sautéed Sow Thistle

Makes 3 servings

From www.foragingfoodie.net

4-5 cups sow thistle leaves

1-2 tablespoons oil

1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

Nutmeg, to taste

Instructions: Wash the sow thistle leaves, then chop them coarsely.

Heat oil in a frying pan, then cook the garlic for a few minutes.

Add the sow thistle leaves and stir until tender.

Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.

Serve.