Eating the Lawn

by Heather C.

Here in Ohio it seemed impossible to participate in the Penny-Wise Eat Local Challenge.  The farmer's markets in my area don't open until July.  We are still about a month away from the frost-free date for planting.  About the only thing growing here is grass.  Then I remembered a scene from my childhood.  My neighbor, who was a botany professor, always used to go outside and pick greens from his lawn for a salad.  It used to freak me out as a kid to eat plants that I "knew" were weeds.  But now I pay good money for gourmet salad greens so maybe it is time to reinvestigate eating the lawn.

Even after many botany classes my plant identification isn't that good.  But there is one plant growing in abundance in my lawn that I can readily identify.  Dandelions.  A quick search for dandelion recipes gave me a great list foods I could make.  I decided to try the Dandelion Flower Fritters from LearningHerbs.com.

(My lawn is chemical free so it is safe to eat the flowers.  If you aren't sure about the source of your flowers, don't try this at home.  Dandelion is also a diuretic so if you are already taking a diuretic medication or can not take diuretics, don't try this either.)

I picked about 10 blossoms.  I dipped them in a batter made with an egg (local free range), soymilk, and flour.  Then I cooked them in a pan of vegetable oil over medium heat until they were brown on both sides.  I drained the excess oil on paper towels and drizzled them in maple syrup made by a friend from trees on her farm. 

I had a moment's hesitation before popping the first one in my mouth.  I was about to eat a weed from the lawn, after all.  But it tasted great.  I think I went a bit heavy on the batter so I didn't get a lot of dandelion taste.  I took some down to the husband.  He was convinced that I was trying to kill him - both for feeding him fried food and for feeding him dandelions - but he agreed that they tasted better than he would have thought. 

I have a recipe for dandelion jelly that sounds like a lot of fun to make except that I never eat jelly.  Maybe I could make some for gifts to introduce other people to the fun of eating frugally and locally by eating dandelions.

Heather C. lives in rural Ohio where nothing but "weeds" are growing right now.

Comments

[cookiecrumb]

I'm never sure why people don't want to eat food they've personally witnessed growing.
My dad grows wonderful grapes along the rear fence, but my mom thinks they're inferior to "store-bought."
As for wild food, if you're sure it's safe... Enjoy!
Good for you for trying. It's only a weed if you call it one.

[julie]

I can't think of a better way to celebrate spring than eating fried flowers from your lawn!

[lucette]

My sympathy on eating locally in Ohio right now (I'm from Cleveland). My farmers market opened on Saturday, and I was happy about that, but I came away with apples, honey, bread. There wasn't a lot of choice in things grown.
Dandelions, on the other hand, I've got. I eat the leaves in salad--they make a nice bitter accent along with other lettuce-y things.

[lucette]

My sympathy on eating locally in Ohio right now (I'm from Cleveland). My farmers market opened on Saturday, and I was happy about that, but I came away with apples, honey, bread. There wasn't a lot of choice in things grown.
Dandelions, on the other hand, I've got. I eat the leaves in salad--they make a nice bitter accent along with other lettuce-y things.

[Emily]

Look for chickweed, too: http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=STME2&photoID=stme2_2h.jpg
It's got a crisp, "green" tastes - great in salads!

[kelly]

I'm in Ohio too, and it is hard to do the eat local thing in winter and spring, unless you've planned way ahead the year before and stocked the freezer and pantry really well.

I like to use the tiniest dandelion greens in my soups as well as salads. It's an excellent spring tonic.

[Loren]

In Ohio we have the largest Amish Community in the World and are lucky to have access to an awesome variety of competitively priced organically farmed local food, but as others have said fresh produce is just not available right now. I too had really wanted to take up this challenge, but was unable to find anything other then a few bushels of tired looking apples. Yet, somehow I do not think the Amish here are starving right now and I think that we have much to learn from their simple and sustainable ways. This summer I plan to can and preserve as much of the local harvest as I can and next year I hope to be ready for the challenge. As for this week,I am shopping as locally as I can and am now dreaming of picking dandelions for homemade Dandelion Jelly and Wine.
Great Post!