Yesterday I saw the world through new eyes. I got the same feeling that I got after my first botany class when I learned to see flowers in a whole new light. It was like putting on glasses and finally being able to see things I wasn’t able to see before. I had the kind of day where I wore a permagrin. No one had to ask me if I was having a good time. The enthusiasm I felt yesterday was the kind that made me send texts to loved ones with multiple exclamation points and phrases like, “SO awesome.” I learned to eat the weeds and “undesirable” plants around me. And for a girl set on eating as much from the land as she can, foraging just opened up a world of possibilities.
In a small group led by Becky Selengut, chef and author of the cookbook, Good Fish, and ecologist, Jeanette “Jet” Smith, we set off to Vashon to have a foraging, and later cooking, adventure. My love affair for Vashon, much like my love for Lopez, is a story for another post.
We made our way from one green space to another, finding treasures along the way, which included miner’s lettuce, stinging nettles, dock (the antidote to nettles), douglas fir, salmonberry blossoms, sheep sorrel (lemony goodness), peppercress, and chickweed.
We stopped by a local self-serve farm stand to supplement our foraged bounty and took a ride on a tree swing that made you feel as though you were flying above a forest canopy. The sun broke through the clouds and I was relaxed and happy. But I digress. As was comically declared yesterday as we lost ourselves in those little moments, “less talk, more forage!”
Of course, the idea of foraging is not new to me. I see foraged edibles at the farmers’ market and hear of people foraging all the time. But it was the first time for me. Taking on another level of culinary education like this would have felt overwhelming before, as I worked to turn my brown thumb green. Learning to garden and successfully make things grow felt like enough information for one time. But I think I may have been misguided. Because what I discovered this weekend was the opportunity to take advantage of edible resources that are growing all around without working a hoe or planting a seed. What I didn’t realize before today was that the weeds I had been feeding to the chickens or tossing into the compost could have been tossed into my salad bowl – permaculture at its finest! I may not have been ready for this information before, but I am certainly ready for it today. And you can be sure that I’ll be making up for lost time.  You can expect to see future posts on this topic as I continue my foraging education and you’ll probably be seeing weeds on your dinner plate at my house too.
Foraging 101: Stinging Nettles
Why forage for nettles?
Nettles are delicious. We enjoyed them yesterday evening in a ravioli filling, in a sauce for fish, fried as a garnish, and steeped as a tea. They are also nutritious since they are high in calcium, magnesium, and iron. The tea is also said to provide a little seasonal allergy relief. Plus, nettles are abundant in the northwest – we might as well take advantage of them!
How do you harvest nettles?
With a good pair of rubber dish gloves harvesting (and cooking with) nettles is easy! I came home with a bag full of nettles and nary a sting. Just pinch off the top two or three rows of leaves with your fingers or some scissors, looking for the young and more tender plants (as opposed to the ones with thicker stocks). Once they have their flowers, you can consider your nettle-picking window to be over until next season because like most flowering plants, they just won’t be as good to eat.
Where should you forage?
Nettles like moisture and tend to grow in undisturbed places. If you spot a blackberry bramble, you have probably found yourself some nettles too. Discovery Park, anyone?
Making Nettle Tea
I’ve wanted to make my own nettle tea for ages, but was always intimidated by the harvesting process and thought there was more to it than the simple process I learned yesterday. But there’s not. Simply put a few bunches of nettles into a pot, stocks and all, cover with water, and bring to a boil for at least 5 minutes to remove the sting and release the flavor. Pour the tea through a strainer and enjoy. I thought the tea was delicious just like that, very similar to green tea, but I imagine it would be delicious with the addition of ginger, lemon or honey. Strain the nettles from the tea and reserve them for later use in something delicious like a sauce or homemade ravioli filling.
More helpful nettle resources:
Stinging Nettle article, U of Maryland Medical Center
Northwest Foraging: The Classic Guide to Edible Plants of the Pacific Northwest by Doug Benoliel
Classes like the one I took by Becky Selengut
I’m just going to put this out there. I suck at growing potatoes. It doesn’t feel good to admit this. Most gardeners and books will tell you it’s so easy. Just fill up a garbage can a little at a time with your potato starts and before you know it, Â you’ll have a can-full of potatoes! Uh, yeah, I’ve done that. I’ve spread the tarp out on the lawn, dumped the garbage can onto the blue plastic with anticipation, and had my hopes dashed upon finding a pound of baby potatoes, at best. That’s it?!
To my credit, I never gave up. No, I tried again. I’ll try potato towers this time. Yeah, I thought, that’ll do the trick! I didn’t really have the straw it suggested or the containers, but I’d make do with what I had. Oh, and they grew. The plants got huge as I filled up the containers, a little at a time. This time, I thought, I’ve done it. When the plants died off, a sign that it’s time to harvest, I unhooked the towers expecting potatoes to come raining down. But, what came raining down, was dirt, some dead plant material, and just under two pounds of potatoes. Again, I whined, that’s it?!
So, I’m back at it. The third time’s the charm, right? It better be or I’m going to leave this potato business to my favorite farmers’ market potato guys at Olsen’s. I’m going with burlap this time. Similar method, different container. Following these guidelines, I planted five burlap sacks with Yukon Golds and Purple Majestic potato starts. I know there are a lot of variables that could have affected my potato harvest. It could have been water that did it, overwatering/soggy soil (rot) or dried out soil (a common problem in container gardening, especially in warm, sunny spots). It also could have been the depth of the soil or the way I was covering the emerging plants with soil. Maybe it could have been overcrowding. Just looking at the plant placement in my potato tower picture above makes me cringe – what kind of spacing is that? They’re practically falling out of the tower! Whatever the reason, I’m back on the saddle with my fingers crossed, hoping that this summer, I’ll be reaping the harvest I’ve always hoped for.
