The following wild greens recipe is from Mrs. Alaska.
Many wild greens can be cooked the same way people like to cook spinach: with butter and lemon or garlic or as a creamy concoction.
In spring, we enjoy fiddlehead ferns and fireweed shoots. In early summer, we eat dandelion leaves raw and cooked. But my favorite wild green is Lamb’s Quarters. It is chock full of vitamins A, C, K, iron, and calcium. Unlike many leafy greens, its flavor does not include a bitter or sulfurous component. It is mild, and almost nutty.
This slim plant with grey/green soft leaves, grows to about 20 inches. It loves disturbed ground, especially nitrogen rich, like compost piles and my vegetable gardens. I like the flavor enough that I let it grow among my potatoes and brassicas.
Like all greens, it cooks down quite a bit, so you want to harvest a LOT more than you think you will eat. For two people’s large side dish portions, I fill a colander with chopped leaves and stalk/stems.
Directions
- Rinse and chop the lamb’s quarter leaves and stems/stalks. (You can eat the seed heads, too.)
- In a large pan, coat the bottom with a light film of oil or butter and then add a bit of water or other liquid, such as broth, so the greens won’t stick to the pan. Cover and steam over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the leaves have wilted and the stalks/stems are bright green.
- Mix in any herbs, such as crushed garlic, salt, pepper, hot pepper flakes, and/or a squeeze of lemon juice or soy sauce and/or more butter.
- Top with toasted sesame seeds or sunflower seeds if desired.
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