Where the wild things grow

My daughter picks up the book lying on the kitchen table, and flicks through it. She focuses her attention on the pictures.

‘Mum, look, there’s a photo of the wild berries we have growing by the front garden fence. See, you can eat them.’

‘I saw that. Look up the entry on dandelions. I think that's what's growing on the front lawn.’

‘Wow. You can eat them too. I’m going to pick some now.’ She’s off.

The book that's sparked her interest is Doris Pozzi’s Edible Weeds and Garden Plants of Melbourne. It’s helping me to answer the question: What exactly were those wild greens that Mum collected by the side of the road when I was a kid?

According to one passionate proponent on the health benefits and culinary delights of wild greens, Mark Dymiotis,  they may have been Chicory (Cichorium intybus), Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) or Catsear (Hypochaeris radicata), all 'weeds' commonly eaten in the traditional Greek diet.  This book is going to help me settle the question once and for all. It’s clearly laid-out, with great pictures.

I’m surprised by our daughter's enthusiasm. She's never really expressed a keen interest in eating green things before, and certainly not ones that grow unbidden on our lawn. Then again perhaps she can't help chanelling her forager roots - when she was very little, her grandma used to take her on walks around the neighbourhood and they would bring home fruit hanging over fences and in public parks that would have otherwise gone to waste.

Dolores comes in with a handful of dandelion leaves.

‘I’m going to cook them.’

‘Are you sure they’re dandelions?’*

‘The leaves and the flowers are the same as in the book. It says you can eat them raw, or cook them.’

She washes them well and we try a leaf each.  They taste like rocket, but are quite bitter. Dolores pulls a face.

We consult the book again. It says to eat them young, before they flower, otherwise they can be bitter. Over the next two pages, the author writes about their nutritional value and medicinal properties. Who would have thought that a weed could be so good for you?

Dolores is not deterred by a bit of bitterness. She drains the water from the remaining dandelions and gets a fry pan out. She stir-fries the leaves with some olive oil, garlic and salt. A few minutes later, she serves them up.

'You go first mum. If you die, we know they're poisonous.' Laughs wickedly. Still, she braves the first taste.

'I can't taste the dandelion much. I can mostly taste the salt and garlic. There’s a bitter
aftertaste.'

I go next. 'I agree, but maybe if they were in a pie with other greens, they would be really good.'

I feel we've just embarked on our own foraging journey as we flick through the rest of the book to see what other green things we can eat or drink. My mother will be delighted.

*As with mushrooms, care must be taken when eating edible weeds, especially if you are not sure what they are, or if they grow in built up/polluted areas.

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