Basically, we've got three ingredients and a lot of nutrition!
So, the wild edibles are still in full force and our garden is now cranking out the produce on the daily. We're about to have to get creative, especially with the Snake Gourds, because we've got a lot of them coming in!
It seems like every day we've got at least one or more of these that are ready to be picked and enjoyed. I've got a few other ideas already, but for now we are still rocking the stir fry whenever we can. This time we mixed it up with a bit of foraging.
FRESH FOOD - BOTH WILD AND DOMESTICATED!
The goal was simple, a few easy plants and a quick simmer. Thankfully, our @little-peppers really get into gardening and foraging, so they are all about actually enjoying healthy food. That's the finished product above, so I'll show you how we did it!
The first ingredient was Broadleaf Plantain (Plantago major.) While the whole plant is edible, this time we were just after the seeds. The leafs are great in salads or soups, and can be enjoyed raw or cooked, just like the seeds.
We've got a nice patch growing just outside our driveway, and the @little-peppers were eager to help. Monster Truck and Red-Pepper quickly learned how to harvest the parts that we were looking for, and soon we had gathered a few small handfuls.
Lamb's Quarter (Chenopodium album)was next on our foraging list. Also known as "pigsweed" and "goosefoot" it is a readily available wild edible in many areas. Just like when we were in Wisconsin, we've got plenty available here as well. It has an amazing amount of Vitamins A & C, plus it brings a lot of other nutritional benefits to the table.
The plants that we harvested were actually "weeds" growing in a few of our potted plants. Since we had to remove them anyway, we might as well eat them and get a belly full of nutrition in the process. With these two wild edibles already foraged, we were ready to head to the garden for the main ingredient.
Ah yes, our new friend the Snake Gourd! One of these can do a great job of feeding our family, so we are very excited about seeing how many we can grow this year. This plant will definitely be a staple in our garden moving forward.
With our three simple ingredients picked and ready, it was time to head to the kitchen! Check out those happy, healthy children ready to devour some nutritious goodness!
KITCHEN TIME!
This part is simple too, but I found a trick or two that makes things easier. First off, for these long gourds, I like to cut them in half first, and then slice them into round sections. By chopping them in half first, I've got half as much slicing to do, since every cut makes two pieces.
Like I said, one gourd can feed our family, and once they are sliced up they'll pretty much fill a large skillet for a stir fry. Just check out that pile!
The Lamb's Quarters are just rinsed and chopped. This makes sure that they are clean and also in small enough pieces to be bite sized.
After rising the seed stalks from the Plantain, we just strip off whatever seeds that we can, and add them into the mix. They may be small, but they are tasty and nutritious.
In either oil or butter, saute the gourd and wild edibles and season to taste. Considering that we only had to pick one thing out of the garden to make this meal, we did pretty well! I love using the wild edibles that are freely growing all around us, and this simple recipe shows you just how easy it can be! Doesn't it look delicious?
As always, I'm @papa-pepper and here's the proof:
proof-of-simple-great-stir-fry
Until next time…
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