Cooking With Weeds (Flower-Power Salad)

Maybe we can’t eat the daisies, but there’s a wealth of other green matter available for noshing. In fact, many plants we now view as common, useless weeds were once considered valuable food sources. Dandelion leaves, for instance, are loaded with vitamins A and C. For the best flavor use young plants (before the flowers have formed) grown in good soil, as these will be the sweetest and most tender. And be careful that they haven’t been contaminated by chemicals or anything else toxic. Never use any fresh-harvested plant, of course, unless you’re certain you know exactly what it is.

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FLOWER-POWER CHICKEN SALAD

2 cups young dandelion leaves

2 cups combined young leaves from any two or three of the following: chickweed, chicory, plantain, violet, or yarrow

1 cup diced cooked chicken

½ cup walnut pieces

¼ cup canned crushed pineapple

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise

½ teaspoon pepper

Violet blossoms, nasturtiums, or rose petals for garnish (And, yes, these are all edible. The nasturtiums, in particular, have a lovely peppery flavor similar to watercress.)

Directions: Carefully wash all the greens and pat or spin dry. Tear into bite-size pieces and toss together in a large salad bowl. Add chicken, walnuts and pineapple, and toss again; then mix in the mayonnaise and pepper. Decorate each serving with the flowers. Serves approximately four.

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SWEET & SOUR DANDELION GREENS

4 cups young dandelion leaves, washed thoroughly and patted or spun dry

4 slices of bacon

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

¼ teaspoon mustard powder

Salt & pepper to taste

2-3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced

Directions: Fry bacon until crisp and remove from pan. Add vinegar, sugar, mustard powder, salt and pepper to the bacon drippings and stir until the sugar is dissolved; then remove pan from the heat. Add dandelion greens, stirring until they’re evenly coated. Transfer mixture to a serving bowl, sprinkle with crumbled bacon and garnish with the sliced eggs. Serves four.

Enjoy!

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