BECKI WALKER / Monday, May 18, 2009 06:58 PM
Inspiration (and cheap local food) can be found in the strangest of places. While searching for a cooking show to watch on my computer, I stumbled upon “Cook on the Wild Side.” I’d never heard of this particular program before, and the titled seemed titillating, so I clicked.
Am I ever glad that I did! I discovered the joys of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, a Brit with several cooking shows dedicated to sustainable and local foods he’d prepared himself. In “Cook on the Wild Side,” Hugh travels around the country side searching for food he can “poach,” or scavenge. While I won’t be babbing for eels or searching for pigeons any time soon, there’s one food we can all scavenge. This humble plant is overlooked consistently, and many of us try to eradicate it: the dandelion green, of the genus Taraxacum.
Though the greens and flower heads can both be consumed (the famed dandelion wine is made from flower tops), this article will mainly focus on the greens. Dandelions have quite a lot of nutritional value – more vitamin A than broccoli, and substantial amounts of Vitamin K, calcium, and iron. That’s quite a punch for a “weed.”
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