The Best Spring Foods Come From The Wild

Throughout nature, spring signifies a new beginning. People tend to feel more energetic and optimistic, and might renew their commitment to a healthy lifestyle. Exercising sure is much easier when the weather is better, and fresh produce is increasingly making its way into your grocery store. The best spring foods might be even closer at home though — in your garden or a garden near you. 

Wild Garlic

Native to Europe and Asia, wild garlic has a bunch of names, including ramsons and buckrams. Its Latin name is Allium ursinum, and if you live in Europe you might well have it in your garden. This little fellow has a fresh taste that falls somewhere between garlic and spring onions, and it's high in vitamins C and B6, as well as iron and sulphur. 

You can use wild garlic in salads, boil it as a veggie, use it as a herb to season your food, or make soup out of it. I'd especially recommend using wild garlic as the main ingredient of a home-made pesto. Put a good handful of wild garlic, ground elder, some walnuts, parmesan or ricotta cheese and a health dose of extra-virgin olive oil in your food processor. You may like to use pine nuts as well, and don't forget the salt. Do make sure to avoid the wild garlic from your garden once it has flowered. 

Dandelions

Most people see this yellow-flowered plant as a weed — but did you know it can be a powerful "secret" ingredient in many meals too? The young leaves of this plant are fresh-tasting and great for salads, while the mature leaves are a bit more bitter. Blooming dandelion flowers are good for making cordials or even dandelion-flower wine. The flower buds make great capers, if you pickle them. Simply boil a good collection of flower buds in half water, half vinegar. Add some sugar, salt, pepper and mustard seeds and any herbs you might like. 

What are you going to get out of dandelions, besides a tasty meal? This plant is actually full of vitamins C, A and B6 and calcium, iron and magnesium. Anyone who takes the plunge and incorporates it into dinner will forever think differently of this "weed".

See Also: Dandelion: Antioxidant Low in Cholesterol and Saturated Fats

Ground Elder

Ground elder — or bishop's weed, goutweed, or Aegopodium podagraria — smells of herbs when you pick it, but can be used much like spinach. You might include it in Asian stir fries, pesto, omelettes, quiche or use it as salad. You'll only want to go for the very young leaves, otherwise your meal will be full of fiber and devoid of taste. As with wild garlic, you don't want to use ground elder once it flowers. 

This plant was used as a treatment for gout and arthritis during the middle ages. In this case, the leaves are wrapped around the problem areas. If you eat it, you might experience a mild diuretic effect. You'll also get lots of vitamin C and dietary fiber from ground elder. 

More Unusual Spring Greens You'll Enjoy

Chickweed

Chickweed (Stellaria media) is called like that because chickens love it. If you have parrots or budgies, they'll also be really happy to have this lush green with its cute little white flowers. Gardeners might see chickweed as a, well, weed, and it sure does multiply quickly. Don't overlook this plant as a food source too quickly though. It's succulent and healthy — full of calcium, magnesium, manganese, zinc, iron, phosphorus, potassium, folate (folic acid), and vitamins C and A. You can make soup with chickweed or add it to your salads. You could also make pie or a pate with it. 

Chickweed is probably originally from Eurasia, but is now common in North America as well. Chances are that you have it growing in your garden as well. When you go out to gather chickweed, it is best to take a pair of scissors with you rather than pulling the plant out. This will ensure that you don't get gritty bits of sand in your food, and that the plant will carry on growing.

Nettles

Stinging nettles represent yet another weed that many gardeners loathe. It potential to sting might tell you to keep well away from this plant but don't give up so easily, as this plant offers you  plenty of nutrients. Calcium, iron, magnesium and vitamins K and C are among them. To stop nettles from stinging you, wear gloves as you harvest them — and rest assured that this plant no longer stings once it is cooked. 

We love a spring lasagna with nettles, asparagus and fava beans. You can also make pesto with nettles, and if you're really creative urtica dioica makes a fantastic ravioli filling. If you like your food spicy, an Indian nettle aloo (with potato and chickpeas) is another good option. Then, there's good old nettle soup.

Sorrel

Sorrel, a plant with fresh sour taste, has been cultivated for centuries. It's also quite likely to grow in a rough meadow somewhere near you. East European cultures frequently incorporate sorrel (Rumex acetosa) in soups, but you can also put it in mashed potatoes or simmered and served cold, with olive oil and garlic. 

Sorrel a small amount oxalic acid, which is what makes it so sour. That means you can't eat it all the time. You'll find lots of vitamin A in sorrel, and also some calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and vitamin C. 

See Also: Spring Food: Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Fiddlehead Ferns

Fiddlehead ferns are a young fern's furled fronds, used as a tasty veggie. They're especially beneficial for vegetarians, and not just because they look like octopus legs! The fiddleheads, which got that name because they have the appearance of little violins, are full of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, as well as plenty of iron and dietary fiber. Fry them in a rich coconut sauce with other veggies if you like Asian food, or steam them and serve them with mayonnaise after the ferns cool down.