YARD SALAD

A friend sent me a bumper sticker the other day that read “I eat local because I can”, with the word “can” contained inside the image of a glass canning jar. This time of year, I get tired of eating canned goods, which in large part is what allows me to eat local year-round. After a long winter of eating a lot of canned vegetables and fruit, my mouth salivates when I see the spring weeds in my yard popping up. Through the years of looking for easier and cheaper ways to eat, I have found that many of the weeds I used to battle with, along with the trees and shrubs, and some of the perianal plants I have planted can make a pretty tastee salad. 

So tonight, after spending the afternoon in Walmart, getting my COVID booster vaccination shot re-boosted and purchasing a supply of fiber supplements to keep the digestive system healthy, I decided to do some “weed” eating from my yard. First on the menu was some lilac blossoms, followed by new basswood tree leaves, some dandelion flowers, common violet leaves and blossoms, asparagus sprouts, rhubarb stalks, and last but not least - the onion family members chives and volunteer garlic greens. 

I chopped up the stalks, cut up the leaves, and tossed them together in a clear glass bowl. Then I topped it off with some home brewed cider vinegar, salt and pepper, locally sourced sun choke tubers, mixed nuts, and some cheddar and other shredded cheese. The result was a very satisfying meal. There were enough leftovers for another feed tomorrow – when hopefully it will warm up a bit so I can get some of my other more popular salad ingredients planted, grown, and picked. Until then, hoping that these yard plants keep me from opening more jars, and spending afternoons passing through Walmart Pharmacy doors.