Category: Spring

Mallow

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What to do after the harvest

Leaves:

  • Rinse and they can be used directly, or refrigerated a few days.
  • To store: rinse and spread out until fully dry.
  • To freeze: rinse, pat dry and pile the leaves. Press into a jar (much like vine leaves) and freeze.

Seeds:

  • Nibble as trail snacks, add to a salad or pickle like capers.

A few recipes:

  • Tea for soothing a sore throat or dry cough: Gently simmer about 3t dried leaves or flowers in 1C water for 10 minutes. Strain and drink. Alternatively, soak plant parts in lukewarm water for a few hours before drinking. Combine with ginger to maximise mucus-clearing properties.This tea is also used for inflammations of the digestive, urinary or respiratory systems.
  • Tender young mallow leaves can be used in salad like lettuce. Older leaves can be added to smoothies (a great way to consume it if you don’t like the taste), cooked like greens, added to soups as a thickener (or an alternative to seaweed). Melokhia, a hearty stew that is a classic in Egypt and Lebanon, can be made with mallow – recipe soon!
  • Quick sauté: Sauté chopped garlic and onion in butter. Add sliced mallow leaves, season and fry till wilted. Use as you would use any greens.
  • Khobbeizeh bi Zeit (Sautéed Mallow)

Other uses:

  • Consumed directly or as tea, mallow can balance and relieve an acid stomach by increasing alkalinity.
  • Crush mallow leaves to relieve nettle stings: they have mild pain-killing qualities..
  • To make a poultice to heal wounds, bruises, insect bites or burns: Soak 2T of the dried leaves in 2C water overnight. Strain, soak a cloth in the gelatinous solution and apply to the skin. If you have access to fresh leaves, they can be crushed and applied directly.

Stinging Nettles

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What to do after the harvest

Leaves:

  • To store for tea purposes, simply rinse and spread out to let them dry (this won’t fully remove the sting so handle with care).
  • To use directly, start by removing the stems (wearing gloves). The leaves can then be cooked (for instance added to a soup or stew for protein) or blended (if making a pesto or a dip): either method will eliminate the sting.
  • To preserve, blanch the de-stemmed leaves for a few minutes in salted boiling water, drain well, squeeze out water, chop roughly and freeze. Keep the water to use as stock! It can be frozen too, if not using at once.

Seeds:

  • Eat fresh as an energy-boosting trail snack. They tingle a bit but rolling them slightly between your fingers first will tone that down.
  • To dry them, spread out in a tray and leave a week or so. The seeds are then easy to rub off the stems (I use my fingers but you can also rub between two sieves or the like. Don’t worry about the very fine stems). Store in a jar in a cool place. Sprinkle a teaspoon onto your breakfast as a tonic supplement. (I don’t like taking a teaspoon directly because the texture of a clump of dried seeds in your mouth is a bit odd.)

A few recipes:

  • Tea: Put fresh or dried leaves in a pot and boil until the water starts turning green, or longer for a stronger brew (pouring hot water over the leaves is not enough to bring out the buttery feel of proper nettle tea). Optional: adding a few drops of lemon will turn it pink! If the season allows, throw in fresh bramble tops for a really good pairing.
  • Quick sauté: Sauté sliced garlic in some butter (with a pinch of chili if you like). Add fresh nettle leaves, season and fry till fully wilted. Serve with a squeeze of lemon.
  • General: Substitute fresh leaves for spinach in any recipe.
  • Nässelsoppa (Swedish nettle soup)

Other uses:

  • Ripe fruit packed with nettle leaves keeps fresh longer as mould formation is stifled.
  • The leaves have a high nitrogen content: add them to your compost heap to boost the bacteria that break down the material.
  • For the same reason, they make an excellent fertiliser: Fill a bucket with nettles (the whole plant can be used) and cover with water. Leave out for a week or so. The resulting dark (and stinking) liquid is rich in nitrogen: dilute 1 part to 10 parts water to use as plant feed.

Dandelion

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What to do after the harvest

Leaves:

  • Young leaves can be simply rinsed and eaten raw (think salad or smoothie.)
  • Older, more bitter leaves are more palatable after blanching: add to boiling water for 2 min, then drain. Repeat if necessary. Such a treatment will take away some of the nutrients, but you can save the stock, which also promotes digestion.
  • To preserve a large harvest for off-season enjoyment, blanch and freeze.

A few recipes: