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In the past I've tried a number of different weeds, to a very unenthusiastic response from the family. I tend not to bother with most now, if they were that good the seed merchants would be packing them up for sale
I do give suitable ones to the guinea pigs and chicken though.
I could not live without a garden, it is my place to unwind and recover, to marvel at the power of all growing things, even weeds!
Now a little Shrinking Violet.
Made a quite acceptable coffee from dried dandelion roots once.
My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)
I've told this story before, so appologies to anyone who's already heard it!
I was on long term strike at the time so was hard up! I dug over an old biddies garden for some cash in hand and had a good few sacks of BIG dandelion roots, so I thought why not!
In those days we used to go once a fortnight to a meeting place and the union would help you out with a food parcel. I wasn't that destitute so left my food parcel for someone more needy.
I had been talking to another member and jokingly said I was penniless and had to make my own coffee from dandelion roots!
Two or three hours later there was a knock on the door and on answering it I was met by a young lad with a jar of Nescafe in his hand. "Me Da sent you this" he said. It wasn't until I asked him who his 'Da' was that the penny dropped that it was the same bloke I had been talking to. I think it must have been in the food pack I had left for a more needy case.
Anyway, the dandelion coffee was ok when put through a sieve or percolator (bit like 'Camp' chiccory coffee from what I remember), but the Nescafe was nicer!
My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)
I had the same experience as Snadger when I made dandelion coffee. If there was no proper coffee to drink I suppose it would just about be acceptable but until that time I'll stick with Nescafe.
Garlic mustard grows in profusion in the hedgerows round here and, as VC says, it's nice chopped in a salad and certainly not as garlicy as...garlic.. Nettle soup is actually quite nice. Can't remember where I got the recipe from but it had potatoes in as well. Looked a bit unappetising as it was a sort of greeny-grey but the taste was fine.
I got my first copy of Richard Mabey's book about 35 years ago and have been an enthusiastic forager ever since.
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