Polk greens

[nosleepinghere]

Polk greens are up and ready to pick before the leaves get too big. Plan to gather some this weekend. Want to learn other edible kinds to add in as I only recognize polk and lambs quarter. Question is … can polk greens be canned like spinach? All I’ve ever done is wilt it down in water, drain, then freeze. Then when ready to serve, thaw, and sauté in a little bacon grease. Would canning work the same way? Wilt first? Any recommendations on seasonings to add?

[Guest Guest]

Habaneros.

 

ROFL!

 

 

[Mother]

I'm not sure about canning them but I do know that they can make you very ill if they are too big. There are a lot of greens that you can find wild but it takes a real good field guide to make sure you are not eating something that is poisonous or like poke, at a time or size that is poisonous. Miners lettuce, Wild lettuce, wild mustard, wild cress, wood sorrel (sparingly),purslane, violet leaves and flowers, and the list goes on and on. Some are really tasty and some are bitter. Some just take a different touch with cooking and rarely do they can well. Remember though that if you find something that you have positively identified, and like, you can usually transfer most of them to your garden or close to the house for quick eating.

 

There is a whole wild foods store in most areas, even in urban setting but sprays and exhaust film is often a problem there. But before you eat anything,,,,,,,, be sure that it is POSITIVELY identified and that you know the poisonous look alikes that a lot of wild edibles have.

 

Maybe we can get a list going of peoples favorites. Mine are lambsquarters and nettles as cooked greens and tiny wood sorrel to mix into a salad or to make a lemon like sun tea out of. Violet leaves are great addition to a salad and so are the flowers. Rose petals, without the white nibs on the bottoms of them which tends to be a bit bitter, are good too as are the rose hips left on the plant after the flower goes. They are very rich in vitamin C. The Rosa Rugosa rose has a huge rose hip on them that are easy to dry and store and make great teas.

 

Okay, that's a start. Let's hear some more....

 

 

 

[Guest Guest]

ummmmmmm...

 

I like romaine?

 

 

 

lol

[Mother]

I like romaine too but I just can't find the darn stuff growing wild anywhere

[kde_batt]

ok, I have some polk growing by the fence - how big is "too big" to pick the leaves? the plants are about 18" tall... too big??