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Facts on Edible Wild Greens in Maine
To
print a copy, we recommend
downloading the (PDF) print
version. (Download the free Adobe
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 University
of Maine Cooperative Extension
Bulletin #4060
Facts
on Edible Wild Greens in Maine
By Mahmoud El-Begearmi, Extension
specialist, nutrition and food safety
Enthusiastic gardeners can get an early
start harvesting spring greens that come up right in their backyard. These
greens are nutritious—-high in vitamin A, vitamin C and iron. They're
also low in calories, fat and cholesterol. Plus, wild greens are widely
available and require no work at all—-except harvesting! As with any
green, the younger the plant, the more tender it is. For the safest crop,
be sure to pick greens well away from major roads or other chemically
treated areas, and wash the greens well before you use them.
Dandelions
Dandelion greens (Taraxacum officinale)—-a sure sign of spring—-are most welcome to add variety, vitamins
and minerals to springtime meals. You may see people digging them in early
May in spots where snow still lingers in the fields.
Most people boil dandelion greens until
tender (change the water once to mellow their tangy taste), then garnish
with butter or lemon juice.
Nutritional
information: dandelions, boiled
Amount: 3 1/2
ounces. Calories: 33. Fat: 0.6 grams. Protein: 2 grams. Vit. A:
12,168 (IU). Vit. C: 18 milligrams. Iron: 1.8 milligrams.
Dandelion
Cheese Squares
2 large eggs
6 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
1 pound dandelions, parboiled, chopped and drained well
(squeeze
out extra liquid)
2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
6 ounces cheddar cheese, grated (2 cups)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
4 tablespoons wheat germ
In a large bowl, beat the eggs and
flour until mixture is smooth. Add dandelions, cheeses, pepper and
nutmeg. Mix well. Pour into a well-greased, 13- x 9- x 2-inch baking
pan. Sprinkle with wheat germ and bake in a preheated, 350-degree F
oven for about 45 minutes. Let stand for about 10 minutes, and then
cut into 1-1/2-inch squares. Makes 54 squares.
Dandelion/Fruit
Salad
1/4 cup herb vinegar
2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon canola or olive oil
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 clove garlic, minced
5 cups loosely packed, torn dandelion greens
5 cups loosely packed, torn red leaf lettuce
2-3/4 cups coarsely chopped, unpeeled apple (such as
Red Delicious)
2 cups coarsely chopped fresh orange sections
2 tablespoons chopped, toasted almonds
Combine vinegar and next five
ingredients; stir with a wire whisk until well blended. Set aside.
Combine dandelions and lettuce, apple and orange in a large bowl;
toss gently. Add vinegar mixture, tossing gently to coat. Sprinkle
with almonds. Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1-1/2cups).
Fiddleheads
The ostrich fern, or fiddlehead, is a Maine
delicacy that appears in the early spring—-April and May. The botanical
name for the ostrich fern is Matteuccia struthiopteris.
Grown ostrich fern leaves taper in width
from the middle to both ends. There is a deep groove on the upper side of
the big stalk, and the distinctive brown to black shoots that grow from
the center of the clump of leaves look somewhat like ostrich plumes.
In the spring, the ostrich fern's
distinctive "fiddleheads," the young, coiled fern leaves about
an inch in diameter, are mostly green, but have papery brown scales. Nearly all
ferns have fiddleheads, but the ostrich fern's are unlike any other. These
fiddleheads have a paper-dry, parchment-like sheath that usually has
started to peel. Most other fern fiddlehead sheaths are fuzzy or woolly.
You can also tell it's an ostrich fern if
you see the previous year's leaves, broken to the ground, dead and brown,
but still well attached to the root stock. Also, last year's
"plumes" (the spore-bearing fronds that are still erect) are
often there to identify the plant.
Gather fiddleheads in early spring, as soon
as they appear within an inch or two of the ground. Carefully brush out
and remove the brown scales. Then wash the heads, and cook them in lightly
salted boiling water for at least 10 minutes, or steam for 20
minutes. Serve right away with melted butter.
Nutritional
information: fiddleheads, canned
Amount: 3 1/2
ounces. Calories: 33. Fat: 0.3 grams. Protein: 3.8 grams. Vit. A:
719 (IU). Vit. C: 29 milligrams. Iron: .55 milligrams.
Composition of fresh fiddleheads
Moisture: 86.88%. Fat: 0.40%. Ash: 0.83%. Crude fiber: 1.35%. Crude protein: 4.55%. Total carbohydrate: 5.99%.
Shrimp
and Fiddlehead Medley
1 pound fresh fiddleheads
6 ounces linguine, uncooked
6 cups water
1-3/4 pounds Maine shrimp, fresh or frozen
1 teaspoon margarine
2/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup diced green pepper
1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon celery seeds
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Cut off ends of fiddleheads. Remove
scales and wash thoroughly. Bring water to a boil in a large
saucepan; add shrimp, and cook three to five minutes, or until done.
Drain well, and set aside.
Cook fiddleheads in boiling water for
10 minutes. Drain. Coat a large, nonstick skillet with
cooking spray; add margarine. Heat until margarine melts. Add onion and green pepper;
sauté until crisp, but somewhat tender. Stir in fiddleheads.
Meanwhile, cook pasta as directed,
without salt and fat. Drain well, set aside and keep warm. Add
sliced mushrooms, thyme, pepper, salt and celery seeds to vegetable
mixture; stir well. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat three to four
minutes or until mushrooms are tender, stirring often. Stir in
shrimp and lemon juice; cook until heated through, stirring often.
Place pasta on a large platter. Spoon
shrimp mixture on top. Serve immediately. Serves 6.
Fiddlehead
Dijon
1-1/2 pounds fresh fiddleheads
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup nonfat buttermilk
2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Clean and prepare fiddleheads.
Remove scales and wash thoroughly. Place fiddleheads in a vegetable steamer over boiling water.
Cover and steam 20 minutes or until crisp-tender. Set aside and keep
warm.
Combine cornstarch and
buttermilk in a small saucepan; stir well.
Cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat; stir in mustard, lemon juice, tarragon
and pepper.
Arrange fiddleheads on a
serving platter. Spoon sauce over fiddleheads.
Serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings.
 Lamb's-quarters
Lamb's-quarters, pigweed, goose foot and
wild spinach all carry the botanical name Chenopodium album. It is
a common garden weed and grows abundantly all over Maine.
Summer is the season for lamb's-quarters.
It may be gathered when only a few inches high, or the upper leaves may be
stripped off and used when the plant has grown several feet high. The
long-stalked leaves, usually one to four inches long, have a white
mealiness on them. The tiny flowers are numerous, greenish and in
spire-like clusters. These can also be eaten. When the fruit is mature,
the hard slippery coats would need to be ground before use.
To prepare, gather the young shoots with
leaves. Wash thoroughly. Cook them in a small amount of boiling salted
water until tender. Lamb's-quarters tastes like spinach. The cooked amount
will be about one-third of the amount harvested.
Nutritional
information: lamb's-quarters, chopped and boiled
Amount: 3
ounces. Calories: 29. Fat: 0.6 grams. Protein: 2.9 grams. Vit. A:
8,730 (IU). Vit. C: 33 milligrams. Iron: .63 milligrams.
Endive,
Lamb's-Quarters and Orange Salad
5 medium-size oranges (about 3
pounds)
2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2-1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 cups (1-inch) diagonally sliced Belgian endive (about 3 heads)
2 cups tightly packed, trimmed lamb's-quarters
Use a vegetable peeler to remove rind
from 2 oranges; cut rind into thin strips. Cook rind in boiling
water 1 minute; drain and set aside.
Peel and section all oranges. Set the
sections aside. Combine vinegar and next 6 ingredients, stirring
with a wire whisk.
Arrange 1 cup endive and 1/2 cup
lamb's-quarters on each of 4 salad plates. Top each salad with 1/2
cup orange sections and orange rind strips.
Drizzle each salad with 1
tablespoon vinegar mixture, and serve
immediately. Yield: 4 servings.
Warm
Lentil and Lamb's-Quarters Salad With Feta Cheese
4 cups water
1-1/4 cups dried lentils
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried whole oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 small clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
3 cups lamb's-quarters, well washed
Combine 4 cups water and lentils in a
saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook 30
minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside.
Combine 2 tablespoons water, olive
oil, vinegar, oregano, salt, pepper and garlic in medium bowl. Stir
well. Add lentils, cheese and lamb's-quarters; toss well. Serve warm
or at room temperature. Four 1-cup servings.
Orache
Another wild green that looks like
lamb's-quarters bears the name orache (Atriplex patula), or saltbush.
Since it grows on. salty soil, it is found only along the seacoast in
marshy inlets and beside tidal rivers. In Maine, lamb's-quarters grows
about two feel tall, with leaves to to four inches long. Orache is
larger, reaching three feet or more, with leaves up to five inches long. Orache leaves are less mealy than those of
lamb's-quarters and the flower clusters are looser. They can be
gathered along with the heads of seed.
This green shrub contains natural salts
that will appeal to many people. You can collect young shoots in the late
spring or early summer, and sometimes even later in the year.
There are several varieties of orache. To
prepare it, chop it and mix it with other milder flavored, chopped greens.
Steam for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Serve with your favorite
dressing, lemon juice or plain oil and vinegar.
Purslane
One of our best known garden weeds is
called "pusley." Its correct name is purslane (Portulaca
oleracea). It grows flat on the ground with fleshy, rubbery-like
reddish green stems that branch in every direction. The leaves are oval in
shape, thick, fleshy and formed close to the stem. It flowers, for a short
time only, in the morning sunshine. A bright yellow bloom sits directly on
the plant and has practically no stem.
When crushed between the fingers, the thick
leaves of the purslane give a slimy feeling. The entire plant is edible,
but if only the leafy tips are gathered, the plant will continue to grow
and replace the tips for picking again.
Purslane can be washed, cooked and served
just like spinach. It does not lose bulk in cooking as does spinach. Since
the stems and leaves of purslane are quite fleshy, very little boiling
salted water is needed in cooking.
Purslane mixed and baked with bread crumbs and
eggs makes a delicate casserole. Cooked and seasoned purslane served on
toast makes an appetizing addition to a meal. Even raw purslane can be
served with a dressing for a very good salad.
Nutritional
information: purslane, boiled
Amount: 1/2
cup. Calories: 10. Fat: 0.1 grams. Protein: .9 grams. Vit. A: 107
(RE). Vit. C: 6 milligrams. Iron: .45 milligrams.
Spring
Salad With Purslane and Honey Dressing
2 cups leaf lettuce, torn into pieces
2 cups purslane leaves, torn into pieces
2 cups spinach leaves, torn into pieces
10 radishes, sliced
Honey Dressing
Combine all salad greens and the
radishes in a salad bowl and toss. Pour dressing over greens and
toss. Makes 8 servings. Serve at once.
Honey
Dressing
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons honey
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 cup oil
Place all ingredients in a covered
jar, and shake until well blended.
Watch Out for Poisonous Wild Plants
Whenever you pick wild greens, be sure to
know what plants may be harmful. There are some poisonous plants that are
often mistaken for edible spring greens. They look harmless in their
lovely shades of green, yet are deadly if eaten.
For instance, poisonous arrow-grass (Triglochin
maritima) may be gathered along with harmless "goose
tongues" or seaside plantains (Plantao spp.) because they are
similar in appearance and grow together in coastal marshes. Contact a
natural resource professional if you are unsure about a plant.
For more information, contact your
University of Maine Cooperative Extension county office.
This fact sheet was revised from a previous Cooperative Extension
publication, "Spring Greens for the Picking."
Published and distributed in furtherance of
Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914, by the University of Maine Cooperative
Extension, the Land Grant University of the state of Maine and the U.S. Department of
Agriculture cooperating. Cooperative Extension and other agencies of the U.S.D.A. provide
equal opportunities in programs and employment.
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Putting knowledge to work
with the people of Maine
A Member of the University of Maine System
Last Modified:
08/12/08
These pages are currently being maintained from the
Communications Office, University of Maine Cooperative Extension.
Send comments, suggestions or inquiries to www-questions@umext.maine.edu
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