The Ottawa Naturalist 



[April 



as greens, though even this does not exhaust the Hst. 



European immigrants from central Europe make 

 extensive use of the young tender dandelion leaves 

 which appear in the beginning of the season. These 

 may be used as a salad, like chicory, with the ad- 

 dition of salad oil and seasoning. 



Another method is to parboil, like spinach or 

 similar greens, add a litle salt when nearly cooked, 

 drain, then season with butter, salt and pepper. A 

 hard-boiled egg or two, sliced, may be used to 

 garnish. 



A favorite method in use among old country 

 people (before the war?) is to heat some bacon 

 gravy or fat to the boiling-point and pour it over 

 the raw or uncooked leaves. Some fresh green 

 onions, nicely chopped, are added to this, also some 

 vinegar, and some seasoning if necessary. 



Another well-known use of dandelion is the 

 employment of the flowers for making home-made 

 wine; a beer is also made from the young plants 

 by adding a little syrup and yeast. 



The edibility of bracken shoots, or "fiddleheads", 

 is apparently quite well-known in Europe, though 

 few seem acquainted with it here. There are few 

 weeds or wild plants which are more plentiful than 

 bracken. In fact, it has become a nuisance in many 

 places in hayfields and pastures. The "fiddle- 

 heads" are steamed or parboiled, then served on 

 toast, or otherwise, with a butter or cream sauce. 

 These are easily the most delicious of any of the 

 greens given. The scientific name of the plant is 

 Pteris aquilina. 



The young shoots of the sensitive fern (Onoclea 

 sensibilisj may be used in a similar way to bracken. 



Somewhat better known as a food, probably, than 

 the ferns is the marsh marigold, Caliha paluslris. 

 This is a cosmopolitan plant with a very extensive 

 range in North America. It also is gathered when 

 young and tender, and cooked like spinach. If 

 eaten after the flowers have appeared it is said to 

 be rather bitter. It is better parboiled in any case. 



A fine material for greens are the young shoots 

 of the common milkweed, Asclepias s])riaca. This 

 is found very widely as a weed along roadsides and 

 in waste places generally. The plant is gathered 

 just as the first spike, four to six inches in height, 

 appears above the ground. It is parboiled, that is, 

 the water is poured off after boiling once, and a 

 second boiling is given. The greens are then seas- 

 oned, some butter being added if desired. This is 

 a favorite vegetable among the Iroquois, who later 

 on use the upper leaves, as well as the clusters of 

 flower-buds when they first come out. 



The waterleaf, H^drophyllum virginianum, is 

 another plant of which the young leaves may be 

 used as greens. The following also have the same 



value: yellow dock, Rumex CTispus; nettle, Urtica 

 Jioica ; wood betony or lousewort, Pedicularis cana- 

 densis and P. lanceolata ; skunk cabbage, S^mplo- 

 carpus foetidus; wild leek. Allium tricoccum and 

 garlic, A. canadensis. All of these should be 

 gathered when quite young. Gloves are required 

 in gathering nettles. 



Among the introduced weeds or plants used in 

 the same way are: lamb's quarters, Chcnopodium 

 album; red-root pigweed, Amaranthus retroflexus; 

 black mustard, Brassica nigra; and purslane, Portu- 

 laca oleraca. 



Mustard is said to form an excellent salad green. 

 Sandwiches of bacon, cheese, and other materials 

 are certainly improved by a few young, crisp mus- 

 tard leaves dipped in a salad dressing. 



Other familiar wild plants used as salads are: 

 watercress, sheep sorrel, Rumex acetosella, and 

 oxalis. The Ojibwa of the Lake Nipigon region 

 eat the bases of the great bullrush, Scirpus validus. 

 These are eaten as a sort of refreshment just as 

 they are. 



The most recommendable of the greens and salads 

 referred to would certainly include: bracken, leeks, 

 garlic, pigweed, lamb's quarters, milkweed, dande- 

 lion, marsh marigold, purslane, sheep sorrel, mus- 

 tard and cress. Possibly one or two others should 

 be included, to make allowance for differences in 

 taste. 



Sorrel, Rumex acetosella, prepared in various 

 ways, is a noted European vegetable. It is made 

 into a sort of soup-like beverage, to which is some- 

 times added sliced cucumbers, or hard-boiled eggs 

 sliced. 



The following is a recipe for "cream of sorrel 

 soup": Cook a cupful of chopped sorrel in a table- 

 spoonful of butter, add a little sugar, half a table- 

 spoonful of vinegar, a tablespoonful of salt and two 

 of rice, then a pint of boiling water. Let simmer 

 until the rice is soft. Add three cupfuls of veal or 

 chicken stock and strain. Beat an egg yolk slightly, 

 cdd a cupful of light cream and turn into the soup; 

 stir until it becomes hot, then strain and sieve. 



Mrs. E. Sapir, of Boston, Mass., has kindly given 

 me the following Lithuanian recipes for the prepara- 

 tion of sorrel: Wash the plant; chop well and add 

 boiling water sufficient to make a soup. Let cook 

 for about ten minutes. After cooling "whiten" 

 with eggs and milk or eggs and cream these being 

 beaten together and seasoned to taste with salt. The 

 soup is eaten cold or warm. 



A second way of preparing is to cook with meat. 

 First, cook the meat until tender, then add the sorrel, 

 previously washed and chopped up well. Let cook 

 for ten minutes; then "whiten" with eggs only 

 (beaten), and eat while hot. 



