The Vegetable Possibilities of Our Common Weeds 
FEW housewives would think of substituting milk- 
weed for asparagus, and yet its thick, succulent 
shoots — which may be found in almost every mead- 
ow — when cooked like asparagus and served with drawn 
butter sauce is equally as delicious, and is a valuable and 
most nutritious food. The tender tips of the leaves of 
this weed make a salad with a taste so unlike anything 
now used for this purpose, when served with 
]\'ild Mustard, a good substitute for ll'atcrcrcss or l^cttucc. 
ma}onnaise or French dressing", that those seeking 
new sensations wall enjoy it. Milkweed should be 
cut for cooking when about a foot high. The 
wild milkweed cannot be had after the middle of June, as 
Dock, a fcgi'tablc outlaic, superior to Sj^inach or Kale. 
it becomes too tough and is not good in flavor after the 
blossoms appear, but when cultivated it is good until 
Fall. It is very easy to raise, as one may produce an 
enormous crop by planting the abundant brown seeds, so 
familiar to everyone in the late Fall. Sow them in rows 
and in the Spring they will be found to be sprouting up 
luxuriously. The plant will spring up again and again 
from the same roots, and they may, too, be sown at in- 
tervals, like peas, and thus tender shoots be available all 
summer. 
Another asparagus-like weed is poke shoot — called in 
some parts of the country pigeonberry weed or scoke — 
which is found on the borders of the woods in the early 
spring. They are cooked and served the same as aspara- 
gus, on toast with melted butter, or on toast with butter 
sauce. They should not be used after the leaves begin 
to uncurl. Tender blackberry shoots are used in the 
same way, as are also the tender sprouts of brakes or 
other ferns — in many foreign countries, especially in 
Japan. Early shoots of the bellwort, or strawbell, are an 
excellent substitute for asparagus. The roots of this 
plant are very palatable when boiled. 
The dandelion needs mi intrciduction — every child 
knows itg yellow flowers early in the Spring, and the fact 
of its growing popularity as a vegetable is attested b}' 
the increasing number of farmers who are planting it as 
a Spring crop for market. It should be gathered verv 
\oung, if it is to be used as a salad, but the leaves and 
Roots of file Thistle are iioze used as a I'aluable vegetable. 
roots may be gathered for cooking when the plant is 
quite large and spreading. The flowers are used as well 
as the leaves, both for cooking and raw salad. When 
just blossomed out they are tender and deliciously fla- 
vored. For a salad the flowers should be pulled apart and 
scattered over the young leaves and served with a dress- 
ing of mayonnaise. Dandelion combined with bacon will 
also be found an excellent salad. After washing well 
the leaves, place them in a salad-bowl and season with 
salt and pepper. Cut two ounces of bacon into small 
dice, put into a frying pan over the fire and cook until 
golden brown, then add two tablespoonfuls of vinegar. 
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