Evening star., 1943-05-20

Once wild green's are picked plan
to use them quickly They wilt fast
er than other green's. And green's
of any kind lose some vitamins while
waiting to be used.
When you get the greens home,
pick them over, discarding wilted or
damaged leaves. Cut OF the roots.
Then wash the wild green's with the
same care and thoroughness you
give to spinach or other leafy veg
etables-lifting them out of the
water SO that dirt will drain of and
changing the water several times.
Don't let the green's stand in water
to soak. If they must be kept
a while, store them where it is cold,
so they will crisp up.
Using wild greens raw as a salad
you get the most in vitamins. You
will save more of the juices if you
use sharp scissors or a sharp knife
to cut them. As a sample salad, you
might have pint Of finely shredded
young dandelion leaves, an onion
finely chopped, few radishes sliced
thin, a sprig Of fine-cut parsley
Serve with any salad dressing you
like. For a salad bowl garnish, slices
of hard-cooked egg or picked beets
add color and flavor.
If wild greens are to be used as q
vegetable. cook them like other
green's. Strong favored wild greens
may be better for parboiling two or
three minutes in generous amount
Of water. Then drain and cook like
others.
Cook wild greens quickly In little
lightly salted boiling water, until the
leaves wilt and the greens are just
tender. Then season and serve. Or
pan the wild greens in little melted
fat In skillet. Cover the skillet
to keep in steam, and cook the
green's slowly for Is or 20 minutes
or until they are tender, then season.
When a wild green hunt yields
small portions Of several greens, you
can cook them mixed. A blend OF
dock, dandelion and young and
tender plantain is a good one.
The juice or pot liquor in which
the wild greens are cooked holds
vitamins and minerals. You can
save and serve 1t right on the greens,
as grandmother did. If you keep
the amount OF cooking water small,
there will not be a great deal. Or
you can use extra juice in soups or
sauces.
Here are few Of the wild plants
that may be Fostering farmers or
running riot in neglected ground,
and that can be put to useful pur-
pose as leafy food:
Dandelion. For the tendereSt
green's, cut the leaves before the
yellow blossom comes. Cut the
tooth-edged leaves at the root
crown.
Lambs quarters. Wild spinach is
another name, and some consider
the flavor more delicate than gar
den-grown spinach, in salad or
when cooked. Goosefoot is still an
other name, because Of the jagged
shape Of the leaf. You will find this
silvery green weed "at home" in
rich garden patches or in potato
fields.
Plantain. This familiar heavy
leaved weed hugs the ground almost
as close as the dandelion and must
be dug up in the same way. Pick
only young, tender leaves. Crisped
and shredded. they make good COM
Diners for salads. -.. ..
Poke. The wild green gatherer
hunts poke early, when young poke
shoots are q few inches high, and
cuts them of just above the ground.
They can be cooked then like as
paragus. Care must be taken not
to mix in any root with the green
shoots, for the root is not only Bit
ter but poisonous; leaves of older
plants are to be avoided also.
Purslane. Given q chance, this
sprawling, trailing weed with small,
thick leaves on fleshy stem will
run riot. If it does get this chance,
you can make 1t useful as a mid
summer green. In Europe 1t Is often
used in salads and soups, or steamed
and served.
Wild Chicory. For eating pur-
poses, hunt the wild chicory long
before the blue flower appears. The
rosette Of root leaves may be cooked.
or the tender shoots and leaves may
be used raw in = salad.
Dock. Dock is a troublesome weed
far and wide. On the credit side, it
mixes well In salad greens, with
dandelion and tender tops Of horse
radish or mustard. Or cooked, it is
in good company with dandelion
and plantain.