Author: James Burnette

For today I have a special guest post from TinMan has left the most amazing well informed comments on my blog. He has a blog called Belfire Botanicals where he writes great articles on Herbalism and wild edibles. Enjoy today’s post and check out TinMan’s site.

Wild Times Dinner

By

The TinMan

     The other night I
invited a friend (of like prepper mind) over for dinner. When she arrived, she
asked what was on the menue. I said we need to take a walk first. To
build an appetite? She asked. No, we’re going out to the edge of the woods and
forage for our supper. There was suddenly a look of interest and terror. I live
on a 65 acre herb farm and know where all the wild weeds thrive. With a garden
basket and my trusty handmade  Puukko
knife, we walked out behind the bee hives on the edge of a field. I found the Wild
Lambs Quarter (aka: Goosefoot or Pigweed)

I snipped 2 fairly
large stalks full of small tender leaves. We continued to walk. Growing in the
shade under a large pecan tree I found some “Five Finger Ivy” aka Virginia
Creeper.

I gathered a few good handfuls of the leaf clusters and
placed them in a basket. 

Next on our walk is some low lying common Chickweed,
(Stellaria)

Near the garden gate there is a large patch of very lemon
flavored Wild Sorrel.

(Photo’s courtesy of ‘wilderness-survival and
wildcrafting.net)

As I walked by the garden a snatched a pinch of garden thyme
and yanked an onion out of the soil.

 I put all the
‘veggies in the sink and washed them off with cold well water. I started to trim
the leaves off the Lambs Quarter and placed them in the colander. I did the
same with the Virginia Creeper. I chopped it fairly small as it tends to be
somewhat fibrous and can be tough to chew if the leaves are too big. But
regardless of the size of the leaves, the flavor of Virginia Creeper is
fantastic as a wild edible. I chopped the creeper and the Chickweed to small
pieces and set it aside to let it all drain well in the colander.

Next, I started the Preparation. 

I started a pan of water to boil to make about 2 cups of Penne
Pasta.

Cooked and set aside to drain.

Meanwhile, I had sauteed the finely chopped onion in Olive oil, added
Garlic till everything was translucent. 
I added a couple of small tomatoes, diced and added the veggies from the
colander. I covered the skillet and let everything wilt and blend under low
heat.

I added the sauteed veggies, onion and garlic to the Penne
Pasta and tossed it well to blend. I put it all in a serving bowl added some
salt and pepper then sprinkled Parmesan Cheese.

Oh, I can’t forget the Garlic Bread in the oven.

My friend gave me a big “Wow! This is fantastic” 

The flavors blend perfectly, slightly citrus flavored,
spicy/ tangy and goes well with a bit of Pasta of your choice. Make sure you
have enough olive oil on hand to drizzle over a serving if it appears to dry.

I figured the whole meal cost about 1 dollar, is very
nutritious, loaded with vitamins and minerals.  And our Wild Times Dinner was a big
hit with
my prepper minded friends.TinMan