Friday, April 24, 2015

Wild Parsnip ~ delicious!

Well if you like to experiment and get FREE food there are some great things to be found in the woods.

Yesterday I found Wild Parsnip which is an invasive species and when it is blossoming in the summer, the juice from the plant can give you a nasty burn.


This is a shot from a year or so ago on a very warm spring day.  

I was doing yard work yesterday, digging out thistles when I spotted some wild parsnip tops in a pile of dirt.  I've not seen them ever in the yard yet so I decided to get rid the ones I saw.

I was very surprised at how long and huge the roots were when I dug them out. They didn't look like much when I tossed them on the ground so I twisted off the tops and brushed the dirt off from them.

I took them to the outside pump and rinsed them.

I used a peeler and then diced them up and tossed them in the frying pan with some olive oil and pesto and a dash of garlic pepper.

I really wasn't quite sure as to how it would all turn out until we sat down to eat.
It was super!  I realized then that this weekend I'd be out foraging the creek bottom for more spring wild parsnip and some wild ramp/leeks to go in the fry pan.


There certainly is no reason to go hungry for fresh vegetables in the early spring.

I'm not certain I am ready for looking for Fiddleheads which is a type of fern that can be cooked up.
Soon enough it will be time to search for those delicious and elusive mushrooms, the Morel!

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