Dandelion Greens

When I was a girl my mother and grandmother practiced a spring ritual – gathering wild greens. On a fine May day they roamed the nearby countryside, gathering dandelion leaves, pokeweed sprouts, lamb’s quarter and curly dock.

All of these plants were treasured food after a long winter without fresh greens. All the A&P in our little town had to offer was pale heads of iceberg lettuce shipped by rail from California. We relished the wild greens, cooked in a little bacon fat and water, served with cornbread.

These days, of course, dandelions, pokeweed, curly dock, and lamb’s quarter are deemed to be weeds, doomed for eradication by mower, spade, or poisonous spray. Except in my yard, where they grow freely along with a little grass. They are safe here and last week’s generous rain has inspired the dandelions to put forth prodigious tender new leaves.

Yesterday, in memory of my mother and grandmother, I collected a bunch of lovely dandelion leaves. I collected them, too, in memory of the old days when everybody knew which plants were good to eat and which ones might cure human and animal ailments.

Back in the kitchen I washed the dandelions while a minced clove of garlic simmered in a little olive oil.

I chopped the green parts of the plants and added them to the garlic and oil, added a dash of salt and a tiny bit of water, covered the pan, and let the greens simmer for a few minutes. Served with a splash of vinegar they were delicious.

Many thanks, Mom. Many thanks, Grandma.

Copyright 2013 by Shirley Domer