It's a spinach wrap, but the spinach is on the inside! Inside American Elm leaves -- with an assortment of foraged and homegrown plants. Tasty and free!
Getting It All Together!
The spinach is bolting with the longer days. So I'm glad chose it for the special ingredient this week and not a month from now! When I travel to Washington, DC, for work, I like to stop at Jaleo, a Spanish tapas restaurant. They have a small plate with a wonderful mix of spinach and pine nuts. Here's my Haphazard Homestead version -- wild style!
In The Kitchen!
I also harvested some American Elm leaves. The big leaves of the American Elm are tough now, except for the new growth. It's still tender and tasty -- a mild greens flavor. And I raided my stash of Gingko nuts. I have other posts that go into more detail about Gingko trees and foraging their nuts. I've used them before in the Steemit Iron Chef contest -- they have a chestnut flavor and their consistency can be anywhere from chewy to crunchy, depending on how they are cooked. Here, I've got them right in the middle.
Back in the kitchen, I blanched the elm leaves and cut out the center vein from each one. I toasted the shelled gingko nuts in a cast iron skillet with a little coarse salt. I tossed with clover blossoms with a little salt as well, to heighten their light flavor. I braised the spinach in water, with a touch of Braggs seasoning - it's like a richer flavored soy sauce, I think.
I arranged the elm leaves and laid my ingredients on top. Then I wrapped my wrap!
Eating!
What Do You Think?
- Have you eaten Gingko nuts or Elm leaves?
- Have you eaten wild blackberries?
- Do you have any Gingko trees near you?
- Would you eat my little spinach wraps?
I eat a lot of wild plants and show you how, because I believe that we can all have lives that are richer, more secure, more grounded, and more interesting by getting to know the plants and the land around us – in our yards, our parks, and our wild places.
Thanks for creating the Steemit Iron Chef contest series!
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Plant List
- American Elm - Ulmus americana - tender leaves
- White clover - Trifolium repens - flower blossoms
- Trailing Blackberry - Rubus ursinis - berries
- Gingko - Gingko biloba - cooked nutmeats
- Danube cherries!
