Foraging for Breakfast!

I have a new favorite weed dish. A few nights ago I made a yummy amaranth-lamb stew. I just threw a couple slices of lamb shoulder and half of a chopped onion (with just enough water to cover) into our mini crock pot. (Potato would be good too.) When the lamb was done, I de-boned it and added the amaranth that I had just harvested from the alleyway behind our house. Easy-smeasy!

I served it over rice. Craveable! The lamb and amaranth really compliment each other!  Since the lamb was still on sale, we put some up again the next night. My son Josh improved on a good thing by adding three cloves of chopped garlic.

After working up a hearty appetite pulling my morning weeds, Josh and I gathered some fresh amaranth for breakfast. (Before going out, Josh put one cup of rice, two cups of water and a pinch of curry powder in the rice cooker. )

First, I plucked leaves off of the little plants in our backyard. The little ones are the best!

Might as well grab some purslane while I'm at it.

And do a little weeding...

Whoops!   Looks like I'm not the only one who thinks they are yummy! A few days ago, I left a stalk of amaranth for a nearby bean plant to climb. The next morning there was nothing left but empty stems. When I went to take a pic the leaves had already grown back!  Who are these crafty culprits? The squirrel who lives by our compost pile seemed a likely suspect -  until Dan watched a lizard rear up on its hind legs and take a big bite out of an amaranth leaf. 

We didn't have nearly enough, so we went foraging in the easement behind the house - our own alleyway buffet! (How do you like the new sign I made?)

I pick from the more tender shorter plants first, then I pluck the smaller leaves from the center of the bigger plants. (Remember how the other plant grew back leaves! We can have more for later if we forage wisely!) 

I got a large bowlful, but it takes quite a lot. It shrinks like spinach when it is cooked.

We snapped off the stems of the amaranth and roots off of the purslane, then washed them thoroughly.

I removed the remaining bones from the lamb, then added the amaranth leaves to the lamb and a little broth to steam. It finished cooking in minutes.  I drained out the extra broth to save for another time.

The purslane was even faster. Just sautéed it a bit then scrambled in an egg.  I'm lucky I have any left for a scramble. Common purslane is especially crisp and flavorful first thing in the morning, so I like to eat it raw!

weeds 2 way!

Josh's does look better...

What a feast we had! I had weeds 2 way (purslane scramble and amaranth-lamb stew on curry rice). Josh added two eggs sunny-side up with feta on the side. He said it was the best thing he had in a while - even better than last time. Of course, he helped make it this time...

Savoring Tucson's edible palo verde and mesquite

I took this great workshop with Jill Lorenzini of Desert Harvesters on foraging edible desert trees.  In addition to getting some great "how-to" advice, we got to taste some palo verde seeds (blanched for storing in the fridge), ironwood seeds and mesquite flour. Dan had to slap my hand away from taking too many of the yummy palo verde seeds.

Hey! I was hungry!

We've also eaten some off of our own backyard palo verde. They taste a lot like edamame, but you only eat the seeds because the pods are bitter. Unfortunately, you have to catch them while the pods are still green, or they get woody. If you ever feel wiped out while hiking, grab a handful for a quick protein boost! (Pick 'em right off of the tree.) 

No, that's not a "man purse."
My sweetie kindly carried my purse when I was wiped out by the summer sun.
Looks good on him though. Don't ya think? 

I have to apologize that I have been so caught up in my desktop activism that I didn't get this up until the palo verde pods had browned and it was the day before Desert Harvester's annual mesquite milling. Maybe you can go out and pick some today - if you can stand the 110 degree heat better than I can! A facebook friend said it was so hot that the mesquite pods were popping like corn!  

The tricky thing about harvesting mesquite is that you have to pick them when they are brown, but BEFORE they fall on the ground. So you need good timing. That's why I would recommend growing some of these drought tolerant desert trees in your own personal food forest. The mesquite only require watering until established. We have two volunteer palo verdes that we never watered at all! 

 Be sure to pick pods off of the tree, not from the ground.

Desert Harvesters suggests that you use a five gallon food grade container to put the pods in as you pick. Then you can store them right in that sealed container. (Our paper bags were a pain because they kept ripping.) You will want to sample a pod from the tree (suck on it) to see if it tastes good before harvesting the whole tree. Taste can vary from tree to tree. You can tell the sweet ones because the ants like them too. Pods ready to harvest will come off with a firm tug. You shouldn't have to wrestle with them.

Dan picked more than me. No fair! He's taller!

Be sure there is no moisture before you store the pods in the sealed container. With mesquite, it's the pods (not the seeds) that will be ground up into flour.  Go to the Desert Harvesters website for their best practices.

We managed to pick about 5 gallons of mesquite pods. Thanks for the great advice, Jill! We got our pods milled at the 15th ANNUAL MESQUITE MILLING & FIESTA (Pre-Monsoon), and enjoyed some yummy mesquite pancakes!*

DESERT HARVESTERS' HARVEST TIPS
• Taste pods before you harvest (only pick ones that taste good - every tree has its own flavor)
• Harvest before the rains (to avoid invisible molds)
• Harvest from tree, not ground (keep it clean)
• Keep pods dry (should snap in two when you try to bend pod)
• Mill pods the same season you harvest them (fresh is best)

See DesertHarvesters.org for more on harvesting, preparing for milling, other events, and their cookbook "Eat Mesquite and More".

Have your dry, ripe, mesquite pods milled into nutritious, delicious flour for you and your family to enjoy.  Pods for milling must be clean, dry, and free of mold/fungus, stones, leaves, and other debris.

Cost: $3/gallon of whole pods, with a minimum of $10. (A bargain since mesquite flour sells for $17 a pound at the store.)

Bring a closed container for your flour. All your containers must be marked with your name, email and phone number so we can get in contact with you; especially if your pods are being milled at Will-call.

*See: www.desertharvesters.org.

Velvet Mesquite - Arizona Tree Profiles: https://youtu.be/zi47emImvFw

Sonoran Desert Foraging: What to Forage in Summer

Enjoying our first time foraging for mesquite pods!
How did we do, Jill?