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Monday 28 March 2011

Wild leaf and spring flower salad

























At some point during the weekend I'll find myself drifting listlessly

along the salad aisle; inspecting withered, asphyxiated leaves as they

breathe beads of condensation onto tightly-sealed plastic shells. I

can't pretend to be a wild food/grow your own martyr (eight times out

of ten a bag of rocket is flung into the basket) - but today, as the

sun shone, it just wouldn't do.


Amélie and I had been out for a walk the morning before, so I had a

rough idea of what was around. On the off-chance I wandered up the

track next to the wild apple - bunches of young ox-eye daisy leaves

were poking up though the grass. Juicy and succulent, I think they're

equal to any salad leaf.


Wild leaf and spring flower salad

• Ox-eye daisy leaves

• Dandelion leaves (used sparingly, they can be quite bitter)

• Hairy bittercress (leaves and flowers)

• Pink dead nettle (leaves and flowers)

• White dead nettle (leaves and flowers)

• Common vetch shoots

• Gorse flowers

3 comments:

  1. What do you dress it with? A simple vinaigrette?

    The leaves sound lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That'd do nicely, oil and vinegar with a spoonful of Dijon or finely chopped wild garlic. I've still got my Pine needle cider vinegar to use - which could work, but I didn't want to chance it here after 'Ambi-Pur-gate' with the syrup...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ambi-Pur-gate!

    Ha, that's exactly how my brother-in-law's pine cordial turned out *shudders at the memory*

    ReplyDelete