Purple Dead Nettle Soup!

Early Purple Dead Nettle

One of the first early spring edibles is Purple Dead Nettle, Lamium purpureum, in the Lamiaceae family (mint).  You can use it in salads or as a spring vegetable.  However, it does have tiny hairs on the surface which gives it a texture problem for many.  One way to use it that removes that issue is in a pureed soup.  You can have the many nutritional benefits (high in iron, vitamins and fiber as well as having antimicrobial and antifungal properties) and still enjoy the meal!

Purple Dead Nettle Soup

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh purple dead nettle leaves and flowers
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped fine
3 cups milk
salt and pepper
fresh parsley to garnish (optional)

Directions:

Parboil dead nettle in lightly salted water for 5 minutes.  Strain.

Meanwhile, add butter to pan and fry onions until translucent (not browned), about five minutes.  Add flour and mix until combined.  Add milk and stir until smooth.  Simmer five minutes.

Add strained nettle to food processor or blender.  Blend until pureed.  Combine with milk mixture. Stir and heat through.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley.

Great served with grilled cheese sandwiches!

Turkey and Wild Spring Vegetable Broth for Canning!

Turkey and Wild Spring Vegetable Broth.

Vegetables included Dandelion Greens, English Plantain, Wild Garlic chives, Clover, Chickweed, and Watercress.  I used frozen turkey bones and also added balsamic vinegar, some left over white onion ends which I keep frozen, and salt.  It is probably one of the best broths that I have made.  Add water just above ingredients, simmer all day, strain and pressure can 20 minutes for pints and 25 for quarts at 10 lbs.  This would be great to make chicken soup when you are sick!

Sausage Soup with Wild Garlic and Kudzu!

 
This soup was a total success and resulted in a bear hug from my thirteen year old son and an exclamation that it was "The best ever!"  Middle Tennessee is still dreary with some melting snow and boggy backyards, but the one thing that is growing strong is the wild garlic.  The Kudzu is what I dehydrated last summer and plan to do again this year as it is a great addition to soups.  For this recipe if you do not have the wild ingredients, you can use green onions and dried parsley.

Sausage Soup with Wild Garlic and Kudzu

Ingredients:

2 rolls of loose sausage hot or mild (I used one of each for a nice spicy flavor)
6 cups water
8 oz of pasta (I used large elbow)
4 small or 2 large cubes of chicken bouillon (Knorr cubes are large)
8 oz of sour cream
2 tablespoons of dried Kudzu
Handful of wild garlic chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Brown ground sausage and drain any excess grease if there is any.  Add all other ingredients except pasta.  Bring to a boil and then add pasta.  Simmer until pasta is tender.  Serve topped with Parmesan cheese (optional).

Dock Clam Chowder!

Curly Dock, Rumex crispus in the Buckwheat family, is one of the earliest spring wild edibles and also one of the latest fall edibles.  I found it thriving in December in a local field.  It is high in Vitamin C, protein, calcium, potassium, iron and beta carotene.  In the fall it produces long stalks of red/brown seeds which can be easily gathered and ground for use in baked goods.  The leaves have a lemony flavor which makes it very suitable for this recipe.  Smaller, younger leaves are preferable as the older leaves become bitter.

Just as a consideration, this plant does contain a high amount of oxalic acid which may be stressful on the kidneys when eaten in large quantities.  Oxalic acid is often found in green leafy vegetables (such as chives, parsley, amaranth, and purslane).  When you eat oxalic acid, it combines with magnesium and calcium salts and produces oxalates which are removed from the body in urine.  If you have normal levels of magnesium and calcium in your body, there is no health concern for oxalic acid.  In other words, it is super good for you but to stay on the safe side, do not eat every night!  Also, boiling removes much of the oxalic acid so for many recipes it is not even a concern. 


Dock Clam Chowder

Ingredients:

6 slices of bacon, diced
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups finely shredded young Dock
2 7 oz cans minced clams, not drained
3 cups cubed frozen hashbrowns (or dice your own fresh)
1 quart half and half
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Fry bacon and when half done add onions to cook until transparent.  Add dock and fry until wilted. Meanwhile, place frozen cubed hashbrowns in microwave safe bowl and microwave until heated through and fork tender.

In large pot, add bacon/onion/dock mixture, clams, potatoes and half and half.  Simmer on low for 5-10 minutes.  Do not overcook as it will make your clams chewy.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Notes:  While the content of this blog has been tried/tested and the research diligently presented, I am not responsible for your use of it.  Always try a little of the food first to test for allergies.  Please do your own research.  Discuss with your doctor before you use any herbal medications.