We spend countless hours every year removing invasive species from our property, the Conservation Management Area (CMA), and while working to remove the endless patches of garlic mustard, we stumbled upon an idea: what if we were to eat them away?
Certain invasive species aren’t only nutritious, but delicious! And since they aren’t supposed to be in the ecosystem, you are free to forage them to your hearts content.
In honor of this concept, we’ve created: Wild Edibles Month, where we will be discussing a different edible plant each day on our Facebook Page, and ending with our Taste of Nature Party on March 29 – a free event where we will taste test some of our edible NJ flora and fauna recipes.
Remember, never eat a wild plant unless you AND an expert have accurately identified it. Many edible plants of inedible lookalikes. Interested in trying a recipe? Try this, from Kristina Necovska, our Membership Associate:
Dandelion Patties
1 cup packed dandelion heads (no greens or the patties will be biter)
1 cup flour
1 egg (or ¼ cup egg replacer such as ground flax and water)
¼ cup milk of your choice
½ cup chopped onions
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp of your favorite herb (oregano, basil, and parsley work well).
Mix all ingredients together until well coated. Form into patties and pan fry in oil, turning until crisp on both sides. Makes 4-5 very nutritious vegetable patties.