Adventures in Foraging - The Lawn Smoothie

I woke up today craving a green smoothie. Alas, there is no baby spinach in my house, and the ones in the garden haven't sprouted yet. I know that lots of people eat dandelion greens in salads, so I figured I'd give that a go. It's spring, they are young and tender, so I went out to find a few tasty greens.

I've never eaten dandelion greens to my knowledge (Mom? Did we eat them when we were kids?), so I started with just a few. And...since I din't know what my outcome would be, I poured out some fruit only smoothie for Little Bit before I put in the rinsed greens.
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The base smoothie was frozen peaches, frozen strawberries, frozen pineapple, lime juice and some apple juice - one of my favorite combinations. I whirled the greens in, and really, the color change was minimal. They didn't break down quite as finely as some other greens I've used (namely spinach and romaine), but the little flecks of green look pretty harmless, actually.
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Breakfast and home decor, all from the same plant!
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I have to admit - it tasted a little like....lawn. It's more bitter, a stronger green flavor than I'm used to. I'm glad I just used a little, but I'm glad I tried it too. It made me curious to learn more about the ways to use dandelion, and really, after a few sips, I didn't notice it as much. I think I'll start some alfalfa sprouts in the sprouter, though...for a milder taste of green.

Comments

Anonymous said…
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!! Hope you have a GREAT day!

Hugs!

Steph (from Gulch and BWH)
www.carepages.com OurLittleMan
cfosterart said…
I've been foraging lately myself. Last Saturday I had dandelion fritters. I used the yellow part of the top and dipped them in batter to fry. They didn't taste like much. However, when I ate the yellow part raw it was very tasty. The leaves are bitter.

I'm sure you have plenty of things to forage around your place. Do you have lots of wild berries and such?
Laura said…
Thanks, Steph!

Cindy, we probably do have a lot to forage here, but I'm just learning about all of it. This is high prairie, so the only berries and such are ones we've planted. I gathered sand cherries last summer and made a little jelly, but I plan to do a little more this year! :)
mentalutopia said…
I make dandelion fritters every year, but I'm not a big fan of the greens. I pick the blossoms and chop 'em up and add to a corn fritter recipe. The kids get a kick out of it and the neighbors have more reason to think we're odd. ;)
Unknown said…
I noticed they sale them at Whole Foods. ha ha Free is always better. I personally will not try them now. :)
You rock!
Laura said…
M, I think you should try them! Just because they're strong to me doesn't mean they aren't good! And honestly, I think I'd like dandelions as greens - you know, with vinegar and all. They weren't bad...just strong for breakfast. :)

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