I am often asked how I use all the wonderful herbs that grow in my yard. For someone just getting started on their relationship with plant medicine it can be very overwhelming. In the beginning it’s hard to look at a patch of Burdock, and see anything but a very large leafed weed with burrs that stick on everything. One doesn’t immediately picture it as a resource for the dinner table, or noon cup of tea.
One of the best ways to incorporate medicinal herbs into your daily life is by including them in your food. Our ancestors knew this, and used this knowledge to stay well fed throughout the seasons.
“Season” is a key word here. I am in zone 5b currently in the midst of winter. What’s in the yard this winter? Some of my favorite winter foods include Burdock, Yellow dock, Horseradish, chickweed, wild garlic, and Pine just to name a few. When foraging for wild edibles please make sure you have a 100% certainty on identification. When in doubt go without!
While I could just toss all that together in a pot and call it a day, I will also utilize pantry items I have stored from earlier harvests. So here a few family favs to get you started:
Breakfast:
Yellow Dock Griddle Cakes with Ginger Citrus syrup
Lunch:
Dinner:
Savory Roasted Roots w/ Scarborough Fair Bread
Winter Solstice Shortbread Cookies
Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.
—— attributed to Hippocrates