Applegater Summer 2016
9
DIRTY FINGERNAILS AND ALL
Don’t mow your lawn—eat it!
BY SIOUX ROGERS
Below are just three of the many
“weeds” growing around my farm. I
probably could just sit on the lawn with
a bottle of salad dressing and a fork.
Purslane. How many years have I
been trying to rid the lawn of the lovely,
soft succulent plant called purslane?
Well, my foolish ways have now ceased.
I just read that purslane may actually
have more omega-3 fatty acid than some
brands of fish oil. This underappreciated
leafy weed has much more vitamin A
(1320 IU/100g), a natural antioxidant,
than most greens. It is also an excellent
source of fiber (http://www.nutrition-
and-you.com/purslane.html).
In the United States, purslane—
also called pursley (that is not parsley),
pigweed (don’t ask), verdolag (I have
never heard of this word), Portulaca
oleracea, little hogweed, red root, and
moss rose—is considered a weed, but,
as we all know, one man’s weed is
another man’s nutrition. Purslane is eaten
throughout Europe, Mexico, the Middle
East, and Asia.
Dandelion. The dandelion is
often viewed as the bane of a pristine
lawn. However, all its parts have an
extraordinary number of health benefits.
One study investigated the
antioxidative effects of dandelion root
in rabbits fed a high-cholesterol diet.
Results showed that dandelion positively
affected antioxidant enzyme activities
and lipid profiles. Researchers believe
this suggests that dandelion could protect
against oxidative stress related to certain
circulatory disorders (http://www.
globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/
health-benefits-of-dandelion-root).
There are so many tremendous
reasons to applaud this “weed,” not
to mention ingesting it. Dandelion is
well recognized for its beneficial and
healing effects on the liver. It is also
widely acclaimed for its body-healing
qualities pertaining to kidney health,
digestion, immune support, gall bladder,
inflammation, cholesterol, and the
regulation of high blood pressure and
diabetes. Some very extensive research
studies show that the “dandelion may
slow cancer’s growth and prevent it from
spreading. The leaves are especially rich
in the antioxidants and phytonutrients
that combat cancer” (https://sunwarrior.
com/healthhub/11-health-benefits-of-
dandelion-leaves-and-dandelion-root).
If interested in the specifics, explore the
Sunwarrior website, which also discusses
the other listed benefits.
Purple dead nettle. Also known
as red dead nettle, purple archangel,
or velikdenche, purple dead nettle is
an herbaceous flowering plant native
to Europe and Asia. Although
the plant is in the mint family,
it doesn’t smell minty. It is a
“relative of marjoram, basil, holy
basil, oregano, savory, thyme,
marsh woundwort, lavender,
lemon balm,” and several
other common plants (http://
herbs-treatandtaste.blogspot.
com/2012/03/purple-dead-
nettles-red-nettles-health.html).
While this plant can be
slightly invasive, it is not hard
to get rid of because the roots
are very shallow and can be
easily pulled. The word “dead
Blackberries—
beast or feast?
fresh chopped sage in
a little butter, added a
cup of chicken stock,
reduced it by half, then
whisked in a teaspoon
or two of seedless
blackberry jam to taste.
The jam thickened the
sauce to perfection,
and the blackberry-
sage combo was such
a complement to the
pork. My husband
Blackberries can be made into pie, jam, vinegar, and and I have found that
even barbecue sauce (photo: www.gabbysgfree.com).
blackberry jam with
seeds is best for the
visit www.carriesexperimentalkitchen. peanut butter and jelly sandwiches we
com/how-to-make-blackberry-vinegar. take hiking. All those seeds seem to help
Speaking of homemade blackberry the jam stay put, so your sandwich is still
jam, be sure to make some! Last year I edible after squashing it in your pack.
You will certainly want to pick extra
made several renditions: seedless, honey-
sweetened, and syrup. Did you know berries to freeze. That way you can make
that you can use lemon juice instead of your jam, pies, and muffins all year long
pectin to get your jam to thicken? And (when it’s not 100 degrees in the kitchen).
a grated apple, added to blackberries You can also use your food processor to
sweetened with honey, is another way make blackberry frozen yogurt! Just add
to thicken your jam. Check out www. two cups of frozen berries, a half cup of
oldworldgardenfarms.com for a recipe. plain Greek yogurt, three tablespoons
After I had created these of local honey, and a squeeze of lemon
jams, I found many ways to incorporate juice. What a refreshing summer dessert!
Did you know you can make wine out
them as ingredients for other recipes.
The blackberry syrup made a refreshing of blackberries? For the complete process,
soda when I added it to bubbly water. go to www.wineturtle.com/homemade-
One of my favorite inventions was a blackberry-wine-recipe-in-4-easy-steps.
sauce I made for pork chops. I sautéed Or cut to the chase and pick up a bottle
BY SHELLEY MANNING
Do you like blackberries? That
can be a loaded question here in the
Applegate. Blackberry plants are so
invasive, you probably spent part of
the spring beating them back. But that
doesn’t mean the fruit isn’t nectar of
the gods. I made some friends around
here by making blackberry pies and
bringing them to community picnics.
My husband and I were included in
several potluck dinner parties, I’m sure,
for the potential of bringing a blackberry
pie for dessert.
Beyond pie, blackberries are an
abundant free resource that can be used
in lots of ways. Maybe you already tried
substituting blackberries for blueberries
in your favorite blueberry muffin recipe,
but if you haven’t, blackberry muffins
are more than worthy of eating! Try
tossing some blackberries into your salad
greens, along with toasted walnuts, goat
cheese, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil
for a delicious summer lunch. You can
even whisk a teaspoon or two of your
homemade blackberry jam into the
vinegar and olive oil for a blackberry
vinaigrette dressing. Or better yet,
make blackberry vinegar! To learn how,
nettle” is really a misnomer in that the
plant is not dead, does not sting, and is
not really related to the “stinging nettle,”
except for the similarity of its square stem
and opposite leaves. I actually chose this
purple “weed” because I knew nothing
about it, except that I removed it from
my lawn as often as possible. I never
imagined I might be eating it. As it
happened, I was plucking and throwing
away portions of my dinner salad.
The purple dead nettle is one of
the first of the spring “volunteers” to
come poking through the soil. Bees are
so happy to have easy access to nectar
slurpies when not much of anything else
is available.
Since I am not a bee in need of
pollen, why would I be interested in this
pink-flowering weed? In the 17 th century,
English herbalist and botanist Nicholas
Culpepper credited this same purple
dead nettle with the ability to clear
kidney problems, to stop bleeding from a
cut, and to serve as a laxative and an anti-
inflammatory. The
Sioux Rogers
purple dead nettle
has been found to have antioxidant,
antifungal and antimicrobial properties.
It is also an anti-allergen and can help
protect allergy sufferers from secondary
infections of the throat and bronchi.
The buzzword “antioxidant” is
associated with all three of these plants.
If you forget what plants and foods
have the highest antioxidants, think
color. Usually, the deeper the shades of
green, red, purple, blue, yellow, orange,
the higher the antioxidants. By the way,
popsicles, jelly beans, and gummy bears
do not count as “colorful vegetables.”
Now, put your teeth back in your
mouth and go eat your lawn.
Sioux Rogers
dirtyfingernails@fastmail.fm
Photos, clockwise from right,
purslane (photo: wikimedia.org),
dandelion (photo: gardeningknowhow.com),
and purple dead nettle (photo: wikimedia.org).
of blackberry wine from Wild Wines
in Applegate, a vintner that specializes
in wine made with wild local fruit.
I discovered the best thing
to make out of blackberries just in
time for the Super Bowl: blackberry
barbecue sauce! I served mine with
meatballs, but it would be great with
ribs, chicken, or anything else you like
with barbecue sauce. When you try this
recipe, you’ll be so happy you made that
jam and froze those berries, so you can
make some now and later. Here it is:
Blackberry barbecue sauce
3 cups fresh or thawed blackberries
1 cup blackberry jam
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
3 ounces tomato paste
1/8 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons powdered ginger (fresh
grated works too)
2 tablespoons hot sauce (I used sriracha)
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan
over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then
lower to a simmer to reduce to desired
thickness (mine took about 20 minutes).
This year, when my blackberry
ship comes in, I think I’ll try canning
the blackberry barbecue sauce for gifts.
Maybe I’ll make even more friends!
Shelley Manning
manningshelley@icloud.com