These days, most people walking through a yard or wooded area wouldn’t look down at the greenery underfoot and think, "Hmm, that looks tasty."
But that might not have been the case more than a century ago.
In 1918, the Montgomery Advertiser published a helpful guide to “wild vegetables” from George Washington Carver, the famed agricultural scientist, educator and inventor who worked for Tuskegee Institute (Tuskegee University). At the time, he’d been agriculture director there since 1896, and in 1897 was named the director of the Agriculture Experiment Station.
Carver wanted to show the public that there are many plants in the wild that make fine, nutritious meals.
There’s a bit of a backstory here that should be noted. At the time this was published, the end of World War 1 was still about nine months away. Around the world, nations were hungry at home, some starving, because so much had to be dedicated to the war effort. In words often attributed to Napoleon or Frederick the Great, “An army marches on its stomach.” Meanwhile, families left behind had to fend for themselves.
Carver recognized that being able to forage for plants that are edible, plentiful and nearby would be a huge plus for a family dinner in that troubled era. He wrote: “Nature has provided us with an almost innumerable variety of choice wild vegetables, which serve not only as food but as medicine. Many sections of Alabama are especially rich in this choice foodstuff.”
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So what are these wild delicacies that are just waiting to be plucked, cooked and eaten? We’ll get to that. But first, here’s an important cooking tip. Many of the following call for “wild vegetables” to be cooked like better-known turnip or collard greens. What that means is to boil them in water until they start to wilt, then drain them. People often boil them one or more times after that to avoid bitterness. After that, season to taste and chow down.
“We hope that everyone will get acquainted with the wonderful food and medicinal value of these wild vegetables, and make them a permanent part of their diet as long as seasonable,” Carver wrote.
Dandelions
Yes, we’re talking about those dandelions (taraxacum officinale)that start as yellow flowers and then turn into fields of flying seeds. They’re “tender and delicious,” completely edible, and Carver said can be served by a “resourceful housewife” in a variety of ways.
Wash, prepare and cook dandelions the same way you’d cook turnip or collard greens. You can prepare them like spinach and serve with hard-boiled eggs. They also make for a simple, plain and appetizing salad. Here’s how to make the salad. You’ll need:
A pint of finely shredded young dandelion leaves
A medium-sized onion, finely chopped
2 small radishes, finely chopped
A tablespoon of minced parsley
A tablespoon of sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix all this together, cover with a weak vinegar, and the garnish it with slices of hard-boiled egg and pickled beets.
“Aside from the dandelion’s value for food, it is well known and highly prized for its many curative properties,” Carver wrote.
Note: Good source of vitamins A, C and K.
Curly dock
Carver said rumex crispus, known as curly dock, is known as Alabama’s native rhubarb, and that it “grows in abundance almost everywhere, and is one of the best of old wild greens relished almost universally.”
Curly dock also cooks the same way you cook turnip greens.
Note: Rich in vitamins A, B and C.
Lamb’s quarters
Any classic cartoon fans out there remember how Popeye the Sailor Man (created in 1929) would get all strong when he ate his spinach? Well, it turns out there’s something else that might have charged him up even more: lamb’s quarters (chenopodium album).
“A familiar wild vegetable equal to, if not superior to, spinach when prepared in that way. It can also be boiled with meat the same way as turnip greens and is very choice and fine,” Carver wrote.
Note: Very rich in vitamins A and C. It has more vitamin C than oranges for the weight.
Pepper grass
There are several varieties of pepper grass, AKA Virginia pepperweed (lepidium virginicum), which is a common yard and garden plant that belongs to the mustard family. It can be cooked in the same way as mustard greens (boil it in 2 or 3 changes of water), or served in an uncooked salad. It can be used as a substitute for black pepper.
Note: Good source of vitamins A and C.
Wild lettuce
There are also several varieties of wild lettuce available. Known as lactura, these are actually members of the lettuce family. They have a milky juice. When young and tender, they taste a lot like cultivated lettuce. Some look a lot like regular lettuce, and some are prickly and look like a thistle. They can be cooked like turnip greens.
“When very young and tender, the smooth sorts make an excellent uncooked salad,” Carver said.
Note: Vitamins A and C, beta-carotene, calcium, magnesium and fiber.
Careless weeds
There’s a couple of types of careless weeds, also known as pig weeds (amaranthus) — smooth and thorny.
“When young and tender, both are very choice as a vegetable. Cook stems and all the same as turnip greens,” Carver said.
Note: High in vitamins A and C, calcium and folate.
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Wild primrose
These plants form round discs on the ground, nearly as large as a saucer. Wild primrose leaves are light green, and the roots are reddish when cut.
“When cooked like turnip greens, they are so rich in flavor that some call them butter weeds,” Carver wrote.
Note: Vitamin C and minerals
Sour grass
With sour grass (oxalis), you can make a pie similar to apple of rhubarb.
Take the leaves, stems and all. Wash them until clean and then boil them in a little water until they’re tender. Pass through a fine sieve to remove any hard stems.
“The after procedure is exactly the same as for a stewed apple pie. Thicken if necessary with a little flour or corn starch. Bake with upper and lower crust.”
Sour grass also cans and dries readily, and can be put up for winter use. It’s also great for a salad.
Note: High in Vitamin C.
Poke weed
This is the one of all of these that I was somewhat familiar with. I remember spending some time harvesting some of this as a teen in north Alabama.
Known as phytallaca decandra, the edible parts of poke weed are the leaves and tender shoots from young plants. Anything else puts you at risk of being poisoned. Boil them for about four minutes in water that’s slightly salted. Drain that water out, then continue cooking them like turnip greens.
“There is no better vegetable,” Carver wrote.
Note: Very high in vitamin A, and a significant source of vitamin C, iron and calcium.
Put them all together
Carver said this was a small suggestion of edible plants. He picked the ones he thought people would be the most familiar with.
“Take equal mixtures of all the above and cook together, and they produce a dish that the most fastidious cannot deny,” Carver wrote. “Unless the greens are very young and tender, it is wise to parboil them for a few minutes, the same as recommended for poke salad.”
A word of caution
Like poke weeds, many plants have the potential to be poisonous. Before you eat, double check, or even triple check, to make sure you know you're getting the right parts of the right edible plants. One source for help with this could be the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.
Also, make sure you're picking plants from a place that HAS NOT been sprayed with weed killer, or any other contaminations.
IF YOU TRY IT
If you decide to try one of these lost recipes please send us a photo and a note on how it went. Send it in an email titled "Lost Recipes" to Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupelatsheupel@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Lost Recipes: 1918 'wild vegetable' tips from George Washington Carver
