First, wild edibles are free! If you’ve been to the health food store lately, you have probably noticed that food costs a lot more than it used to. On the other hand, eating weeds is really cost-effective. During the spring, summer, and fall months, my diet can consist up to 80 percent out of wild food. I use the wild greens that I collect in every way I can think of, i.e. put them in smoothies, soups, salads, wraps, sandwiches, desserts, I even dry them in preparation for the winter months. Not only is this fun, but this practices saves me $$$.

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, wild food is the best food available to us! With all the food modification taking place, it is hard, if not impossible, to find even organic food that hasn’t been tampered with. Wild edibles grow and thrive in the way that nature intended. They are genetically stronger than conventional crops and have extremely long roots systems that help fill the plant with minerals. Selling wild edibles is in no way profitable, and thus they have been left alone by people and have managed to preserve their quality. The bottom line is that when you choose to eat edibles weeds, you are almost guaranteed that they will be GMO and chemical free.

Lastly, harvesting edibles is fun and connects us to nature! Need I say more? In today’s tech world, it’s so easy to get stuck in front of a computer screen and forget how much fun it is to be outside. Every time I venture into my garden to pick what most people throw away, I am reminded of how blessed I am to be alive. And that is a great way to feel!

In an effort to raise more awareness about wild edibles, I am excited to announce that for the first time ever, Tera Warner (the green smoothie queen) and myself are teaming to present a 17 week wild edible course online. This course will go in depth about the do’s and dont’s of wild edible eating and by the end, you, the listener should feel comfortable to go out and start harvesting weeds for yourself. If you are interested to learn about this program, follow this link: http://tinyurl.com/7cbfqpo

Check out my newest video about why I think it is important to learn about wild edibles.  I hope you enjoy it!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Plainly put, we were not meant to eat the same food day after day, everyday! To avoid any unpleasantries, simply rotate (change) the greens that you put into your smoothie! This can be done daily, weekly, or even monthly as long as you don’t go for months making the same exact smoothie.

In the following video, I walk up and down the isles of my local health food store pointing out which greens can be used for smoothie purposes! I hope you enjoy this:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The greens discussed in the video are:

1.) Lettuce
a. green leaf
b. red leaf
c. romaine
d. butter head

2.) Swiss Chard
3.) Dino Kale
4.) Bok Choy
5.) Celery
6.) Carrot Greens
7.) Cilantro

8.) Parsley (common & Italian)
9.) Beat Greens
10.) Green Onions
11.) Arugula
12.) Baby Greens
13.) Spinach
14.) Wheat Grass

15.) Herbs
a. basil
b. mint
c. dill
d. chives
e. sage
f. rosemary
g. thyme

16.) Watercress
17.) Baby Bok Choy

One last thing… While greens contain small amounts of alkaloids, these same alkaloids are present in much higher concentrations in common foods such as coffee, white bread, and other highly processed food. You don’t need to worry about poisoning yourself on green smoothies as long as you switch up the greens that go in them!

By following these simple guidelines, your smoothies will be tasty and SUPER healthful!

Guideline:

1 – Never blend anything except fruit, green leafy vegetables and water.

2 – Keep your green smoothie simple.

3 – Make your smoothie delicious and enjoyable.

4 – Rotate your greens!!!!

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Common Name: Dandelion

Latin Name: Taraxacum officinale

Description: Dandelions typically have sharply serrated, green leaves that resemble teeth. These leaves grow in clusters called basil rosettes. Dandelions have one yellow flower per stem. When mature, flowers turn into white, puffballs that many of us blew with the wind in our childhood.

Habitat: Dandelions can be found growing almost everywhere worldwide. They are often found growing on lawns, vacant lots, forest clearings, and meadows. Varieties of dandelions can be harvested in the desert, the tundra, and everywhere in between.

Food: Greens can be used in salads, smoothies, or as a trailside nibbles. Flower can be eaten raw or made into jam. Roots can be eaten raw or dried and ground up as coffee substitute. John Kallas, author of Edible Wild Plants: wild foods from dirt to plate, write that Dandelions have six edible parts: the leaves, flower buds, upper bud stem, flowers, heart, and root.

Nutrtion: Author Janice J. Schofield, writes that dandelion greens are: exceptionally high in vitamins A, B, and C, and the minerals copper, phosphorus, potassium, iron, calcium, and magnesium. Dandelions are widely used to treat obstructions of the liver, kidneys, gallbladder, pancreas, and spleen.

Personal Note: Dandelions are one of my favorite weeds because of their widespread availability. I have traveled the world and set foot in 39 countries all of which have had at least one variety of dandelion growing vigorously. Therefore, this common plant is the perfect candidate for introducing people to wild foods.

Like all wild edibles, dandelions are extremely nutritious and beneficial for many of different health reasons. Of these, they are most acclaimed for being great organ cleaners. It turns out that the bitter taste I once detested, actually stimulates bile production, aids digestion, and cleans pretty much every inner organ inside my body.

Because dandelions are bitter to the taste, and I am not particularly found of the bitter flavor, it took me many attempts to find a way enjoy eating them. After a great deal of experimentation, I found two ways to reduce the bitterness of dandelions and make them more palatable:

1.)   One way to kill the bitterness is to blend them with fruit in a green smoothie. (see recipe below)

2.)   The other way is to process them with some sort of fat, i.e. nuts, oils, and avocados. (see recipe below)

Recipes: (from the book Fresh, by Sergei and Valya Boutenko)

Dandelion-Infused Honey

1 cup freshly picked dandelion flowers

1 cup raw honey

Rinse off flowers and trim excess stems. Place honey and flowers in a jar and mix thoroughly. Let the flowers soak up honey for three or more days. Use as jam. Spread on bread, crackers, etc.

Dandelion Pesto

1 bunch of freshly harvested dandelions (bunch could be as big or as little as you like)

½ cup of pine nuts

½ cup of walnuts

4-5 cloves of garlic

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

1 teaspoon of salt (or salt to taste)

Blend all ingredients in food processor until thoroughly mixed. Serve like you would any pesto, with crackers, veggies, etc.

Morning Zing Smoothie (from Raw Family)

½ bunch dandelion greens

2 stalks celery

½ inch fresh ginger root

2 peaches

½ pineapple

2 cups water

Blend in blender until smooth! Enjoy!

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My new DVD is now for sale!  click here.

Watch the trailer below:

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In this dynamic 90-minute workshop, I discusses the incredible health benefits that come from introducing greens into one’s diet. My extensive study of plants along with the latest scientific research makes it fun, easy, and safe to introduce mineral rich wild edibles into your diet. See for yourself how greens and wild edibles can transform the way you feel while simultaneously pleasing your taste buds!

This lecture covers topics such as:

The benefits of eating greens

Easy, delicious ways of incorporating greens into your diet

Overcoming illness with diet

The benefits of eating wild edibles

A virtual wild edible walk where Sergei demonstrates how to safely identify & harvest common wild edibles

Click here to view the embedded video.