A Virtual Weed Walk
AKA: The All You Can Eat Buffet
One of the reasons I moved to the country was to pursue a more self-sufficient lifestyle. Most of us have jobs to make money in order to pay for shelter and food, but I think we forget that it’s possible to provide some of those things directly ourselves. And the less time we spend working outside the home, the more time we have to do just that. 
With that in mind, not only do I grow some of my own food, but I’ve made it habit to learn what plants are growing around me and which can be used either medicinally or for food. The old saying that money doesn’t grow on trees is true, but food does, and one person’s weeds are another’s gourmet meal.
This time of year, when the last of the fall greens in my garden have gone to seed and the newly planted ones aren’t established enough to pick, I go out with my knife and harvest an arms-full of wild lamb’s quarter.
Once regarded as a valuable native vegetable, lambs quarters fell out of favor with the introduction of spinach. Ironically, it’s is in the same family as spinach and contains more iron, calcium, vitamin B2 and C than either spinach or cabbage. Lamb’s quarter is abundant and free. It tastes so good, steamed lightly like spinach, that I let a patch or two volunteer in my garden. 
Wild violets, which are growing all over my yard right now, are edible too. I don’t consider them substantial enough to harvest for a meal, but they do make a beautiful garnish, especially on someone’s birthday cake.
Post Notes: Today is my birthday! The bad news is that I share it with the Ayatollah Khomeni. The good news is that Enya was also born on May 17th. The other good news is that Kelly Erb, the “Invisible Chef” who baked this cake for my birthday, lives right here in Floyd. Her website is here.
Comments
Happy, happy birthday! The cake is beautiful!
Posted by: Leslie | May 17, 2006 10:04 AM
Happy Birthday to you!
Posted by: Alessandro from Greece | May 17, 2006 10:06 AM
Happy Birthday. I too have wild violets growing all over my yard a beautiful array of purple aside the yellow dandylions. My neighbors are aghast and they'll remain that way, I love my colorful and edible weeds.
Posted by: Jade | May 17, 2006 10:09 AM
Happy birthday, mate!! May your year be blessed with inspiration and discovery.
Posted by: Jamie | May 17, 2006 10:54 AM
A very happy birthday wish for you! One of my most fun boyfriends was also born on this day...he was a wild one!
Posted by: Janet | May 17, 2006 11:51 AM
That cake is beautiful!! You're lucky to live in such a beautiful place... Happy Birthday! May all your yearly dreams come true. :)
Posted by: Laura | May 17, 2006 1:11 PM
That cake is beautiful!! You're lucky to live in such a beautiful place... Happy Birthday! May all your yearly dreams come true. :)
Posted by: Laura | May 17, 2006 1:12 PM
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
Posted by: Lu | May 17, 2006 3:02 PM
Happy Birthday, Colleen! And many, many more. May the year ahead be full of everything you hope for, and then some.
Posted by: Jennifer | May 17, 2006 3:10 PM
Happy Birthday Colleen! I hope the pretty picture of the cake decorated with edible wild violets is yours birthday cake.
The link:
http://ben-gal.tripod.com/index.blog?entry_id=1447772
is to a post I did on dandelions over at A Particularly Persistent Point of View.
Dandelions are loaded with free health giving nutrients. You can eat the entire plant - the flower, stem, leaves and roots. They'll do the necessary spring cleaning for your innards...very healthy for the liver.
They taste good too. I usually juice mine with some ginger root to tone down the bitterness - which is not really all that bitter for me.
Happy birthday again and Happy eating.
Posted by: Kathy | May 17, 2006 3:36 PM
Happy Birthday! May your day be filled with joy.
Posted by: Linda | May 17, 2006 3:44 PM
Wishing you a fabulous birthday and many many more.
Posted by: terrilynn | May 17, 2006 4:24 PM
HAPPY BIRTHDAY,COlleen! Your cake is beautiful; I hope it tasted great too.
I always have violets in my yard, but they have already bloomed and gone.
Posted by: kenju | May 17, 2006 5:24 PM
I once took a fruit salad of blueberries and small strawberries with just a tiny bit of surgar sprinkled over them in a pretty crsytal bowl to a small BBQ. I sprinkled tiny violets all around the top, which as you can imagine made it very lovely. It was the most discussed dish at the party and yet so simple!
Posted by: Tabor | May 17, 2006 5:29 PM
Whoops, EXCUSE ME, forgot to wish you a belated Happy Birthday!
Posted by: Tabor | May 17, 2006 5:33 PM
HIPPY BIRDDAY FROM ME TOO
HOPE YOU'RE ENJOYING YOUR NEW TOYS XXOO
Posted by: joe | May 17, 2006 6:44 PM
Happy birthday. And don't worry about Ayatollah Khomeni, he's dead!
Posted by: sage | May 17, 2006 7:01 PM
Happy Birthday! I almost wish, after reading this, that I didn't ditch Botany for English Literature. But they don't make you take chemistry to study Shakespeare.
Posted by: Rick | May 17, 2006 9:43 PM
Happy Birthday Colleen!
The cake is lovely. I need to see if I have any lamb's quarter. I love spinach!
Posted by: Deana | May 17, 2006 11:11 PM
Hello There - I like to check out the blogs of those who leave comments on my friends' blogs. There are so many interesting things to read out there, you never know where you're going to go.
FYI: I found your comment at Dav's Motherless Daughter's Diary blog.
-TL
http://cheapchocolate.blogspot.com
Posted by: TL | May 17, 2006 11:28 PM
Is he really dead? I am so out of it...Happy Birthday, girl. And you look great;-)
Posted by: angela | May 18, 2006 9:22 PM