milkweed pods recipes

The nymphs have a needle-like mouthpart that pierces the milkweed pod, and sucks the juice out of the seed, rendering them un-plantable. Fornari. Certain milkweeds are poisonous, like dogbane. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Good luck! The pods should not be noticeably soft, they should be firm, a bit like okra. Besides counting on milkweed pods to be delicious, the other part of the equation you can count on is that people are quick to appoint themselves milkweed police, and insist that if you harvest milkweed pods, (or any part of the plant for that matter) you're personally responsible for any and all parts of monarch destruction, and that you're a bad, un-ethical forager, which simply isn't the truth. Of course individuals can have allergic reactions to foods but calling something poisonous implies that it will kill you or make you sick. There seems to be plenty for humans and animals to enjoy in harmony. Yes, And It's Super-Easy To Prepare, Too. The Athens type needed to be completely thawed. More Information on Goosefoot (Lamb's Quarters), 6 Ways to Get the Musty Smell Out of Clothes and Towels, 1 teaspoon fresh mint, minced (peppermint, spearmint or chocolate mint), 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, preferably freshly grated, 1 pound phyllo dough pastry sheets plus additional butter/olive oil if needed*, 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion (or green onion), 1/2 teaspoon dry dill (or 1 teaspoon fresh, finely chopped). I suspected they would be picking the biggest, fattest pods possible and unfortunately I was right. Drizzle it with a little olive oil before serving. Always forage responsibly and only in areas safe to do so and without trespassing. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This will be surprisingly quick. 4 oz young milkweed pods (in the range of 1-2inches) Finishing salt: Buttermilk as needed for soaking the pods (about 1 cup) Cooking oil (as needed for sauteing/frying ) . how to suck at gardening and still feed your family, 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (the good stuff). Buttermilk as needed for soaking the pods, you can add up to 25% coarse cornmeal for extra crunch here if you like, Good pinch of spices, like paprika or curry powder, such as hot sauce, or a mayonnaise or yogurt based dip like ranch, etc. One question. What recipe would you recommend for pickling milkweed pods? I'm in Minneapolis too! Set the battered pods aside and test the oil to see if its hot enough. increase font size Sauteed milkweed pods: A recipe to delight the forager The taste of the finished product is a somewhat sweet mix between fiddleheads and fresh green beans. "The Karen Special" has a ring to it. Do you have to leave the pods attached? You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Observe it, see the monarch larvae enjoying the leaves. my mom brought to my attention that they're edible, so now I'm trying them! Dip each milkweed pod into the batter to fully coat the pod. You can also subscribe without commenting. I don't, but if it's your first time trying them, you probably should, as some people are apparently more sensitive to milkweed than others. Cow Parsnip: Identification, Edible Parts, and Cooking. . But the younger pods have a sweet flavour and can be used in all sorts of recipes. They love the vegetables and flavors of summer, fresh, bright herbs, tomatoes, and Mediterranean style recipes, but that could just be my European training talking, milkweed curry is bound to be great too. I have to admit I was surprised at this post! ), Reminds me of all the wealthy who have to eat endangered species because somewhere in their muddled minds, it makes them the apex predator and thats a good thing , amiright?! Flower Heads: The unopened or slightly opened flower heads are the second harvest, occurring about a month after the shoots take off. I love the summer months for foraging wild foods. Older pods may have pronounced "spines". As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The window for harvesting the pods in itself, also means it would be nearly impossible to harvest all of the pods, even if you tried, since once they're over 2 inches long, they'll be tough and inedible for humans, but perfect for monarchs. 1. It pays to learn what plants look like as seedlings! 4. All my recipes have been tested and tried by me. Don't forget to share or Pin if you like the post. The silk has a softness to it almost like a sort of cheese, and it follows that it makes a funky cheese substitute, or fun gratin style dish or baked dip mixed with cheese and a few other mild things (I like cooked onions and a pinch of garlic, or sour cream, mayonnaise and hot chili). Published: Aug 15, 2020 Modified: Mar 15, 2023 by Alan Bergo This post may contain affiliate links 20 Comments. They're so wee. With shoots and flower buds prep is pretty straightforward: toss them in a hot pan, apply seasoning and eat. I like to put a small stone in the top of the jar sometimes to hold things in place if they're floating. 5. Looking forward to picking the pods in our yard - this recipe sounds easy and delicious! A small but welcome chamomile harvest from a volunteer plant I discovered in my garden this spring. (I have a small fryer; yours might handle a bigger batch.) They have a lot of flavor friends like I mention above, substituting them for okra or places where it could be used is a good start. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. If you have a fancier deep fryer with a thermostat, set it for 350F. thank you so so very much for interesting article You can eat the whole pod, and treat it pretty much like youd treat okra (but I think okra tastes nowhere near as good as Milkweed!) Ripe seeds are brown in color. Hi Alan. I have already covered the identification of these beautiful plants in recent posts on leaves and flowers, so I will go straight to the topic of this post the seed pods. If the seeds are close to maturity they can finish ripening in the pod after you pick it. In a large skillet, melt 1/2 cup butter and saute onions until translucent. Leave a few flowers, and after the bees are done with them, the young pods can be cooked like okra. The young spring shoots can be cooked like asparagus, young, just opened leaves can be steamed or boiled like spinach, unopened flower buds can be steamed much like broccoli, and young pods have great flavor. As a mentioned earlier, the raw pods tasted like green beans. I have 2 plants and I want to know if I should wait till spring. I enjoyed it, the boys just wolfed theirs down plain. In year two, once youve established a new milkweed patch and have scattered the seeds, it is now ethical to harvest some (but not all) of that patch. Change). Ingredients 1 large onion, chopped 1/2 cup butter 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced 1 teaspoon fresh mint, minced (peppermint, spearmint or chocolate mint) 12 -14 ounces of fresh goosefoot ( lamb's quarters) (or a 10 ounce package of frozen spinach, thawed) 1/4 pound feta cheese Thank you for the information. Arent you supposed to do the egg first? I love your blog - gathering food in nature; learning to recognized them. 3. If the author meant Asclepias syriaca and said that A. Syriaca is poisonous to humans when cooked then Id say yes, thats wrong. I have had milkweed pods last for over a month at a time at a restaurant cooler with proper storage. Dip each milkweed pod into the batter to fully coat the pod. Thank you posting Q & A I have 2 pods from someone still green and I will follow the advice on line from you! Give the bag a good shake. I got a few pods from a friend still green and when picked had the milk still coming out I have then on the counter for drying will they be ok or do I need to do the paper bag thing they have not started to split yet on their own. If you prune back to a side branch, you will likely get multiple flushes of fresh growth from one plant. Just as cucumbers get bitter when stressed by heat and lack of water, so I believe do milkweed pods. I'll keep experimenting and share what we find out, and you're welcome to share or add a link to your favorite way to eat wild harvested foods. Ill be sowing those seeds you sent this autumn, so this is definitely one to try should I be so lucky as to get flowers and seedpods! Im often asked what my favorite wild edible plant is, and I dont hesitate to answer: milkweed. Your email address will not be published. Ive long since learned the value of milkweed plants to monarch populations. These appear just after the flowers wilt, and grow out of each little floret which is why you find them in tight bunches. There are still a few small ones on the plants, and by small I mean under two inches, but for the . Milkweed products do contain cardiac glycosides and poisonings are a common affair. I like to dredge them in cornstarch and some salt and herbs and give them a flash fry. Then I make 4 square packets and I sandwich them between 5 squares and sew them with X stitched across and I make rag quilts with them. I used corn husks to line mine. Let them sit out and dry for a half hour or so. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. (Here are some tips: https://savvygardening.com/monarch-butterfly-host-plant-milkweeds-grow-seed/). From wildharvestfilms.com. The last point to consider as I see it, is that milkweed isn't some obscure rare thing, it's ubiquitous where I and a lot of other people live, and, it can also be planted in a garden. I wont give a pizza recipe, just to say that you can use this instead of or along with cheese in your favourite pizza recipe. The most common method is to boil them in water and then cook them again as you like, stewed, fried, baked etc. I can eat them with impunity. A parallel could be when ostrich ferns get blamed for bracken fern poisoning, simply because people don't know the exact species of fern they ate, which is relatively common. How do you prevent poisoning? I might have to give it a try. You are kind. As most of us know, humans aren't the only ones that enjoy milkweed. (In the future, I hope to replace almond flour with locally foraged or grown hazelnut and acorn flour for a more sustainable and lower energy option.). Remove the immature seeds and silk from the boiled milkweed pods, and spoon in about 2 tsp. Then, snip a hole in the corner of the bottom of the bag to pour out the seeds. How are they to somebody like myself being lactose intolerant. Our vast colonies of milkweed plants are loaded with blooms and milkweed seed pods, so I decided to give those a try as well. 1 tsp fennel seeds, toasted. Boiled young shoots, unopened flower buds, flowers, and young pods are said to taste as good as asparagus and other cooked greens. Ill now walk you through one of my favorite ways of preparing this delicious vegetable. Most others (butterfly milkweed etc) should be avoided. So, maybe someday I will be able to grab a few smaller ones to try. Add : 1 cup stock or water. I know that sounds weird, but its super good. You have no actual value you know or can list for eating it? For many years, those growing locales were in decline. thanks for the tips and your candid writing, a pleasure to read and a joy to follow. Are milkweeds in the same family of solenoids as tomatoes and peppers? there was no way to tell when you were going to get a bitter one not by size or appearance. And they dont all ripen at once! Animals themselves don't think about the nutritional value of what they are eating; they see something that appears edible, they consume it. Next, you dredge them in flour or cornstarch. Pods: My favorite harvest from milkweed is the flower pod. Return to the oven for another 20 minutes. With the excitement of harvesting from common milkweed, however, comes a serious responsibility. Your writing would benefit from attention to subject-verb agreement (such as "are" when the noun is plural). Pinterest. The leaves are edible, but tough. In fact, they are considered a premier wild food :). Then, you heat some frying oil in a pan (I am frying in olive oil, but you could do others) and when the oil is hot, pan-fry them. Serve warm. Some people react to milkweed not being boiled, some do. Its the first time Ive heard of eating the milkweed pods, grew up picking and eating the top cluster of leaves before they pod out so have something new to try. Note: This post only covers harvesting and cooking the edible pods of milkweed. Many foragers, myself included, believe the reason people think Asclepias syriaca is poisonous is because theyve misidentified Apocynum cannibinum (aka dogbane). Rest the cooked pods on paper towels to absorb excess oil, and continue to fry your pods in batches until theyre all done. (I have a small fryer; yours might handle a . It is a little late in the season to be collecting milkweed pods. Coat each pod in the batter and place in an oven proof dish or on a lined cookie tin. I found that placing the cuttings immediately in water prevents the latex from skinning over and remaining through boiling, otherwise I do find a slight irritation in my throat. If the seeds are close to maturity they can finish ripening in the pod after you pick it. Filed Under: Seeds Tagged With: Saving seeds, Pollinator-friendly plants, My milkweed pods are green on a plant. It is also advisable to try any ingredient in small amounts in case of adverse reactions. Besides the mucilage, they're pretty much interchangeable, bread and fry them, saute, braise, bake in a juicy casserole, or better yet pickle them, just like okra. only the best recipes. Tobasco or stronger ones would be too much. As I researched recipes, I was intrigued to learn that Alan Bergo from the Forager Chef blog thinks milkweed pods weren't worth the trouble to stuff. Thanks for this wonderful article! When and how to add an egg to the orzo. Add : 1 cup stock or water. Ive attended many workshops about milkweed/Monarch/butterflies and have always heard that every part of the milkweed is poisonous. Once youve pried open the pod, grab the center stalk from the pointed end, and gently tear it away. In fact, with deep fried milkweed pods, Im pretty sure you cant go wrong. (Trust me, Ive been tempted!) Is it true that all milkweed species contain the compounds, or if common milkweed (A. syriaca), which has rich documentation as a food plant by indigenous peoples, is getting unfairly lumped in with other milkweeds that are definitely dangerous to eat? Serve fried milkweed pods hot as an appetizer or vegetable course, with a dusting of sea salt, or dipped in the sauce of your choice. Also, interesting. I have finally eaten milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) pods. I must have overstuffed the pods, because the recipe calls for 20 pods but I was only able to fill 11. This time, I actually measured the pods, because my impression of under two inches was a little off. Neat! Scatter some seeds just beyond the current patch. We're at 3000', but our winters are not nearly what yours are. Hey, I wonder what a pickle/ lacto-ferment would taste like? Im not going to try them, but they look sooooo good. Recipe Bring a pot of water to a boil and boil the pods for two minutes. You would remove the outer pod (which as it gets bigger, it gets tougher, which pretty much applies to any green vegetable!). Cook until tender. Adult red milkweed beetles (Tetraopes tetrophthalmus) are herbivores, feeding on the leaves, stems, and seed pods of milkweed plants. Instructions Heat oven to 375F. Im new to blogging and was hoping you could kindly visit my blog and comment on or like anything you found interesting? You will hear popping sounds, this is ok. When trying to up-class an ingredient, it makes sense to look at the French word. Moderation, in all things, including milkweed. Ingredients: 3 cups of milkweed pods, sliced lengthwise cup cornmeal cup flour tsp salt tsp garlic powder tsp black pepper tsp cayenne pepper cup buttermilk 2-4 cups neutral oil for frying. Eating should be fun, ingesting is just like it sounds. It was near impossible to separate the seeds from the threads, so I assumed I should use the whole clump. They have enough substance to hold their own mixed with other vegetables, and like okra go very well with spicy sauces. And, they're mild, tasting, tender and delicious, especially when you soak them in buttermilk and fry them crisp dredged with cornmeal, a la okra. 4. For more of Chef Paul's recipes, get your copy of Wild Harvest Recipes - on sale now! Strain the water and place pods on a towel and gently press the pods to remove any excess liquid. The shaking of the material helps to separate the seed from the coma. The useful part about it from my perspective is that milkweed silk is often at an edible stage when the outer green shell has become too stringy to enjoy, so even if you're a little late to the party at the milkweed patch, it doesn't mean you have to go home empty handed, just crack open the pods to make sure the seeds don't have any color to them yet, they should be perfectly white. Boil for ten minutes. It makes a HUGE difference when you share our articles. Open the milkweed pod and it's contents into a paper bag with some small pebbles or coins. To me, stuffing them involves removing the inner, undeveloped silk, which is part of the plant and perfectly edible as it is. That pizza looks delicious. Without prior preparation, you are waiting for an accident to happen, regardless of what Sam says. Do you want my extra milkweed seeds? Laiterons is nice. I have never tried the pods but certainly will. Don't be afraid to pick very small pods, they're excellent. Add dill, parsley and mint. Should I pull the pods off and keep them in the house?? Mix the dry ingredients together. This is my suggestion: find where the milkweed grows in year 1. I am, however, an avid tea drinker. FRIED MILKWEED PODS RECIPE <divFried milkweed pods with a cornmeal crust. I'll work on some new milkweed pod recipes this year for you. Thank You! Just because there's pods on a plant doesn't mean it should be eaten. Preheat oven to 350F. This is my first time to your site and I'm enjoying it. . Place milkweed pods in a large pot of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Beat egg and milk together in a bowl and set aside. thank you for sharing your wisdom Do you have any recommendations? I share your deep interests in permaculture, druidry (specifically the AODA, I havent joined, but I have independently begun my Candidate studies and practices), magic, the creative arts, herbalism, and foraging. wow i can hardly wait to try these, heard about a gent in the Ottawa Valley who cooks them and I have a splendid yard full for the Monarchs, so why shouldn't an old 'queen' like me have a feast as well. The pods or other products are then drained and boiled for 3 minutes and water-cooled immediately to stop cooking. That's great, enjoy your pods. Huh. Shoots. Luckily its since been removed, as the importance of growing milkweed for the monarch species survival has been so well conveyed to the public. This post may contain affiliate links which wont change your price but will share some commission. There is also some vitamin E, carotenoids, sterols, and unsaturated free fatty acids (especially omage . Leave some pods to naturally open and reseed themselves. lower heat to simmer and simmer 3 minutes. Place in oven and cook for 15-20 minutes. Thanks for sharing your foraging tips and recipes! Sometimes we have them as an appetizer, sometimes as a side dish. 1 tsp wild parsnip seeds, toasted (optional) 5 oz milkweed pods (see introductory note) Cook for several minutes, then deglaze with : 1-2 tbs sherry, shao xing wine or cooking wine. For more, see my post on Milkweed Silk. The result of this vegan cheese was very pleasant, a bit stringy like mozzarella and sweet. Unless you're going around squishing monarchs with a fly swatter as you pick, there's nothing wrong with harvesting a few milkweed pods to eat. With traditional phyllo, each sheet should be brushed with a mix of butter and olive oil before assembling. I store the pods in paper bags with damp cloths, or in plastic bags lined with cloths with some holes sliced in it to allow air flow. Ive never done it but I took advice and put some elastic bands around some of the pods and will pick them when the others start opening. What a Kyle. Prepare a batter by combining equal parts corn meal and self-rising flour, with a dash of salt and enough buttermilk to make it slightly thicker than pancake batter. The two plants look similar when young but the differences are clear once youve had them pointed out to you. When taking the shoots, I found that new shoots would follow and always left buds on the plant. Unknown milkweed variety from southeast Michigan. For a full breakdown of every edible part of the plant I know, please refer to my Guide to Milkweed. Ive only eaten lambs quarter boiled down like spinach. So I don't particularly like it either. Of course harvest times will vary depending on where you live and forage, but where I am, milkweed pod season is just beginning and I plan to enjoy every minute of it with these deep fried milkweed pods. The chef had fried, foie gras stuffed milkweed pods on one of the courses for our dinner. Only 4 pods as I wasnt sure. Wild Food Profile: Milkweed + Fried Milkweed Pod Recipe, on Wild Food Profile: Milkweed + Fried Milkweed Pod Recipe, Walking Meditation Garden with Hugelkultur Beds, A Druid's Guide to Connecting with Nature, Part I: A Framework, @All images and writing is copyright Dana Driscoll, 2022, Making Hydrosols (floral waters) Without an Alembic, Review, Video, and Discussion of John Michael Greers Detroit Community Lecture, Not the Future We Ordered, Four Sacred Trees Brew (Druidic, Magical Tree Tea with Hickory, Pine, Birch, and Maple). Some varieties have a long taproot, so if you are transplanting, try to get as much of it as possible. Mix well. But why? I decided this summer to move beyond using wild edibles in salad and medicine to experiment with cooking weeds. Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Black Raspberries are NOT the same as Blackberries! For my pizza, I made a plain crust with about 1 Tbsp of bullrush flour (the sum total of my harvest for this year). I used cumin and chilli powder and dipped in ranch dressing. When a bit of batter starts to bubble and fry immediately on contact with the oil, you're good to go. Your blog is great! Slit it open this way and pull out the silk insides. And they came out just fine despite the extra 25 degrees. A. syriaca I have not seen here (it's an eastern American native). You? Is it only certain types, or was that suggested to scare people off from using them for purposes other than butterfly aid? When serving them, it's also good to give people who haven't had them before small amounts at first to test for allergies. I like to use a bag and just shake it up with them inside. I've been writing about cooking wild food here for over a decade. Resist the temptation to pick all the pods except the ones that are very small, as much for the fact that they taste better as that it's not good to pick all of anything, except morels. love ali. As your chanterelles and milkweed are finishing up, add diced garlic and a bit of olive oil to a corner of the pan to cook the garlic, which only takes ~2 minutes to cook. As it is, we often don't know what is really in our food most of the time because food companies limit our access to such information. Rinse the pods thoroughly and make sure to knock off any hitchhikers, clinging blossoms or other debris. Indeed, he goes on at some length about the subject. She writes at the Druids Garden blog and is on Instagram as @druidsgardenart. Your email address will not be published. AODA helps you wildcraft your druidry, connect and reciprocate with the living earth, and develop a personal nature spiritual practice. Enjoy, remember two inches is the ideal length. Delightful! I also used what is referred to as the silk, which is the white fluff inside. Before becoming seeds, the small milkweed pods contain what is called milkweed silk, or floss. I dont; I havent dug them up. Bingo! The first recipe which you can use directly is from Edible Wild Food. There's no need to be exact just make sure you can stuff them into your mouth easily and they are roughly the same size so they cook evenly. Pack the milkweed buds in a jar, and completely cover with the brine. I think doing whatever you can to create more milkweed is necessary before harvesting it. This will be my first time trying them: had 4 or 5 volunteers in my garden last year and this year there are a *lot* more, enough to work with. I then covered it with a cheeseless, dandelion and walnut pesto, roasted tomatoes and capers, which were actually fermented milkweed flowers which went very nicely. Milkweed pods have a bit of a spongy texture, so I like to use a minimal amount of oil when cooking them. Don't pick pods that have a slit that opens easily, they should resist opening. Your email address will not be published. Older pods may have pronounced "spines". Some milkweed pods can hold over 200 seeds inside! I must have overstuffed the pods, because the recipe calls for 20 pods but I was only able to fill 11. If you read a guide that actually talks about eating milkweed (most don't except for Sam) there's likely to be a sentence to the tune of: "young pods need to be 1-2" long to eat". Wow. Either way, make sure to cook them through, and don't eat pounds of them (or anything) in a single sitting. 4. They are the only larval host plant where monarch butterflies will lay eggs, and a food source for those hungry monarch caterpillars. If I had to compare it to any vegetable, I would say it is most like okra, but without the slimy texture. There are fine white seeds on one side, but they too are very fine and sweet tasting. Add the goosefoot and salt to pan with the butter. I would give it another couple of weeks and try again. Dana is a certified permaculture designer and permaculture teacher who teaches sustainable living courses and wild food foraging. Apparently this can be done on purpose, and can be very tasty and used in recipes she even provides instructions for this very approach but the drink I ended up with was not what Id had in mind! (I promise Ill get specific amounts next time I do this, but for now, these approximations will have to do!). There are few plants that offer the variety and flavour you find in milkweed the shoots, leaves, flowers and seed pods. One challenge. Using a large amount of oil, or frying them up with other starchy vegetables like potatoes could make them sit in your stomach like a lead brick. And I really dont want to have to wait a whole year in order to try them out. Mix egg, almond milk and water together then blend in dry ingredients. Pods Young milkweed pods (harvested 2inches long or less) are my favorite part of the plant. If you are using traditional phyllo (pastry sheets without oil or butter), you will need an additional 1/4 cup of melted butter and 1/4 cup of olive oil. (LogOut/ I know, milkweed pods doesn't really sound all that bad, but I definitely have a tic about it. Dana ODriscoll has been an animist druid for almost 20 years, and currently serves as Grand Archdruid in the Ancient Order of Druids in America. But about half the pods snapped off before they could ripen fully. They have a light vegetable taste, maybe something like a sugar snap peavery tasty and delicious. I just read that common milkweed is poisonous, is that wrong? This gave me the perfect opportunity to try the pods. So I made two pizzas one with cheese just dotted on top, and one with cheese which I cooked in a smidge of water for a few minutes. We need a lot more milkweed out there. A number of years ago I was cooking a wild food dinner at a restaurant with a James Beard Award-nominated chef.

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