Dirt

Would you believe that this is all the same sort of plant?
All of these leaves come from a Sow Thistle plant, how AMAZING! 😎🍃

Sow Thistle has an incredible taste and, to be very honest, I prefer the taste of Sow Thistle to Dandelion leaves. The baby Sow Thistle plants taste quite similar to spinach leaves and can often be used as a replacement in recipes.

Here is one of my favourite Sow Thistle recipes:

Creamy Sow Thistle Soup
Ingredients:
- 4 large handfuls Sow Thistle leaves
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 2 red onions, chopped
- 1 large potato, chopped into chunks
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 2 cans coconut milk (800ml)
- Seed crackers, toasted (optional)

Method:
1. Rinse the freshly foraged Sow Thistle leaves thoroughly. I often let the leaves sit in some salt water for a while before I begin preparing them. This reduces the harmful bacteria that could be present on the plant.
2. Chop the Sow Thistle greens roughly and remove any thick stalks if necessary.
3. Add the butter to a pot over medium and allow to melt slightly.
4. Sauté the onions and garlic to release the flavours.
5. Once the onions are translucent, add the potato chunks and vegetable stock. Cover the pot with a lid and let the potatoes cook for about 10 minutes.
6. Add the coconut milk and half of the chopped Sow Thistle leaves to the pot. Cover with a lid again and let the soup simmer for another 15 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and allow the soup to cool for a couple of minutes. Add the rest of the chopped Sow Thistle leaves.
8. Use a hand blender to blend the soup to a smooth texture.
9. Serve with toasted seed crackers. ENJOY NATURE!

If you are interesting in reading up more about Sow Thistle, check out this article: https://piapoppy.co.za/edible-w**ds-dirt-design/learning-to-love-sow-thistle/

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What a gorgeous guy! This edible w**d is called Sow Thistle - it looks very similar to Dandelion and has often been called "false Dandelion". Compared to Dandelion, Sow Thistle has less of peppery taste and branches off into various stems, whereas Dandelion will grow various stems that all root from the same spot.

Once you know what they look like, you will start spotting them all over your garden, sidewalks, cracks in pavements - practically everywhere!

Have a look around your natural environment as you go through your week and see if you can spot and stunning Sow Thistle plants 🌱🌱

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I am very quickly learning to love this beautiful plant 🌿

Sow Thistle grows incredibly quickly (although it is a annual plant - meaning it will die and regrow every year) making it a fantastic companion in the garden for a delicious addition to stews, stir frys or even smoothies!

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A Sow Thistle basking in the sun: This one is Corn Sow Thistle, also called Perennial Sow Thistle, having the largest and brightest flower heads of our Sow Thistles. The flower heads are like little sun discs themselves.

They are not just for sows though. Our ancestors used to eat these, before the bitter in our diet began to fade away. All parts of the plant are edible and unlike most thistles, this plant is not very prickly. Some people even cook it untrimmed. The Maori have traditionally grown this plant as a food crop in New Zealand.

Forager's Tip: gather the young leaves earlier in the year and the bitter taste is much milder.

Gorgeous handful of fresh baby spinach straight from the garden 🌱😊

Ready for dinner.. what should I make? 🌱😁

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Gorgeous little chickw**d plant peeping through the concrete 🌱

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Have you harvested some nutritious Borage yet? 🌱
Try out this AMAZING Borage pesto recipe that is absolutely fantastic with a pasta, roast chicken or on a crispy slice of toast.
Borage leaves have a refreshing taste that is similar to cucumber, so it is a great replacement for green leafy veggies like baby spinach or basil.

BORAGE PESTO:
serves 4

INGREDIENTS
2 cups Borage leaves
½ cup walnuts, crushed
½ lemon, juiced
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt & pepper to taste

METHOD
1. Rinse the freshly foraged Boraged leaves thoroughly. Cut out the stems and chop the leaves for easy blending.
2. Blend together the Borage leaves, walnuts, lemon juice, olive oil, Parmesan cheese and garlic until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. ENJOY NATURE!

The cookbook will be coming soon, you can keep an eye out on our social media pages and website:
piapoppy.co.za

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Read all about the beautiful Borage! Learn how to identify the plant so you are able to forage some leaves on your next walk outside 🌱🍃

https://piapoppy.co.za/why-you-should-be-eating-borage/

Why you should be eating Borage - Pia Poppy Borage, the edible garden w**d, is packed with nutrients and flavour making it an ideal companion in the garden and the kitchen.

Have you spotted this plant popping up lately? 🌱

This is beautiful Borage. 🍃

The plant has Lanceolate leaves, which means it is at least three times long as it is wide and wider at the base than it is at the mid-point. When Borage is not flowering during the first growing season (Winter), it grows low to the ground and the plant produces large flat leaves. On the other hand, when the Borage plant is busy flowering during the second growing season (Spring), the leaves at the base of the stem are straight and long, while the leaves that are higher on the stalk have slightly more wavy edges.

The leaves themselves have prickles that can be quite large on the bottom leaves, which are attached by a short stalk. The smaller baby leaves feel fuzzier and softer. These little leaves are not only easier to harvest but are also easier on the palette. Larger leaves tend to be slightly more bitter and more difficult to use due to the thick stem. Borage leaves have a deliciously refreshing taste that resembles cucumber and can be used as a replacement for spinach or basil in smoothies, pestos or extracts. I like to use a handful of freshly foraged Borage in my morning green smoothie, it’s a super refreshing start to the day!

ENJOYING NATURE!💚🌱

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The beautiful Borage ✨

The more I learn about this plant, the more I love the plant. Nature really does take such good care of us. Traditionally used as a diuretic, by promoting sweating, and antispasmodic remedy, so it was often used to treat PMS symptoms or gastrointestinal problems.

It grows easily in most climates and the leaves can be harvested during most parts of the year. Finding this plant in your garden is such a treat and a treasure, have a look for this special w**d next time you are spending time in nature.

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A page taken from "Foraging and Feasting", a book written one of my biggest inspirations, Dina Falconi

Take a look at these beautiful adaptations of the all-time favourite edible w**d, Wood Sorrel ☘️💚

☘PLANT LOVE, 🥙KITCHEN LOVE

Wood sorrel (Oxalis stricta) is one of many wild food superstars I feature in “In the Wild Kitchen”, my online masterclass.

Registration for this course + bonuses opens very soon. Want to be the first to know, click the link here to sign up for the Early Bird List: ► https://www.inthewild.kitchen/oi-spring-is-poppin-early-bird

TO HELP WTH ID, HARVEST & USE, here is our Wood Sorrel illustrated page from Foraging & Feasting: A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook by Dina Falconi (me), illustrated by Wendy Hollender.
More about our book on our site: www.ForagingAndFeasting.com

Do you consume wood sorrel and if yes how so? Do tell!

Check out this article I wrote about meeting the inspiring Ghenwa. I am always open to finding new ways of appreciating undesired plants for a healthier and "dirtier" way of eating.

💚☘️

With the new weather coming about, there are new w**ds that are growing and fresh growth so stay tuned for some alternative recipes using edible w**ds coming soon!

https://piapoppy.co.za/the-dirtier-the-better-an-insight-on-clean-eating/

The “dirtier” the better. An insight on clean eating. | Dirt Design | Pia Poppy Read about how I met the very inspiring Ghenwa and how she has influenced me to look at undesired plants as a way to support clean eating.

Borage 🌱

These are the plants that produce those strikingly beautiful violet flowers on tall stems just about in every patch of ground during spring and early summer.

The bigger leaves of the plant, the parts that I forage, grow lower to the ground as wide flat leaves that are slightly fuzzy. The really big leaves have some rather large prickles on them so rather wear gloves when you forage Borage. Considering the texture of the Borage leaves, I prefer to rather use them in something like a pesto, where I know the leave is practically going to be blended or transformed completely.

The younger leaves that sprout during spring have the best texture with the least prickles and they also taste less bitter than the larger, darker leaves. They have a delicious earthy, nutty taste that is similar to that of basil.

Borage likes a lot of sun and needs to have soil that is well drained, so they often grow in that hard, sandy ground that is found next to sidewalks or pavements. This being said, I have often found Borage plants growing in areas where water likes to gather, like in a valley. Then the leaves are also a bit more elongated (they stretch because they look for the sun).

Recipes are coming soon, but have a look out for those flat wide leaves next to the sidewalk next time you go for a walk or a drive. Stay tuned for updates on Facebook, Instagram and our website (link in bio)💚💋

IMPORTANT: Make sure you forage from an area that is not regularly used by cars, dogs or people and is pesticide and herbicide free. Also make sure you are foraging sustainably: harvest from different areas each time and make sure to still leave majority of the plants in the ground.

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Wood Sorrel (aka “Suuring” in Afrikaans)☘️

Often mistaken as clovers, these plants have beautiful heart shaped leaves and long stems. This is probably my favourite edible w**d so you will often find me nibbling on a little sprig when I go for a walk. Their stems are long and have a deliciously juicy, sour taste while the leaves are small and delicate. They are full of vitamins and minerals, especially Vitamins A & C and magnesium, making them perfect for an on-the-go snack. I actually prefer using Wood Sorrel raw in my recipes because the stems get rather stringy when they are cooked and gathering leaves one by one seems like a tedious task considering how small they are.

Another way of using Wood Sorrel is by making an extract from the plant. Simply brew the greens in hot water – much like you would for tea. Blend the tea and strain several times. The Wood Sorrel extract can practically be used in anything from stews to smoothies, but I most like it in desserts because that sour lemony taste really works well with a sweeter taste.

Wood Sorrel likes the weather a bit cooler so you will most commonly find them in the shade under trees. They also like to grow where they have access to a lot of flowing water, so close to rivers or streams.

The recipe book is coming soon so stay tuned on Facebook, Instagram and our website (link in bio) for updates with regards to launch dates
In the meantime, have a sprig or two of fresh Wood Sorrel next time you see some in your garden or local park.
IMPORTANT: Make sure you forage from an area that is not regularly used by cars, dogs or people and is pesticide and herbicide free. Also make sure you are foraging sustainably: harvest from different areas each time and make sure to still leave majority of the plants in the ground.

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