Lamb's Quarters (Wild Spinach)

I'm the sort of person who is always coming up with new resolutions... ideas of things that I ought to be doing that will improve everything (health, state of mind, posture, what have you.)   But like most people, I guess, I tend to be better at inventing resolutions than at sticking to them. 

The other day, I came up with a really great idea for a resolution that I probably won't follow but maybe someone else would like to?  The idea is that every time I shop for produce I should make myself try something new.  That should be no problem, as there are so many things I see at the market that I never buy because it's not something I'm in the habit of making or using.  For example, tomatillos - I look at them with fascination all the time because of their papery exterior, but I've never bought one. 

The reason I thought this was a great idea is that eating a variety of produce is supposed to be good for health, and this way I'd be forced to learn how to prepare new things.  So in one resolution I'd actually be improving two areas of my life.

So with this idea in mind, on Saturday I bought a bunch of lamb's quarters, which were described as being like spinach and could be prepared as such.  Also, a big bunch was only $2 and it was rather pretty with all of its little dark leaves.

I discovered to my frustration that what made it pretty was also what made it a pain to prepare to cook... I assumed that the tough stems were inedible, and plucking all those little leaves off of them took time.  I'm sure if I were a master chef I could have blown a bunch of darts at the lambs quarters and all the leaves would have fallen off at once, but I'm not and I got a little bored as I pulled off leaf after leaf.  Tedious.  I also began to get suspicious - they FELT so much like leaves from an ordinary garden plant, not a True Vegetable, because they are so small and have this dustiness to the surface of the leaf.  I wondered if the farmer had just been clearing out his flower garden and decided to sell some excess leaves to stupid city slickers who don't know any better?

Finally, frustrating any idea of learning to cook something new, I just dumped the leaves into an inch of boiling water for 5 minutes (lid on), drained them, and tossed them with a bit of butter and salt.

Well, guess what?  They tasted very good!  They are bitter, like most dark greens, more so than regular spinach but less so than something like dandelion.  But they didn't have that pungency that spinach does, and the butter added a bit of sweetness and salt makes everything nice.  So I think I might actually buy these again.  As for the Big Idea (buying something new every time)...

We'll see...

Comments

[Amanda]

I could help you with your resolution. In fact, I could even *sell* you some new things. There are quite a number of interesting-looking plants whose edibility I'm curious about....

[Melissa]

I bought lamb's quarters a couple of weeks ago at the coop (I thought I mentioned it to you...maybe I did and it lodged in your subconscious?). It was a never-ending bunch, and I wasn't terribly impressed. I braised them, so I cooked them longer. But I support your resolution, and I try to do it, too, though it ends up being not that often. Plus, of course, I can't diminish my kale intake.

[Awake]

Amanda: I don't trust you for a minute - you're going to poison me!

Melissa: I don't remember your having mentioned this to me, so yes, perhaps it lodged deep in my subconscious. Very deep! I do think they're a little more effort than they're worth, maybe...