Love Japanese Knotweed in every way

This week, we enjoyed a variety of dishes made with Japanese knotweed. We enjoyed it in appetizers, entrees and desserts and indulged in cooking with this wild vegetable since it’s almost out of season. I did make at least half of dozen of large jars of Knotweed jam for winter time and to use in baking, desserts and for sauces.
The tender shoots of Japanese Knotweed turn into tall, woody plants very fast and are become too tough to eat very fast. You can still, however, use young top leaves as green vegetables in soups, stews or stand- alone side dish. Highly invasive and prohibited plant in the US, it is highly regarded as vegetable and is cultivated in China and Japan. Here we have privilege to harvest it freely, relieving local ecosystems of this burden and saving cities thousands of taxpayers’ dollars in not having to eliminate the weed using expensive herbicides.
Harvest the vegetable, snapping its hollow stems where they break easily. Don’t use stems that already turn woody, they are too tough to chew.
Here are few recipes which I hope will inspire you to take advantage of the last weeks of tender, juicy Japanese knotweed, which when cooked, resembles rhubarb with hints of strawberry and kiwi.

japanese knotweed jam

Japanese knotweed Jam

6 cups chopped Knotweed stems
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water

Harvest large bunch of Japanese Knotweed, enough to make 6 cups of chopped stems, wash by immersing in water or under spray.
Cut in 1-inch chunks starting at the bottom of the stem, where there are less leaves. Save leafy tops for soups or as a sauté side dish.
Place 6 cups of stem chunks in a large pot, add 2 cups sugar, pinch of salt and 1/2 cup water.
Add some strawberry, kiwi or apple to add extra flavor (optional).
Cook for 20-30 minutes until shoots are very soft; the volume of vegetable will shrink about 40-50%. Upon cooking, the plant will taste more lemony and develop a very pleasant, exotic aroma.
Cool, place in blender to create a smooth jam or pastry filling, or leave it chunky as it is. Transfer to jars and label with date and name of your Jam.

japanese knotweed pie

Japanese Knotweed Pie

Pie crust
3 eggs
1cup sugar
1/2tsp salt
1 cup of olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup corn meal
1 cup wheat flower
½ tsp. baking soda
8-10 soaked, peeled almonds to garnish

Mix eggs, sugar, salt, olive oil, lemon juice and vanilla until smooth. Mix in cornmeal; add flower and baking soda to create dough that is firm enough to roll, yet soft to touch.
Roll a ½ inch thick crust cover from about ¾ of the dough. Cover the bottom of your baking pan with it, make sure there is enough dough to make raised edges. Spread Japanese Knotweed jam on top, about 1/3 inch thick. Make strips from the remaining dough and cover the pie with them, crisscross to create that classical pie design.
Bake at 300F until pie top turns golden, for about 45 minutes.

japanese knotweed turnover

Japanese Knotweed Turnovers

Use the recipe for pie crust or use fluffy phillo dough.
Roll ¼ inch thick, cut into squares or circles. Place Knotweed jam on one side, flap over with another and press edges firmly to close up the pastry. Make a dozen of those, place on a backing sheet and bake at 300F for 40 min or until golden brown. They make a healthy delicious breakfast pastry, snack or a dessert.

Japanese knotweed Lemonade

I had extra syrup left over from making Knotweed Jam. The syrup has such a wonderful, fragrant and exotic taste and smell, I decided to turn it into a delicious drink- better than those you can buy in supermarket. Mix ½ cup Japanese Knotweed syrup with 1 gallon drinking water and 3 tbsp. lime or lemon juice. Place in a glass jar and refrigerate. It is high in antioxidants.

shark with japanese knotweed

Shark with Japanese Knotweed.

I enjoy being part of GabeTheFishBabe Fish club. I love her frozen shark filets that are a product of sustainable catch industry and also are very fairly priced.
I toss shark filets in mixture of flour, salt and oregano and throw it on the skillet with some olive oil. Just before they are done, it takes about 5 min, I through in chopped Knotweed leaves and top stems. As the vegetable cook, its color changes from bright green into a pale green and the pleasant acidic flavor is released.
The lemony flavor of this vegetable accompanies fish in a very succulent way and I encourage you to try it.

I feel very good about eating Invasive weeds. In the case of the Japanese Knotweed, a wild vegetable high in antioxidant Resveratrol, also found in red wine, I feel younger, healthier and more delicious with every bite.
For more info about a variety of edible invasive weeds, visit http://www.FoodUnderYourFeet.com
We ate the planet out of balance; we can eat the planet back to balance.

“Plumpy Jumbo” handmade pasta with Japanese Knotweed

japanese knotweed pasta

Ingredients:
Flour and water for pasta
Bunch of Japanese Knotweed
Sesame oil, garlic, soy sauce or salt, chili peppers

As I was harvesting Knotweed for dinner, my 8 years boy Alec decided to make pasta from scratch to aid the vegetable dish.
According to Alec, he mixed a cup or two of flour with some water and threaded it till smooth, elastic dough was formed. Then he pinched small pieces from the dough ball and rolled them between his palms to make short fat worms. He made many of them –enough for four or five people.
When I came back from my foraging trip across the street, we boiled some water with pinch of salt and placed the pasta, which he named “Plumpy Jumbo”, in the boiling water to cook. The pasta was ready in about 10 min. While it was cooking, I chopped and sautéed some of my wild harvested Knotweed with soy sauce, sesame seed oil and garlic. The recipe was begging for Chili peppers, but I skipped this wonderful ingredient for the sake of children.
Japanese Knotweed has beautiful fresh lemony flavor that resembles rhubarb, yet more subtle, and with a hint of strawberry, as it seemed to me. The hollow stems give an interesting texture and appearance to the dish. I mixed the vegetables and pasta together and garnished the dish with a dash of paprika and freshly picked Chick weed.
We all enjoyed a delightful dinner and gave some to our neighbor and community gardener Bob, who spent decades fighting the weed. He loved it too.
We don’t just spread the word, we spread the food.

There are many more dishes can be made with young Japanese Knotweed. Remember, its edible stage is short, so use it while its shoots are still tender. It can be used in jams- mixed with other fruit like strawberry or apples; it is great in pies, cobblers or in sauces like chutney. Use its acidic flavor to garnish pork, fish or duck dishes. Like with using all wild vegetables in your cooking, your limitless imagination is the key factor in creating original and unforgettable dishes.

Knock, Knock! Who is there? Japanese Knotweed!

japanese knotweed edible, invasive weed

Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidalum), one of the most aggressive invasive weeds from eastern Asia, was introduced to the United States as an ornamental and now randomly pops up in the most unexpected places. The plant is an herbaceous perennial from Buckwheat (Polygonaceae) family. It has hollow stems with distinct raised nodes similar to bamboo. The plant can grow 3–4 meter tall. The leaves are broad oval with a truncated base, 7–14 cm long and 5–12 cm broad, with an entire margin. The small cream or white flowers are clustered on racemes 6–15 cm long in late summer. The plant is extremely difficult to eradicate- it survives wide range of conditions. Its rhizomes can survive temperatures of −35 °C (−31 °F) and can extend 7 meters horizontally and 3 meters deep. Established populations are extremely persistent and pose a significant threat to riparian areas.
Food: Young shoots of Japanese knotweed are plump and juicy with reddish-colored sheath and triangular leaves and are delicious edible treat. Young plant tastes like sorrel, the shoots are high in antioxidant Resveratrol, which helps to lower bad cholesterol and prevent heart attacks. The plant is an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, the antioxidant flavonoid Rutin, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, and manganese. (Brill) It’s close relative, Giant Knotweed, is a lager variety, and is also edible. No poisonous lookalikes has been reported.
Medicine: In traditional Chinese medicine, it is known as Huzhang or “tiger stick.” As a concentrated source of resveratrol, the plant has anticancer, anti-inflammatory, blood sugar-lowering and other beneficial cardiovascular effects. (Elliott P.J.) Resveratrol may delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease or slow its progression. Also, it activates sirtuin genes, which increase cell longevity the same way a calorie-restricted diet does. (Brill)
The roots of Japanese knotweed are used in traditional Chinese and Japanese herbal medicines as a natural laxative. The active ingredient responsible for the laxative effect is emodin, effective in doses of 20 to 50 mg per day.

Sources: For current distribution map visit http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=pocu6
“Micronutrient Information Center: Resveratrol”. Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University.

The Deadnettle is resurrected! We did celebrate it.

Henbit Deadnettle (Lamium amplexicaule) is here! The whole weed is good to eat, join the party!
It is a an annual plant to 10-25 cm tall, with soft, finely hairy stems. The leaves are opposite, rounded, 2-3 cm diameter, with a lobed margin. The flowers are pink to purple, 1.5-2 cm long. You can also find it’s close relative, Lamium purpureum, known as purple dead nettle, so called for its purple top leaves. Both plants belong to Mint family, Lamiaceae. The family is distinguished by the square stalks and the opposite leaves of its representatives. The plants are not related to nettles, and are called “deadnettles” because their lack of stinging action.

Food: Deadnettles are not aromatic, like many mints, yet edible raw or cooked and very nutritious. The leaves, stem, and flowers of the plant are edible and are faintly reminiscent of spinach, when cooked. Raw, it is wonderful in salads, pesto and smoothies. Dead-nettle’s reported to be highly nutritious, abundant in iron, vitamins, and fiber.

Medicine: According to “Medicinal Plants in Folk Tradition: An Ethnobotany of Britain & Ireland” by David E. Allen and Gabrielle Hatfield, in England, purple dead nettle was traditionally used as an infusion in wine for constipation, while in parts of Ireland it’s used for headaches and the rash associated with measles. In old European medicine, purple archangel was associated with the spleen and applied as compresses to treat melancholy.
The bruised leaves can be applied to external cuts and wounds to stop bleeding and aid in healing.The essential oil of Henbit is characterized by its high contents of germacrene D (Flamini). Germacrenes are a class of volatile organic hydrocarbons, and are typically produced in a number of plant species for their antimicrobial and insecticidal properties.

Sources:
Composition of the essential oils and in vivo emission of volatiles of four Lamium species from Italy: L. purpureum, L. hybridum, L. bifidum and L. amplexicaule. Guido Flamini, Pier Luigi Cioni and Ivano Morelli, Food Chemistry, June 2005, Volume 91, Issue 1, Pages 63–68.

http://eatingmymoccasinsnow.blogspot.com/2009/02/dead-nettle-lamium-purpureum.html

Shark Egg Scones with Cheddar

shark eggs scones

shark eggs

There are usually 3-5 large eggs can be found inside a Dog Fish (shark), when you buy it whole, instead of filet. The eggs are essentially yolks, slightly larger than chicken egg yolk, and , as we mentioned in our earlier posts, is a very nutritious food. Please do not discard. They can be used in variety of methods, and definitely can substitute chicken eggs in recipes. From omelets to pastries, shark eggs will add unique, exotic flavor to your ordinary egg dishes.

Shark Egg Scones with Cheddar Recipe
Ingredients:
4 shark eggs
1 cup milk
½ cup sugar
Pinch salt
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup grated cheddar
1/2 tsp orange rind, finely grated
1 tbsp. lemon juice
3 cups flower
½ tsp baking soda

Mix all liquid ingredients well, add cheddar, salt, sugar and orange rind. Add flower and baking soda, mix to create thick batter. Place on backing sheet and bake at 350F till golden.
It is delicious, kids loved it too!

PERMAPONICS BOOT CAMP

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Business Development & Job Skills Training Camp
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Learn LIFE SKILLS and how to make a sustainable living!
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Wild Harvesting / Foraging
Food Forestry
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Mushroom Farming
Black Soldier Fly Larvae Production
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Passive & Active Solar, and alternative energy sources
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Retail direct Fish, Shellfish & other farm products
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Cooking with wild plants
Chocolate production
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Social Circus
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Lots of hard work & fun.
Shared Community Housing (730 Noble Ave, Bpt, CT)
Community Meals in Shared Kitchen
Commuter Options & Financial Aid available
Transportation Expenses (from Bridgeport, CT)
Special Tools & Equipment
Electronic Copies of printable course material
Free Wi-Fi access
The opportunity to continue to do even more hard work, to help us build better community, and improve parts of the planet in need of a nutrition intervention!

Normally this training is offered for $375.00/day, including shared room, all meals and tuition etc.
During our primary building stage we are offering early movers the opportunity to apply to become one of the few that will help manifest this much needed program into full existence, and pay only $100/day, plus expenses: $50/night shared room and $25/day meals.
We have 2, 4 & 6 week & 1-2 day only training camps. The inaugural Camp will commence March 1st, 2013.
4 & 6 week training camps offer a Fish & Seafood Processing & Distribution excursion to Pt. Judith, RI
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Love and Kisses with Fishes!

AdeviAphrodisiac Chocolate Gold Fish

Happy Valentines Day to GABE THE FISH BABE’s FISH CLUB!
Happy Valentines Day from all of us to all of you with our love and fishes.

Made with Rainforest Alliance Certified single origin chocolate from Ecuador, this different kind of Fish is infused with potent Aphrodisiac Herbs like Yohinbe and Maka. ( You can read more about this Aphrodisiac herbs at http://www.adevichocolates.com/aphrodisiac-herbs.html )
These chocolates are flavored with a drop of organic Orange oil and a hint of Cayenne pepper, which combination results in rich, exiting flavor. Dash of cocoa nibs, the crunchy bits of crumbled raw cocoa bean, adds an interesting body to the smooth 56% chocolate and sends a wave of antioxidant power throughout your system. Finally, the chocolates are brushed with edible 24K Gold dust for extra luxurious look.

ADEVI Aphrodisiac chocolate Fishes

This Valentines treat is dedicated to You and the celebration of Love, and is a result of collaboration between ADEVI Aphrodisiac Chocolates of VIFarms.com and GabeTheFishBabe.com, whose goal is to bring the best sustainable foods to all people.
And, this is our special way to say “thank you” for your continuous support!
http://www.AphrodisiacChocolates.com
http://www.GabeTheFishBabe.com
http://www.VIFarms.com