That being said, I've spent the last four days waiting hopelessly on the beach for the surf smelt to run and had no such luck. Fortunately plants don't typically have an ocean to hide in, so at least I was able to bring something to the table.
All of the following plants were picked within 10 minutes of my Mom's house and none were cultivated. Most came from the top of Old San Pedro Mountain Road, one of our favorite hiking trails, but many of these plants are pulled from home gardens as weeds.
This is the borage flower (Borago officinalis), a local wild edible that lends a brilliant splash of color to any salad. Notice the many tiny hairs on the leaves and stem (a high degree of pubescence a botanist might quip). These hairs can really irritate the mouth and throat so be sure to pick only the flowers.
This is Miner's lettuce (Montia perfoliata), a crispy, succulent green that looks a bit like a little lilly pad with a texture like spinach. It grows in moist, shady areas, especially near creeks and springs, thus it's high water content. It's juicy, crunchy, and cool, a perfect fresh trail snack on a hot day. Note that early in the season most of the young leaves will be more spade like and the small white flowers may not be developed yet.
Wild Radish (Raphanus raphanistrum) is equally as beautiful as it is flavorful. The young flowers and stems add color and a mild radishy spice to our salad. It grows EVERYWHERE in coastal california, give it a try.
Wild Onion (Allium spp.) has a very potent onion smell if you've ever crush it under your feet. The flowers and a bit of the stem is all you'll need or you may risk over powering your greens. We have not experimented with using the bulb yet, but I've heard of many people using the alpine species while back packing. It grows widespread from high sierra to coastal gutter. Walk the streets of Montara and rub a few of the leaves, you'll know when you've found it.
This is the newest member of known edibles we've added to our list this season, welcome to the table Stellaria media.
It's a mild green rich in iron and zinc, in fact it was more than any of the top 10 commercially produced greens. During the spring season it can be found in great aboundance as my mom happily displays. One of the distinguishing characteristics is its single lined "mohawk" that runs down its stem.
Unfortunately, chickweed does have a poisonous look-alike that can grow amongst it. I found this Scarlet Pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis) growing about 50 feet down-trail from the patch of chickweed we harvested. However, the bright red flower (as apposed to chickweed's white), square stem, and lack of any obvious hairs gives it away.
After our nice sunset walk/foray, mom and I cleaned the greens, mixed the salad, and ate with the company of a baked chicken. Final verdict: Delicious! The salad was entirely wild and had no bitterness or off-putting qualities. The greens were crisp and mild and the flowers were a tender bouquet of simple flavors. The entire gathering process took about 30 minutes, less time than it would have taken to go to the store, and the freshness was unparalleled. Wild foods often contain far higher concentrations of essential minerals and nutrients than their domesticated counterparts, and nobody does organic better than mother nature. Pick some up today at your local corner!
NOTE: For the record, I have never masturbated on chat roulette nor in any other public forum, internet or otherwise.
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