Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance

FAMILY HEIRLOOM RECIPES

Illinois State Fair

August 17, 2013

(Image by Catherine Lambrecht)

(Image by Catherine Lambrecht)

First Prize:

Spring Wild Greens

Kimberli Yount Goodner, Edwardsville, Illinois

One day, I invited my aunt’s over for lunch. I am in the military and finally got an assignment back home. I love my aunts and cherish my time spent with them. As we sat around eating, we talked about old recipes and the subject of the “greens” came up. Aunt Alma is the oldest. She explained, “Mom walked with me through the woods and taught me what weeds I could pick for greens to cook.” Yes, weeds. I was shocked. She explained that she picked dandelion greens, poke, lambs quarter, dock, blackberry and elder leaves, and plantain. “Young tender weeds are the best, more poke and dandelions, add the others as you want, maybe even a little more lambs quarter. It is best to pick in early spring as these are the tenderest. ” Yes, my aunt can be seen going through the neighborhood picking weeds. Did I mention my uncle has a nice pension & she can afford store bought food, but she still goes out and collects her Spring Wild Greens for herself and of course brings some to the reunions?

Fast forward to 2011, I am an Air Force Nurse and was deployed to the desert. I was overwhelmed by what was going on around me. I needed something to clear my head during my down time. I contacted my family and asked them to send me recipes and stories. I was going to make a family recipe book with all our beloved favorites. I received several and Aunt Alma sent me the Spring Wild Greens recipe. Being a nurse, I wanted to find out the benefits if any to these weeds. Well, my aunt’s didn’t reach their 80’s without help. It turns out they benefit the digestive tract, liver, skin, boosts immune system, reduce inflammation, help purge harmful toxins in the body, lower cholesterol, are high in Iron, calcium and vitamin C, stimulate circulation and much more.

When I returned home, Aunt Alma took me out and showed me what weeds to pick. Every spring since, she and I have shared the “Spring Wild Greens”. This past June at our family reunion, I gave each head of family a notebook with all our family recipes and stories. I shared the weeds story as my cousins looked on in amazement. But you know what dish was the first to be eaten? Yep, the weeds.

I credit these greens with not only benefiting my health but also with my emotions. You see, the weeds story was passed around during my deployment. It was something we all could laugh about during a hard time and I proudly shared the recipe. Now when I eat my greens, I fondly think of my Aunt Alma and of those nurses and medics I served with. “Spring Wild Greens, Good for the Body and Soul.”