Off the deep end

Digging up the root of a plant and eating it is not necessarily a crazy thing to do, need I point out our friends the carrot, or beet. However, today I embarked on a journey we'd like to keep on the down low, at least with regards to our community on the Great Plains.









Today, after destroying hundreds of Burdock plants on the edge of our woods (they're noxious weeds after all) P decided it was time for a new approach. Perhaps led by a quote from his youth, "If you can't beat 'em join 'em" or one from graduate school, "To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy" he decided to eat burdock, and tricked his wife into doing the same.






You have to understand that around here: people. don't. do. that. Yes, we eat, even things from the ground. But we don't eat random stuff. Stuff branded as noxious weeds. Stuff with weird, claimed medicinal or therapeutic attributes. We kill weeds. We grow corn and soybeans and eat things from the grocery store like God intended and the market demands. Thus, we're keeping this on the down low for the time being.

P labored digging out the root, scrubbed it very vigorously (with stainless steel wool), chopped it and included it in a meal of roasted root vegetables with baked walleye and a fresh green salad. The outcome was, well, underwhelming. The root tasted fine, but was too woody and tough. Not exactly a fine dining delicacy.  Lord knows, we've got plenty more juvenile Burdock plants to retry with, but this experiment ended with very nutritious and buttery burdock root tossed on the compost pile.  Oh well, just some sweat, time and enthusiasm lost.

We went toe to toe with South Dakota sensibility and we lost. Lesson learned.