Dandelions

Foraging for greens is an important part of the Italian cultural heritage.  Greens, although deficient in calories, have a superabundance of vitamins and minerals that make them an excellent compliment to the starchy foods that provide the backbone of 'starvation' diets.

There are many stories, some as recent as the chaotic period following WWII where families fanned out across yards, fields, roadsides, athletic fields and harvested greens.  Dandelions, chicory, lambsquarters, winter cress, amaranth...the list is nearly endless.

Picture courtesy of Johnny's Select Seeds

This link celebrates the heritage:
http://www.italiangardenproject.org/foraging-dandelions.html

Foraging remains a common practice in Italy, and Italians take their foraging seriously.  Last August, when I was visiting my friend Gianna in the town of Roccasecca in Lazio, we went looking for blackberries in the mountains behind the village.  Her basket was filling much faster than mine and I felt a bit pressured to pick up the pace and stop popping the plump little berries into my mouth every few minutes.
The timing of forging forays in Italy is often marked by special days on the calendar.  During a previous visit that fell during the feast of San Giovanni Battista (St. John the Baptist) on June 24^th,  Gianna and I and many of the woman in the village headed to various parts of the surrounding mountainsides to find the unripe walnuts that would be used to make nocino, a liqueur made by steeping the green husks in grain alcohol.  Over the years I’ve seen Italians forage for wild asparagus, anise seed, truffles, snails and all sorts of nuts and fruits
- See more at: http://www.italiangardenproject.org/foraging-dandelions.html#sthash.njAgHXWu.dpuf

Foraging remains a common practice in Italy, and Italians take their foraging seriously.  Last August, when I was visiting my friend Gianna in the town of Roccasecca in Lazio, we went looking for blackberries in the mountains behind the village.  Her basket was filling much faster than mine and I felt a bit pressured to pick up the pace and stop popping the plump little berries into my mouth every few minutes.

The timing of forging forays in Italy is often marked by special days on the calendar.  During a previous visit that fell during the feast of San Giovanni Battista (St. John the Baptist) on June 24^th,  Gianna and I and many of the woman in the village headed to various parts of the surrounding mountainsides to find the unripe walnuts that would be used to make nocino, a liqueur made by steeping the green husks in grain alcohol.  Over the years I’ve seen Italians forage for wild asparagus, anise seed, truffles, snails and all sorts of nuts and fruits
- See more at: http://www.italiangardenproject.org/foraging-dandelions.html#sthash.njAgHXWu.dpuf

This link reminds one of anthill in the Book of Merlin, "Everything that is not mandatory is prohibited."
Elderly pensioner fined $75 for weeding lawn

"The ants go marching...."  The beautiful thing about marching orders, to some minds, is that those orders absolve them of ever having to think..

Most agree, dandelions are a notorious weed. But some recognize that dandelion greens can contribute to a tasty and nutritious meal.

Among the fans of the food is John Taris, a 75-year-old retiree who lives in the Chicago area with his wife on a $1,500-a-month social security payment. When the couple's food supply was a bit low recently, he volunteered to go pick some to provide a vegetable, writes columnist John Kass in the Chicago Tribune (sub. req.).

But, caught in the act of picking the weeds by a Cook County Forest Preserve cop, he was issued a $75 ticket. His court date is July 9.

I wonder if there are still any Italian-Americans in Cook County, Illinois.

Foraging remains a common practice in Italy, and Italians take their foraging seriously.  Last August, when I was visiting my friend Gianna in the town of Roccasecca in Lazio, we went looking for blackberries in the mountains behind the village.  Her basket was filling much faster than mine and I felt a bit pressured to pick up the pace and stop popping the plump little berries into my mouth every few minutes.
The timing of forging forays in Italy is often marked by special days on the calendar.  During a previous visit that fell during the feast of San Giovanni Battista (St. John the Baptist) on June 24^th,  Gianna and I and many of the woman in the village headed to various parts of the surrounding mountainsides to find the unripe walnuts that would be used to make nocino, a liqueur made by steeping the green husks in grain alcohol.  Over the years I’ve seen Italians forage for wild asparagus, anise seed, truffles, snails and all sorts of nuts and fruits.
When the immigrants arrived in America and saw the abundance of dandelions, they weren’t going to let all that free food go to waste.  Dandelion hunting became a rite of spring and fresh dandelion salads graced the tables of many immigrant families.  My family ate its share of dandelion greens, both raw and cooked.  When Easter fell late in the spring, my grandmother's pizza stuffed with the cooked greens was my favorite among the many pizzas she made on Easter Saturday.
- See more at: http://www.italiangardenproject.org/foraging-dandelions.html#sthash.if8mLxyy.dpuf

Foraging remains a common practice in Italy, and Italians take their foraging seriously.  Last August, when I was visiting my friend Gianna in the town of Roccasecca in Lazio, we went looking for blackberries in the mountains behind the village.  Her basket was filling much faster than mine and I felt a bit pressured to pick up the pace and stop popping the plump little berries into my mouth every few minutes.
The timing of forging forays in Italy is often marked by special days on the calendar.  During a previous visit that fell during the feast of San Giovanni Battista (St. John the Baptist) on June 24^th,  Gianna and I and many of the woman in the village headed to various parts of the surrounding mountainsides to find the unripe walnuts that would be used to make nocino, a liqueur made by steeping the green husks in grain alcohol.  Over the years I’ve seen Italians forage for wild asparagus, anise seed, truffles, snails and all sorts of nuts and fruits.
When the immigrants arrived in America and saw the abundance of dandelions, they weren’t going to let all that free food go to waste.  Dandelion hunting became a rite of spring and fresh dandelion salads graced the tables of many immigrant families.  My family ate its share of dandelion greens, both raw and cooked.  When Easter fell late in the spring, my grandmother's pizza stuffed with the cooked greens was my favorite among the many pizzas she made on Easter Saturday.
- See more at: http://www.italiangardenproject.org/foraging-dandelions.html#sthash.if8mLxyy.dpuf

Foraging remains a common practice in Italy, and Italians take their foraging seriously.  Last August, when I was visiting my friend Gianna in the town of Roccasecca in Lazio, we went looking for blackberries in the mountains behind the village.  Her basket was filling much faster than mine and I felt a bit pressured to pick up the pace and stop popping the plump little berries into my mouth every few minutes.
The timing of forging forays in Italy is often marked by special days on the calendar.  During a previous visit that fell during the feast of San Giovanni Battista (St. John the Baptist) on June 24^th,  Gianna and I and many of the woman in the village headed to various parts of the surrounding mountainsides to find the unripe walnuts that would be used to make nocino, a liqueur made by steeping the green husks in grain alcohol.  Over the years I’ve seen Italians forage for wild asparagus, anise seed, truffles, snails and all sorts of nuts and fruits.
When the immigrants arrived in America and saw the abundance of dandelions, they weren’t going to let all that free food go to waste.  Dandelion hunting became a rite of spring and fresh dandelion salads graced the tables of many immigrant families.  My family ate its share of dandelion greens, both raw and cooked.  When Easter fell late in the spring, my grandmother's pizza stuffed with the cooked greens was my favorite among the many pizzas she made on Easter Saturday.
- See more at: http://www.italiangardenproject.org/foraging-dandelions.html#sthash.if8mLxyy.dpuf

Foraging remains a common practice in Italy, and Italians take their foraging seriously.  Last August, when I was visiting my friend Gianna in the town of Roccasecca in Lazio, we went looking for blackberries in the mountains behind the village.  Her basket was filling much faster than mine and I felt a bit pressured to pick up the pace and stop popping the plump little berries into my mouth every few minutes.
The timing of forging forays in Italy is often marked by special days on the calendar.  During a previous visit that fell during the feast of San Giovanni Battista (St. John the Baptist) on June 24^th,  Gianna and I and many of the woman in the village headed to various parts of the surrounding mountainsides to find the unripe walnuts that would be used to make nocino, a liqueur made by steeping the green husks in grain alcohol.  Over the years I’ve seen Italians forage for wild asparagus, anise seed, truffles, snails and all sorts of nuts and fruits.
When the immigrants arrived in America and saw the abundance of dandelions, they weren’t going to let all that free food go to waste.  Dandelion hunting became a rite of spring and fresh dandelion salads graced the tables of many immigrant families.  My family ate its share of dandelion greens, both raw and cooked.  When Easter fell late in the spring, my grandmother's pizza stuffed with the cooked greens was my favorite among the many pizzas she made on Easter Saturday.
- See more at: http://www.italiangardenproject.org/foraging-dandelions.html#sthash.if8mLxyy.dpuf