Jul 04 2009
The Odd Things We Eat
I swore that I would not feed the birds this year. They are absolute pigs! I went through so much bird seed last year that I could have bought a, um, I can’t think what I would have bought with that money but it would have been something nice. Besides the expense of buying birdseed, there is the poop left all over the ground and the random sprouting of weeds like thistle in my yard. The guy at the hardware swore that the seed he sold me did not contain the kind of seed that would result in thistle growing in my plants, under the evergreen trees and everywhere else. He was wrong. We have an abundance of thistle.
Did you know that thistle is an edible plant? My husband was watching the Food Channel and caught a segment hosted by that crazy guy who goes to villages and finds the residents eating the weirdest things. He told of a place where the folks make thistle soup. I did some Internet research and found that people here in the US eat thistle too. They cut the stalk, remove all leaves and buds, and then peel the medium green outer layer off. Inside will be a pale green hollow stalk that tastes fresh, cool and crisp. Somewhat like celery. You can eat them plain, with salt and pepper, with vinegar, with peanut butter, or in a salad! Not me.
