Читать книгу The Scout's Guide to Wild Edibles. Learn How To Forage, Prepare & Eat 40 Wild Foods онлайн

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Burdock leaf rosette in early May.

EDIBLE PARTS & PREPARATION:

My favorite way to eat burdock is to peel the tender, non-woody sections of the taproot, cut up into matchsticksized pieces and do a stir-fry with carrots. This is a Japanese side dish known as kinpira gobo. Gobo is Japanese for burdock. The company-pleasing recipe is on page 132.

WHEN TO HARVEST:

While the taproot from burdock that hasn’t yet sent up a flowering stalk can be dug at any time, it will be at its largest in the fall and at its sweetest in early spring.

SUSTAINABLE HARVESTING:

Taking the taproot kills this often despised weed. If you wish to grow more in your own garden, use the seeds found inside a dried bur.

PRESERVING THE HARVEST:

Burdock roots can be kept cool in barely damp soil, and retrieved for use during the winter. If you have a chance to shop at an Asian market in a large city, you may be able to buy refrigerated packages of gobo.

Burdock’s burs are seedpods that hitchhike on mammals to new locations. When the mammal tries to scratch or rub them off, the burs break apart, releasing the seeds. The burs are difficult to remove from dog fur, and vexing when stuck in a sweater. Pull on a piece and the rest remains behind. It seems to take forever to remove it all.