Burdock Actually Realy Good!

I have known of the edibility of gobo or burs for years but I just dismised it as one of thoughs things that people say is edible but realy isn't food. Untill yesterday when I decided to taste them. I ended up eating about a pound and I had no side effects. I'm going to make it a staple food whenever I'm in Canada.

I found what I think is "broad-leaved dock" or a close relative in the alley behind my house.  I dug up some and transferred it to my backyard and the chickens loved it.  Probably too much for it to survive unless I spread a bunch of seeds.

You ate the immature burs? I knew you could eat the root, leaf, and flower stock but not the burs.

I ate the root. the leaf of the plant im talking about is so full of tanic acid that eating one bite would probably give you the runs. Chickens don't eat the leaves either.
I also tried thistle and dock root the dock was woody and not palitable but the thistle was good though small. (look for big plants).

When hunting for burdock there are three sizes of roots 1st 2nd and 3rd year of growth. You want to look for the second year roots about 1/2" to 1&1/4" in diamiter

I have trouble with the inulin in burdock root when we eat it in stir frys etc.

HOWEVER, there is the most incredibly delicious solution to that:

Peel the roots, cut into rounds about an inch high, place in covered baking dish with say a cup of water (depends on size of baking dish, not too much - just enough so they don't burn). Then bake on a low temperature for about 36 hours until ready. We use the warming oven of our wood fire stove (I don't know what temp that is). Check periodically, if the water has evaporated then add more water so the don't burn. You should probably add a bit extra water overnight. They'll be ready when they are dark brown (close to black) right through. This could take anything from 24 hours to 48 hours depending on temp.

Most of the inulin is converted to fructose by this process.

The best way to eat these rounds is to refrigerate them then have single round covered in cream. It tastes so much like Christmas pudding, or even chocolate cake, you won't believe it. A little goes a long way - only have a single round with cream at a time and eat with a small spoon, just breaking off a bit at a time with the spoon. This is the most delicious thing we eat - a real treat!

Bob Carder wrote:
I have trouble with the inulin in burdock root when we eat it in stir frys etc.

HOWEVER, there is the most incredibly delicious solution to that:

Peel the roots, cut into rounds about an inch high, place in covered baking dish with say a cup of water (depends on size of baking dish, not too much - just enough so they don't burn). Then bake on a low temperature for about 36 hours until ready. We use the warming oven of our wood fire stove (I don't know what temp that is). Check periodically, if the water has evaporated then add more water so the don't burn. You should probably add a bit extra water overnight. They'll be ready when they are dark brown (close to black) right through. This could take anything from 24 hours to 48 hours depending on temp.

Most of the inulin is converted to fructose by this process.

The best way to eat these rounds is to refrigerate them then have single round covered in cream. It tastes so much like Christmas pudding, or even chocolate cake, you won't believe it. A little goes a long way - only have a single round with cream at a time and eat with a small spoon, just breaking off a bit at a time with the spoon. This is the most delicious thing we eat - a real treat!

hm i dont know much about it but i was under the impression that inulin is a good thing?

I have a few patches of gobo burdock that maintain their own on my huggelculture.Easy to pull out too.Top 5 survival foods over here.

boddah wrote:

hm i dont know much about it but i was under the impression that inulin is a good thing?

Nothing wrong with it if you can handle it. It's not a digestible carb so its good for diabetics. It causes gas in most people, but for me it is painfully so.

I use the young burdock leaves and make an infused oil.  It's used for chapped skin, rashes, eczema etc.  It's a good all purpose oil that I use in my chapped hands salve. 

My chickens do eat the leaves, but only the very young ones.  Once they get bigger than my hand they leave it be. 

I taught English in Japan in the early '90's, and my hands down favorite new food was something that I kept ordering at my friend's bar/restaurant while having no idea what it was. Of course it was burdock. It was a modern variant on Kinpira Gobo, a classic dish with burdock and carrots. This was julienned burdock, simmered briefly, drained, rinsed cold, then combined with grated raw carrot and dressed with mayonnaise and sesame seeds. I often add a little grated daikon too, or jicama. IT IS SO TASTY!!! The trick with prepping the burdock is slice it diagonally into long ovals, as thin as you can. A mandoline would be great for this. Then stack the ovals, and cut them the long way into strips. Add them to a bowl of water as you chop, to keep them from discoloring. Bring some water to a boil and simmer for just 3 minutes, maybe longer if you are using tough old burdock. Drain, rinse, etc. You can probably use any old salad dressing you like on it but it's really good if you use home made mayonnaise with lemon juice and awesome egg yolks. Thanks for the info on growing, I'm going to try an above ground bed with some fencing.

According to Juliette de Bairacli Levy in her book "The complete Herbal Handbook For Farm And Stable":

Animals will not graze this herb, with the exception of the ass; but the sliced and bruised roots are one of the finest blood cleansers known to the herbalist. The bruised leaves, applied externally, are a remedy for ringworm and scabies. The fruits and roots make an excellent lotion for treatment of burns.