David Huang

I got bindweed in a load of topsoil many years ago.  At this point I don't think it's even possible for me to get rid of it unless I did make it a full-time job to diligently pull every single shoot multiple times a day as they come up for weeks on end until the very hearty root systems are exhausted.  So in short it's here to stay for me unless someone knows of a magic solution.  If you've got it covering a 30 sq/ft area, Wiley, I have to wonder if you have it for good too.

I've only recently become resigned to this fact, but this new acceptance has me wondering what it's benefits are.  I would have to imagine it's doing something to benefit the soil, adding organic matter through its roots if nothing else.  Since it also produces tons of green leafy matter above ground I too have been wondering about reclassifying it in my head as an excellent chop and drop green mulch.  I've noticed that when it doesn't have other stiff stemmed plants to grow up it seems to intertwine with itself as if to combine all the weak vine stems to form a rigid enough trunk to reach up higher.  At this point it becomes easier to grab the mass there where they all intertwine and pull a bunch at once.  I know it has many negative aspects, but what are some positive things with bindweed?

Similar to your kale chips I've been making kale crackers, a thicker heartier version that uses many more greens.  While I haven't yet used nasturtiums or radish leaves in them I've used many other types of edible leaves with no failures yet.  I just recently did a blog about them:  https://theartisthomestead.com/a-stupendously-healthy-snack-cracker/

I also have been using large amount of kale and other greens in just about any dish I've been cooking.  One that I think will become a future blog post is vegan potstickers.  For the base mix of this I've been mincing up 8 oz of mushrooms, one of the large onions often sold individually by the pound (or an equivalent amount of bagged onions), some ground flax seeds, 1 to 1.5 inches of fresh ginger root finely minced, a tablespoon or so of miso paste, and then a bunch of finely chopped vegetables which is where the kale can come in along with many other greens or carrots, or cabbages, even asparagus.  This is all cooked up together to make the filling.  Then I get potsticker wrappers from the store and go from there.

I can't say that I'm actively working with a community of people on local food, but one of the things I've been focusing on even more this year is sourcing food from my property first, then the farmers markets second, and grocery stores and restaurants last.  I've been trying to share bits of this approach idea more widely via my blog, though I can't say I have a large readership there yet.

I suppose you could say I'm trying to promote the idea via example by doing it.  :)  

I'm a fan of common milkweed and daylilies.  French sorrel is a nice perennial vegetable as well.  I'm trying to get some cutleaf coneflower started which I understand can be good eating.  I'm also striving to get goji berry or wolf berry going.  This one has been fighting me even though I hear it's usually easy to grow.

I've been saving the dessicant packets too, Dave.  Thanks for the tip Megan.  I would never have thought to look at a hardware store with BBQ stuff.  :)  

Thanks Stacy!  That's a great tip.  Something I kinda knew but have never really put into practice and thus it became vague knowledge lingering forgotten in the dark reaches of my brain.  I need to try that out!

Sonja Draven wrote:Thanks, David!  These look tasty.  As Dan said, it's nice to have another wfpb person here.  :)  

P.S. Your art is gorgeous!

Thanks Sonja!  Nice to meet another wfpb person as well.  Knowing more of you will likely help me get into the groove of it better.  I don't struggle so much with meat cravings as I do with salt and processed food.

Yes, hunting down the right type trays can be a pain.  I seem to recall when I did I looked for the round ones for my brand of dehydrator, comparing prices from all the vendors before buying.  Then when I got them realized I hadn't paid enough attention to the exact model dehydrator I had.  The trays I ordered were for the same brand but different model, and were too large.  Doh!  So I had to do it all over again.

Jan White wrote:This is something I've been meaning to try for ages. The miso sounds like a tasty addition.

I used to drink a lot of carrot juice while doing a modified Gerson therapy. I made dehydrated crackers with the carrot pulp, adding flaxseed and thinly sliced onions. They were too oniony for me, but other people loved them.

Jan,

I was just thinking I should get some carrots the next time I'm at the store to try!  Carrots, flax seed, onion (or some dried wild leek bulbs I have), and miso paste sound like they could make a fantastic cracker.

Dave,

Thanks.  Years ago I did do a period of only raw food eating and remember there was a number for max temp. to dehydrate at.  105 degrees F.  Thanks for the reminder.  I probably should try a batch at or below that.  I suppose I tend to get impatient, which is kinda silly since so often they end up staying in the dehydrator running longer than needed just because I get too busy with other stuff to pack them all away.  I don't think my pallet is refined enough to taste any differences if I kept it to 95 degrees though.  

Nice point about the oxidation and vinegar too.  I hadn't considered that though I have used some lemon juice for flavor in the past too.  Bonus that they add good flavor and help with the oxidation.  Still even if they oxidized a lot the volume of greens in these just has to be healthy for a person, esp. anyone who might otherwise be eating a standard American diet!

I am quite excited about the range of possibilities this whole approach opens up.