Sunday, July 06, 2008

Eating marsh greens

I arrived back from the Not Since Moses race exhausted and exhilarated this evening. Got lots of video footage, which I'll post within the next few days. On the way back from the race, I picked up some marsh greens for dinner. Marsh greens definitely qualify as 'weird stuff we eat' around the Bay of Fundy. They're hand picked from Bay of Fundy salt marshes (we've got plenty of salt marshes: see my post earlier this week about dyked farmland).

I snapped this photo of them raw & rooty on my patio. Remove the roots then steam or boil just like any other green (fiddleheads, kale, beet greens, etc.) and top with butter or vinegar. Should restore my energy for sorting through my voluminous photos and video tomorrow!!

11 comments:

Gwen Buchanan said...

Hi Terri, would I ever love to taste these... We live near a salt marsh but I don't really know what to look for ..

How do I identify them? do I pick them before they are a certain size ?

Terri said...

Hi Gwen - these greens are also known by the Acadians as Goose Tongue greens. If you google that you will find some photos & descriptions of where to look for them and how to harvest them.
Good luck!
Terri

Anonymous said...

You're kidding, right?

You don't really eat that, LOL!

All my life around here and I've never heard of anyone eating marsh greens.

I'll have to ask around.

Terri said...

sure, ask away! if you aren't eating them, you should be - they're awesome!

Anonymous said...

It's nice to see that some people continue to harvest nature's bounty. One comment, though, is that you should try to avoid pulling the roots or as it takes a long time for the plant to return. Instead, pinch off the largest leaves and leave the smaller ones to grow and to sustain the plant to provide for many years to come.

Happy picking!!!

Anonymous said...

It's nice to see that some people continue to harvest nature's bounty. One comment, though, is that you should try to avoid pulling the roots or as it takes a long time for the plant to return. Instead, pinch off the largest leaves and leave the smaller ones to grow and to sustain the plant to provide for many years to come.

Happy picking!!!

Ruth said...

I have eaten these greens and they are very tasty.
Please do not pull up the roots, instead leave some of the old "leaves" for the plant to regenerate. This way you help to ensure that there will be some for next year and future generations.
Ruth from Truro NS

Ian McMaster said...

We just ate our first feed of marsh greens, bought at the Masstown Market near the Minas Basin. We brought them home to our little summer home in Minasville on the other side of the Basin, boiled them for a few minutes, and they were great! I'll look for them in the mud flats at the bottom of our lane, and behind the Acadian dykes in Noel -- hope we find some!

mexicowilkie said...

My late mother, a Fulton from Bass River, introduced me to "Marsh Greens" early in life. I can confirm that they are delicious but we only harvested them in the spring of the year. If someone can confirm for me, I would be pleased to go back out to the mud flats.
Brian

Terri said...

yes they are harvested in late Spring and early summer, still around in July

Anonymous said...

I am trying to find information about a salty marsh green called crow's feet but have been unable to do so. Anyone have info on this one?