Cream of wild foraged food soup

I made the most WONDERFUL soup last night.  A combination of several ideas that just ended up being really nice together.  I was reading up on dandelions  because I really wanted to try making jelly while the blossoms are so nice.  I had read a short article about pickling new buds and creating a wild form of the commercial caper.  The buds would be the new spring growth after the leaves are up, but before the flower grows out.  Like this:

See how the buds are still at ground level?  They are very tightly bound and really nice for pickling.  I was also happy because using these as opposed to the crown is a lot less dirty.  The crown really offers a nice morsel, but unfortunately there is virtually no way to get all the dirt out.  Something I just cant handle in my mouth no matter how minimal.  These are dirt free and just as plentiful.  I picked about 2 cups for my first try.  

After that, to my pleasant surprise, I checked on my asparagus that I have been nurturing for 3 years.  This would be the first year that I am allowed to harvest.  I ended up with a beautiful bundle of about 8 stalks--YAY!

Lastly, I saw that my old fashioned day lilies were up and decided to dig up a few tubers.  They are similar to a potato, but look like a pearl onion.  If you've never had them before, work your way into them.  While harmless, I have run into a little gastric upset when someone is new to a wild food and gorge themselves.  I picked about 2 cups of these.  In case you are wondering, these are the OLD FASHIONED day lilies found feral on the sides of the roads and old homesteads, NOT the ornamental day lilies you buy at the garden center.  When in doubt, look at the roots.  They look like pearl onions. 

  Those that are close to me are saying, "But Jess, aren't you doing the Paleo thing?  They don't eat tubers!"  Yeah.  your right, but I'm no purist when I don't see a reason to be pure.  Why would a Paleolithic person not eat a tuber or a grain?  I would.  Someone had to.  Nutritionally perfect in every way and free.  

Mine.  Num.  

Anyway, I grabbed up some nice dandelion greens ( a good stiff handful  to go with the rest of my treasures and went inside to make a soup.  

I had some chicken breast in the freezer and put them in a pot (frozen) with about 8 cups of water, 2 good tablespoons of chicken base, about 10 whole peppercorns and about 7 or 8 whole cloves and about 3 bay leaves.   I brought all this to a boil to cook the chicken through.  When the chicken was white through, I removed the pieces from the water and placed them on a plate off to the side.  I skimmed the foam from the top of the water and then drained the stock through a clean cotton dish towel to remove the cloves and peppercorns.  I washed up my dandelion leaves, buds, and day lily tubers and trimmed any dirt or unappetizing bits.  I put the trimmed tubers directly in the water whole.  I chopped the leaves up and added those to the water, then the buds and finally I chopped up my asparagus and added that in.  For color, I chopped up some carrot and added some peas as well as some celery and chopped onions.  While this all simmered in the stock, I cut up my chicken breasts and added those back in as well.  

Lastly, I added 3 small cans of cream of chicken soup.  If you really want to be a Betty, you can make your own cream base, but I have a life outside of foraging.  3 cans of soup.  

Your thinking, whoa  this is a huge pot of soup right now.  Yes it is.  But a very good rule of thumb when frugal living with a larger family, its always good practice to make a meal double.  Half for supper now, half to freeze for later.  If you do this every time you cook a meal, you will have a lovely stockpile or prepared suppers that can be just heated and served up on a day you simply don't feel like making an effort.   

While the soup simmered merrily on the stove, I went to the freezer and pulled out 5 bread bowls I had made on an earlier day from frozen bread dough.  I can post this recipe another day, but when I store them in the freezer, I leave them slightly under-cooked  not golden brown, so that I can toss them in the oven to thaw and cook completely.  By the time the bowls were golden and crisp, the veggies in the soup were tender and ready.    

When everyone came to dinner it looked very nice and was made with very little effort, all in 1 pot and enough to feed 10-15 people.  Total cost for the meal?  About 3$.  It would have been less depending on where/how I got my chicken and if I had the extra vegetables grown myself.  

The soup was a success.  Even my finicky oldest boy cleaned his plate.  The dandelions retained none of their bitterness that is a turn off in the wild food world.  Very hearty, but springlike and complex.  Perfect for a cool rainy spring day.  

Day lily tubers are high in vegetable protein and natural oils.  Dandelions are rich in insulin and are very good for diabetics to help maintain insulin levels without synthetic means.  They are naturally detoxifying and are grown for detox teas and the roots can be roasted and made into a coffee of sorts.   A powerful and natural diuretic, they do very well to flush excess water from the body without depleting potassium like synthetic diuretics.  As a matter of fact, potassium is also a prevailing benefit of this wonderful herb.  They also help with muscle cramping and act as an appetite enhancer.  A lovely, nutritious, and versatile plant to aid in holistic healing as well as being a nourishing pot herb.  

As always, please make sure to harvest your wilds far from any roadsides.  At the very least, 100 yards from the nearest pavement.  Don't be greedy!  Dandelions are pretty hearty and therefore less likely to be over-harvested  but if you have a really good picking spot, leave some for the animals and other wildcrafters that might be looking for the same.  If taken responsibly, this is just another perfect and nutritious, organic, unprocessed and free food.  

As for the day lilies, they are also rich in vitamins and minerals and are used frequently in Chinese cuisine.  Make sure not to eat the commercial varieties.  While some will tell you they are okay, I am not completely sure and cannot vouch for that theory.  I've never bothered to try because the "safe" ones are so abundant and extremely hearty, having been brought and often planted by homesteaders for the sole purpose of food.   They are easily transplanted and very good at establishing themselves anywhere.  When eating the golden needles (unopened flowers) and blossoms raw, please use moderation the first few times.  Like I mentioned before, if you aren't used to wild food, you can gave some mild GI upset with the greens.  

Enjoy!!   

Thank you livestrong.com, for some of the nutritional information, and thank you norwichbulletin.com and jimlongsgarden.blogspot for the photo help :)