Raw Food Recipe: Where the wild things are

There is more buzz about "re-wilding" these days and it is not about stripping down to your wild self and bounding through the Forrest. Although that is much needed! Adding more truly "wildly grown" foods into your daily meals is taking your raw food meals to the next level. So how do we re-wild ourselves while in the city habitat? well....here is what I did today and I am certain you can do the same.

I live just outside Santa Cruz in a small neighborhood and have a large untamed yard. Our space around our home was just dirt when we moved in April. We have not sprayed or dumped any yukk into the soil. Aside from planting our own garden beds, we let what wanted to grow just GROW! We had kamikaze tomato plants under the deck, wild roses springing up next to the kale and huge thistles the size of Christmas trees bushing out amongst the peppers.

Wild greens are easy to find when you consciously look and notice they are everywhere! Thing is, most people pull up, burn or spray these nourishing plants because they don't recognize them as food or even "pretty". It is a shame we have been programmed to snub our noises at these wild foods commonly referred to as pesky"weeds". Wild edibles are free food and do not need to be cultivated like our average food supply that would not last in the wild.

Wild greens are packed, I mean super pumped with protein and other medicinal properties from the wild. Here are some examples of wild greens even you could find right this nano-second by rooting around in your back yard or un sprayed hiking trails.

Meet Mighty Mulva: This "weed" grows like wildfire! The petals are all sizes and resemble a Lilly pad. Malva Leaf is said to help loosen and expel phlegm and congestion from the lungs. It aids the body in expelling excess fluid and mucus, and because of its soothing, demulcent qualities, it not only removes phlegm, it also acts to soothe and relieve inflammation of the larynx and tonsils, dry coughs, sore throat, hoarseness, lung catarrh, bronchitis, asthma, emphysema and irritation of respiratory passages. Lovely Lambs quarter: Sometimes growing waist high with thin branches, this very common backyard snack strengthens our immune system much like most bitter greens. The only weed that round up cannot kill is you guessed it! Lambs quarter! Gimme sum! High in Vit A and C and calcium.
King Daddy Dandylion: The leaves amongst this ever famous yellow flower it use to be used to treat liver issues such as jaundice, gall stones, congested lymph, breast sores and swelling, suppresses lactation, diabetes, delayed menstruation and ulcers.

Here is what my WILD smoothie for today had:

Wild things are smoothies Served 2 yard snackers

2 c ripened on the tree in East LA mangos (organic)

1/2 c frozen Watsonville strawberries

1/2 c Grass fed organic blueberries

2 loose cups of back yard kale with stem

3 palm sized mulva leaves

2 c cage-free pure water

1/2c lambs quarter leaves. stem and bally things removed

Step 1: Place all ingredients into blender.

Step 2: Pour into your favorite recycled glass jar and enjoy!

Dahveed asked me "Aren't you going to take pictures of our smoothie in nice jars?"

well..no. This is just to show how wonderful it is to re-use your jars for your beverages. I you need to take it on the go, you simply snap a lid on and go!

Isn't it wild to know that those with manicured yards or pavement are really missing out.

~Melissa