Learning to eat thistle (tips and tricks)

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Hey friends of the Plant Power Community, I've been wanting to do this kind of post for some time now. Weeds have become an important part of my diet, but it can be tricky to take advantage of them.

During the last weeks I've been eating mainly what I can forage and harvest. This has made me look for ways to optimize this labor as it is time consuming.

I kept looking at these thistles growing outside my house because of their big and abundant leaves, but I still wouldn't touch them because I felt they were a hastle to harvest. It was slow, tedious, and painful.

Yet, it's large leaves, and the fact that it grows from early spring to late fall, being highly frost-resistant, and hardy against pests makes it an ideal plant for foragers to keep in mind. The flower is also edible but that will be for another post as it is not the right time for that.

The notion that they were difficult to use as food came from cutting the sharp points off with a scissor, which was highly inefficient.

Thistle leaves have different shapes: when younger they are more oval-shaped and less spiky which makes them a better choice for harvest.

The time of young leaves has passed for me, yet it is still possible to enjoy thistle in this stage with what I'm about to show you.

The first step is to stack several leaves that are similar in shape and size. The idea is to save time and get as much food as possible from this free and abundant plant.

Once stacked, it's time to cut around the edges. It's faster to go nearer to the center than trying to get it perfectly near the edges. I normally don't care about speed but if you're serious about making "weeds" a solid part of your diet you have to be efficient in processing them.

These are ready to use. They have those prickly hairs but once cooked they are no problem. I wouldn't eat them raw though... You can stir fry them, put them in the oven, add them to soup. When cooked in the oven they get a nice meaty texture which can be interesting on vegan recipes, but they turn to a dark color which is not attractive for the sight.

On this occasion I decided to saute them with garlic.

I added some flax seeds that I had forgotten I had in a jar which ended up being a great addition.

Thistle is usually seen as a thorny plant with little value, although it's medicinal properties have gained popularity in the last years. However, once we learn how to integrate it into our diet, it can become a powerful ally, making our foods healthier, and at least to my taste, delicious.

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I hope you found this useful, entertaining, and worth your time. Consider following me if you like learning about plants, life in the forest, use of primitive materials, recycling, and a plant based off-grid lifestyle.

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