100 new foods

Dandelions

dandelion

The horror, that I would actually feed my kids a humble weed. At least that’s what Lauren was thinking when I served up a big bowl of dandelion greens. They’re bitter, so when I use them in my cooking, I make sure to give them a good toss with olive oil, salt, and a splash of vinegar. But they’re fun to taste on their own because that’s what we do on our mystery food challenge. Try vegetables in their raw state for the pure pleasure of exploring something new. And maybe if I hadn’t covered our lawn in weed killer, we’d have been eating more dandelions this year.

ME: Guys.  I have a pretty special mystery food.  Does anyone know what this is?  You guys will not believe what it is.

LAUREN: What?

ME: What do you think it is?

SAM: We don’t know what it is.

ME: I know, that’s why I’m asking.  What do you think it is?

LAUREN: Lettuce greens?

ME: Nope. Have you seen this before, because I think you have.  It’s kind of like a lettuce green.  You’ve seen it before.  It grows in our yard.  Anyone have any idea?

LAUREN: (gives me a suspicious look)

ME: It’s dandelions. These are dandelion greens.  You can actually eat them.

LAUREN: Oh, yuck.

ME: And I bought them at the Farmer’s Market, a whole bag of them, and you can actually eat them.

SAM: And you can just pick them from the front yard?

ME: Yes, you can just pick them from the yard, except that we spray weed killer on ours.

SAM: Nahhhhh.

ME: I know.  Isn’t that the worst thing ever?  We could be hunting and foraging for chives and dandelion greens in our backyard because they both grow there, and instead we killed them with weed killer.

LAUREN: I’m feeling really sad for them.
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100 new foods

Rhubarb

rhubarb

We generally like to try things raw around here, but once in a while we encounter something that’s actually poisonous to eat in its raw state. I’ve since learned that only a rhubarb’s leaves are poisonous, not the stalk. But any talk of poison, leaves or otherwise, is bound to send kids running in the other direction. My solution was to make the rhubarb into jam, which didn’t fix the underlying issue: rhubarb, sadly, wasn’t a hit.

ME: Ok guys.  What is this mystery food?

SAM: Jelly.

ME: Well it kind of looks like jelly.  You know what?  The reason why we’re eating jam as mystery food today is because in its raw form, rhubarb is is actually poisonous. Sam, You can pass that around (I pass him the rhubarb stalk).

SAM: No, I’m not touching it, it’s poisonous.

ME: No, no.  It’s fine just don’t eat it.  What color is it?

LAUREN: Um, pink.

ME: What does it remind you of, Sam?

LAUREN: I’m scared to touch it.

ME: You don’t have to be scared to touch it.

(Emma takes a huge bite out of the raw stalk.)

ALL OF US TOGETHER: Oh my God Emma, don’t eat it!

(Emma runs from the room crying.)

ME: Oh we scared her, we scared her.  [going after Emma] It’s ok.  Remember you can’t eat it sweetie? Remember that you have to eat the jelly rhubarb, not the raw rhubarb? Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.

LAUREN: That is poisonous.

ME: Yes. Ok, Sam, get your finger out of the jelly.

ME: Oh, poor sweetie.  Remember, it’s poisonous if you eat it raw.  That will make you sick if you eat it raw, it has to be cooked.  Want to come back?  Come on, we want you here with us.

LAUREN:  [whispering to Sam] Ok it’s fine, just eat it.

ME: Ok.  So who’s going to try the jelly?

SAM:  Me, me I want to.

LAUREN: I don’t like it.

ME: Huh?

LAUREN: Don’t like it.

ME: Here, you try it, SAM.  There you go.

SAM: I want jelly.

ME: This is it.

SAM: That’s jelly?
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100 new foods

Red mustard greens

redmustardgreens

I don’t often cook with mustard greens. Like collards, I often see them in the store and bypass them for the kale and chard. But I love their peppery bite, particularly this beautiful red variety that I found at the farmers’ market. Surprisingly, given its spiciness, the kids were into it.

ME: What is this guys?

LAUREN: Mustard greens.

ME: YES!

SAM: Mustard greens?

ME: Yeah.  What does it look like to you? 

SAM: Looks like leaves.

ME: [to Emma] Here.  Ssssh.  Don’t get upset.  Ok.  Guys, we’re not playing tic-tac-toe right now.

LAUREN: You’re X and I’m O.

ME: Ok, we’re going to put those down for a second.  Ok.  Guys, I’m sad that nobody’s listening to the mystery food conversation. Who wants to smell it?

EMMA: Me.

LAUREN: It smells like mustard.

ME: Here, I’m going to smell it with you guys.

EMMA: It’s mustard greens.

ME: Yeah, it is mustard greens.

SAM: One of the leaves is curling up right now.

ME: Sometimes you can break it in half right in front of your nose and you can even smell it better that way.  Watch this…..What does it smell like?

LAUREN: Mustard still.

SAM: This tastes like leaves.

ME: It does taste like a leaf, doesn’t it?

LAUREN: Oh, yeah.  Oh my God it really tastes like —

SAM: I’m only tasting it a little bit.

ME: What do you think?

LAUREN: The inside tastes good.
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100 new foods

Kumquats

Kumquats

Like my kids, I’m a relative newcomer to kumquats. I’ve often seen them in grocery stores, but it wasn’t until recently that I took the plunge and bought my first container. They’re not the most intuitive fruit to eat and prepare. Their bitter shell, although edible, is extremely tart, and the inside of the fruit is packed with seeds. But if you’re not game for eating them raw, they’re delicious candied in simple syrup, which has all kinds of fun applications (you can read more about those ideas here). Not surprisingly, the kids weren’t into them. But sometimes it’s fun to experience new flavors and textures together, even if you know what the end result will be.

ME: Ok, guys.  What are these things?

LAUREN: Orange cherry tomatoes.

ME: Good guess. What do you think, Sam?

SAM: Tomatoes.

EMMA: Potatoes.

ME: These are not tomatoes. They’re not potatoes.  These are called kumquats.

SAM: Kumquats?!

LAUREN: Kumquats.

ME: What do you think Emma?

EMMA: Salty.

SAM: You just eat it like that (with the skin on)?

ME: Yeah.

LAUREN: You even eat the skins?!

ME: Yeah.

LAUREN: It tastes like a sour orange.

ME: It does taste like a sour orange.

ME: Sam, did you try it?

LAUREN: Sweet bologna.
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100 new foods

Green leaf lettuce

green leaf lettuce

If last week’s fava beans were a disappointment, we found redemption in a head of green leaf lettuce. Sometimes you don’t need to smell, feel, and talk about a vegetable to make it appealing. Sometimes it’s so wonderful that your kid just shoves it in his mouth without asking questions. Sometimes…..sometimes you just get lucky.

ME: Ok.  Our first mystery food is…

LAUREN: Broccoli?

ME: Nope.  What is this called?

SAM: Salads?

LAUREN: I think I tried it before.

SAM: Salads.

EMMA: Salads.

LAUREN: Wheat… wheat… wheat.

SAM: Salads.  Greens.

ME: It’s called green leaf lettuce.

LAUREN: Oh, I have tried this before.

ME: Yeah?  Ok.  Wow, Sam just shoved it in his mouth! Sam didn’t even smell it or anything he just shoved the whole thing in his mouth.

EMMA: It smells like peanut butter.

LAUREN:  I love this.

ME: Ok.  Sam, you just ate the whole thing, so tell me what did you think?  Did you like it?

SAM:  I love it, not like it.
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