Flourless Flowerful Crepe (or Faux-Crepe) - Wildflowers Galore - 6 weeds with foraging ID quiz
A crepe full of spring wildflowers! The time is just right - some great edible weeds are blooming right now! Let's get to it!
Step 1. Forage the flowers
Even though we're still getting a lot of rain here in Oregon's Willamette Valley, spring continues to spring. In walking around my yard, there are some special flowers available right now. So I want to make a happy flowerful crepe full of flowers!
All the plants came from my yard. I just took a walk. I took all the photos first, because that takes a lot longer than actually picking everything. This photo collage shows the plants that I foraged. I include their scientific names in the plant list at the bottom of this post, because common names vary from place to place. Do you recognize any of them? Which ones do you have growing around you? These plants are weeds and most grow all over the world.
Step 2. Make the Filling
Back in the kitchen, I lay my harvest out to double-check that I don't have any non-edible plants or insects. Some of the flowers are delicate and clean because they are high off the ground. I do rinse the bittercress, deadnettle, chickweed, and chives. I chop the chives.
The inside of a crepe doesn't get cooked too much. So I put a tiny bit of olive oil in my skillet and give a quick saute to the chives, then the deadnettle and bittercress mixed together, and finally the chickweed. The goals is to just tenderize them and bring out their deeper flavors. I cook them separately because each takes a different amount of time. It doesn't take 2 minutes to do all three batches in quick succession.
I don't saute the English Daisy or Dandelion flowers. And some of the Purple Deadnettle flowers fall out of their flowerheads. I take the green base off the dandelions because they are bitter. And I reserve some of the uncooked chopped chives. I also chop some preserved Spruce needles that I used for making Spruce Tree Balsamic Vinegar. These needles are soft and add a balsamic vinegar flavor. Finally, when the sauteed greens are cooled, I chop them, too.
Step 3. Make the Flower-filled Crepes
I like my crepes without any flour. So I just use a couple large eggs, add about 1/4 cup water, and mix it up. I pour a thin layer of egg batter on a hot cast iron skillet seasoned with a touch of butter. The skillet isn't a standard frying pan, but short-rimmed flat griddle perfect for crepes. It also does double-duty as a lid for an oven roaster.
I layer on my fillings: the "balsamic vinegar" spruce needles, my sauteed mix, dandelion flowers, and English Daisy flowers. When the crepe is set, I fold one part over the filling and then fold over the other side.
On the plate, I top my crepes with more flowers and the fresh chives. I serve it up with coffee and a little bowl of home-canned pear butter from my Barlett Pears. The mild peppery flavor of the bittercress comes through really nicely. And the English Daisy flowers add some subtle sweetness. The other plants have mild flavors that add some nice complexity, especially the chives and purple deadnettle. These crepes have enough flavor, I don't even need any salt or pepper. If you don't have pear butter, these crepes would be great with applesauce, too!
Plant List
- Purple deadnettle - Lamium purpureum
- Bittercress - Cardamine hirsuta
- Dandelion flowers – Taraxacum officinale
- English daisy – Bellis perennis
- Wild chives - Allium schoeneprasum
- Chickweed - Stellaria media
What Do You Think?
Are you seeing many spring wild flowers in your area? Do you eat any flowers from wild plants? Would you eat any of these wild flowers? I hope you get a chance to eat a flowerful weed crepe sometime. It is worth making, for sure!
I write about foraging because I believe that we can all have lives that are richer, more secure, more grounded, and more interesting by getting to know the plants and the land around us – in our yards, our parks, and our wilderness.
I would like Steemit to be the premier site for Foraging on the Internet! If you have any thoughts about foraging, or experiences to share, write a post and be sure to use the Foraging tag. And check out the @foraging-trail to see curated quality posts about foraging. Happy Foraging!
** Haphazard Homestead **
*** foraging, gardening, nature, simple living close to the land ***
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@haphazard-hstead there's a difference between crepe and omelette.
Crepe has flour or anything similar to it not just eggs and I looked up more recipes in the net that would fall as a flour less crepe and they all have milk /coconut milk. IMHO this is an omelette more than a crepe - IMHO the two are not the same. I was about to post the closing to @shady's post but I saw this pop out and I really looked around the net for something that would qualify this so we won't waste your entry but I'll be doing the others who complied to the true sense of "crepe" injustice so am sorry and though I am having a really hard time turning this one down - it's an omelette I will have to not acknowledge it and I hope you understand and that it doesn't discourage you to ever join again. There's a recipe on the net that has eggs, water and butter that would do the trick to make it look like a crepe but this is obviously - an omelette I'd be insulting the French if I acknowledge it. Had you added almond flour or crushed peanut it would have done the trick or crushed leaves of your weed or even those weed flowers.
I'm sorry but we asked for crepe.
Here's a recipe for crepes that just uses eggs and water, too.
http://www.theprimalist.com/one-ingredient-crepes-gluten-free-and-paleo/
Yes I saw that but am sorry to have to still disqualify your entry it still looks like an omelette compared to this - this link you gave me sure looks like a crepe doesn't it - but yours is an omelet. I'm sorry I hope you understand it's not the same.
You provided Pinterest links to use as examples of crepes -- and that includes an egg-only crepe. It's in the lower right of this screen capture:
@haphazard-hstead -nested comment
Please don't turn the tables you're toying with the wrong emotion.
You are just being told what is and what is not - you didn't get flagged nor harassed how is that bullying? Just take things as "you are being told what is and what is not " don't assume nor interpret further. I'm sorry if you feel bullied but I am not bullying you I am just doing my part on this. I hope you understand that.
Like I said I appreciate your enthusiasm and I also acknowledge your creativity but I also have to disqualify an entry no matter how beautiful if its not what we asked for.
You asked "how is that bullying?" Here are the two parts. One, you jumped into another comment thread I had with someone else, saying, "... don't write it like your recipe has not been given a chance" and "We both know this is an omelette". I didn't do the first, and I didn't know the second.
Second, nothing warranted this comment that goes well beyond explaining what a crepe is or is not:
The culinary challenge is a fun part of Steemit. Disqualifications are bound to happen -- I'm sure I'll have more myself. And it may take a couple back-and-forth comments for somebody to understand their disqualification. It did for me, in this challenge. The Paleo challenge did for other folks. I think of the culinary challenges as friendly and welcoming, not a source for bad feelings for anybody.
@haphazard I have been lenient with you time wise and you should also know that there is no question about whether this recipe is creative or beautiful or not. The recipe being disqualified has nothing to do with it being not creative or whatever you must be thinking that you cannot accept it's disqualified.
Unfortunately it is an omelette. It's a contest and we blatantly said crepe - yours look like an omelette - you cooked it like an omelette - you didn't cook it like you should a crepe. The link you just gave me is cooked differently - is it cooked the same way as yours? Do the crepes there look like yours? Yes, the ingredients may be almost the same but they are not either aren't they?
I hope you understand that I'm not running a joke - it's a contest - we asked for crepe you give us crepe. If you feel like you cannot respect that your entry is disqualified and this contest should be ran like that way you want it - please say so I am so willing to step back at hosting it. I'll gladly hand it over to you.
This is a contest and disqualification can happen. I am not disqualifying any entry knowing how hard it is to cook and take pictures at the same time and go through all the writing and posting process just to be disqualified. I'm not that cold hearted bitch host - just to clarify things. I appreciate your enthusiasm in joining but I also have to be true to its essence and if you can't respect that we both have to live with that fact. Your recipe is an egg omelette its' not crepe like sumak is not a lemon.
My entry wasn't meant as a joke, no way. I legitimately thought I was entering a crepe. But just like the Paleo challenge, where my first weed salad didn't qualify because my balsamic vinegar wasn't pure enough, I learned something. That's one of the good things about the Culinary Challenge. So please don't bully me - I didn't do anything to warrant that. On the other hand, my sumac entry was made in a spirit of fun!
Just like I said in a reply to @amy-goodrich yesterday, "I've been on the losing end of the culinary challenge many times already, including being disqualified. But it's a fun part of Steemit. At least I ate well -- and the weeds didn't cost me anything."
And at least I know enough to not use the Steemitculinarychallenge as the first hashtag, so I can drop it off the list, lol! So the only thing connecting this post to the challenge now are all the comments.
What a great post @haphazard-hstead! I never used a lot of flowers in my cooking! Very inspiring. I'm sorry to hear that you got disqualified, though! I have made crepes with banana and eggs, no flour or other dry ingredients in the past too.
I'm glad you appreciated these crepes, @amy-goodrich! So many flowers, especially edible wild flowers, don't last very long or transport very easily. So I can understand why we don't see them in stores and so people don't know so much about them. But all these flowers are worth eating. The bittercress flowerstalks will get tougher as the season goes on, so the timing was just right for these crepes.
And yes, I'm still calling them crepes, lol. I've been on the losing end of the culinary challenge many times already, including being disqualified. But it's a fun part of Steemit. At least I ate well -- and the weeds didn't cost me anything. And it's more important to me that people can see that wild plants can be real food for regular people.
Cambodia has so many edible plants and flowers. Just discovered a moringa tree and some papaya trees growing in the garden :-) Should research the flowers a bit more too.
Wow -- I've heard that the leaves of both those trees are good, but I've never seen either tree in person. I think @reddust uses papaya leaves, in Oklahoma. I'd like to see what you do with moringa or papaya, with the way that you cook! :D
Moringa actually tastes like spinach, but maybe a bit less bitter in the after taste! I have never tried papaya leaves, but love papaya in smoothies, fruit salads or normal salads. And the best part, the tree grows super fast and already bears fruit when it is still small... takes only 5-6 months from seed to fruit bearing tree! Moringa recipes defintely coming up!
That amazing about how fast papaya grows, considering how big those fruits are! I'll look forward to those moringa recipes!
Boy oh boy, this looks fantastic @haphazard-hstead. You've really done a fantastic job. I know I would eat very well at your table and I hope someday that I'll get to meet you in person. Outstanding nutritional density and organic presentation. I wish that everyone could understand how positively charged the food contained within your posts actually are. Food is medicine if it contains plants. ;)
Thanks! I think you would like these crepes. I like your term of "nutritional density". That's sure what all these weed salads and crepes and other meals seem like. They are so filling and satisfying. Just from weeds for the most part, lol. It's amazing how much good food is just out there, waiting to be appreciated, on any given day. Here's to nutritional density! :D
I think this (Nutritional Density) should be a challenge on its own, on Steemit.
Identifying the food, growing it, giving a vitamin profile and then presenting it beautifully. Whole new level of recipe creation. :)
That would be an interesting challenge, for sure. I think we would all learn a lot! Maybe that should be a hashtag of its own -- #nutritionaldensity.
Great idea!!! I will start using it in my recipes too.
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Wow that looks like an amazing crepe! These look stunning and healthy! I like how you included the Latin names for the flowers/weeds. I always enjoy scientific names.
My Mom has used dandelions on her salad, but I can't say that I've ever done anything similar. As there is still about 1 foot of snow on the ground, I won't be able to try anything like this for a while :)
I'm glad you appreciate those scientific names. It's too easy to confuse plants by common names alone -- and the mistake could be a real problem. I hope you are foraging some snow! My mom in Arkansas used their snow, earlier this week, like shaved ice for some cranberry margaritas! Snow ice cream is pretty good, too. You'll have dandelions and other weeds soon enough, I guess. It's nice that your mom uses dandelions. They are good in a lot of different ways!
Thank you for your post. Your photos are outstanding but I may have one problem that would be @camille1234 may sample the flowers in my garden and there won't be much left for the bees. lol
You're welcome. Haha -- you just don't have enough weeds, I guess, lol! Here in Oregon's Willamette Valley, it's still wet and chilly, so there aren't even any bees flying around yet. But later in the spring, those bees will really key in on the dandelions and the purple deadnettle. I leave a lot for the bees -- and that's why I have so many weeds, I think. Hmm. The bees are worth it, though. Save some flowers for the bees! : )
Me Too, eating flowers looks like fun. The crepes look really really good. Now I'm hungry. Thanks for sharing, and good luck in the challenge. Full Crepes Ahead.
Yes, her post made me hungry, too, and I just ate!
I've found that time proximity to last meal has little to do with appetite stimulation on Steemit. So many good things to eat flying about on here. Though unfortunately, it often happens WAY too late into the evening.
Thanks! I may not qualify for the Culinary Challenge after all, because I didn't put anything in with my eggs, not even some chopped up weeds, lol. Oh well, these crepes really are tasty and worth making!
@haphazard-hstead - yes you put chopped up weeds with it but in the middle not in the batter. Please don't write it like your recipe has not been given a chance. I could have just pasted the closing message at shady's but I looked around for something to really qualify yours. It's not like I just decided that it's not - I took more than half an hour and in fact I was already in bed a few minutes after I logged out but I saw your second reply so I got back online just to not leave you hanging feeling bad. We both know this is an omelette - you may take it as crepe and if the community agrees then my bad - but it's an omelette.
I don't think I wrote that comment like you weren't giving me a chance. I legitimately thought I was entering a crepe. But just like the Paleo challenge, where my first weed salad didn't qualify because my balsamic vinegar wasn't pure enough, I learned something. That's one of the good things about the Culinary Challenge. On the other hand, my sumac entry was made in a spirit of fun!
Just like I said in a reply to @amy-goodrich yesterday, "I've been on the losing end of the culinary challenge many times already, including being disqualified. But it's a fun part of Steemit. At least I ate well -- and the weeds didn't cost me anything."
And at least I know enough to not use the Steemitculinarychallenge as the first hashtag, so I can drop it off the list, lol! So the only thing connecting this post to the challenge now are all the comments.
That's a bummer.
Oh, it's OK. I clearly learned what's not a crepe, lol. It was delicious, though! I bet I have more culinary challenge disqualifications in my future -- I'm a forager, not a cook. At least I try. I hope you get to enjoy some spring flowers, too!
Beautiful entry!! :)
Thanks! And thanks to all the invasive weeds, lol! I can eat all of them I want - there's plenty around. ; )