It all started at the Mother Earth News Fair, back in 2016, when Marjory Wildcraft mentioned the Homesteading Summit in a talk.
During this summit, Isabelle and I tuned in to Katrina Blair‘s discussion on weeds. In particular, THISTLES! Now, if you have been following or farm for long, you know that we have a plethora of these biennial thorny beasts. I know the birds and butterflies love them, but what good are they aside from that? I mean, really?? Can you see all those thorns?? Other than hurting bare feet… Isabelle stepped on some, she eased the pain by shoving her foot in cool mud we were using to fill a hole in front of the cabin.
Well, in her talk about thistles, Isabelle (my young foraging nut!) became very interested in the recipes provided. She copied several down, but the one she most wanted to try was a green juice, made from thistle leaves. The recipe Katrina gave was as follows:
Green Juice
- 3 c Good Water (we used 2)
- 1 c thistle greens
- 1 Apple, chunked (we used a Gala for the first batch, an Asian Pear for second, both were good)
- 1 juice of a lemon
Blend in a blender and strain.
Straining is important, here! 🙂
A couple of notes, use gloves to harvest, Isabelle wore my doeskin work gloves.
We found that 2 cups of water was sufficient. Also, on the second batch, I added a TB of local raw honey, it is a tad tart. Also, only drink a tad bit, a cup, at most, per day. Foraged foods need to be introduced slowly at times. Too much of a good thing when your body isn’t accustomed to it can be hard on your system.
We have a new appreciation for thistle, just not in front of our cabin. Poor Sawyer tripped and fell on a large one yesterday. Getting those tiny, pale thorns out was not fun for any of us. 😦 So we are working to clear out ones near the cabin and barn. And, finally, make sure you compost that pulp!!! Happy juicing!
Learn more about Thistle nutrition!