Wild Greens: Will You Like Bitter Greens?

"How bitter are wild greens?" I get asked that question a lot. We don't often come across bitter vegetables or fruits in the grocery store or even in the garden. So it can be difficult to talk about how bitter wild greens may be.

Several things affect how bitter wild greens may be -- the kind of plant, the conditions they are growing in, how mature they are, and how they are prepared to eat.

The first way of thinking about bitter flavors is Chocolate. Do you prefer Milk Chocolate or Dark Chocolate, like some that has 70 or 80% cocoa in it? If you prefer Milk Chocolate, you probably will prefer greens that are not bitter at all. But if you like really Dark Chocolate, you may prefer greens that are at least somewhat bitter.

The second way to compare bitter flavors is Coffee. Do you not like coffee at all, because it's too bitter? Or do you use a lot of milk or cream, or sugar, as a way to mask any bitter flavors in Coffee? Or do you like your coffee dark and black? If it's the latter, then mature greens or more bitter greens may be your preference. If coffee is too bitter for you, then you will probably prefer non-bitter greens.

The third way of thinking about bitter flavors in wild greens is to think of Beer. There are so many styles and flavors of beer. Wheat beers and many mainstream mass-market beers don't have bitter flavors. Other beers, like IPAs or India Pale Ale style beers, have a lot of hops and bitter flavors. If you prefer wheat beer or non-bitter mainstream beer, you most likely will prefer your wild greens to be not bitter. But if you seek out the IPAs, you will like the more bitter greens. Some beer labels even list the IBU, or International Bitterness Unit, a measure of a beer's bitterness levels. If you enjoy beer with triple-digit IBUs, then you will likeley prefer more bitter greens.

Even if you don't like bitter flavors, there are still wild greens that you may like. There are so many kinds of wild greens, including some that aren't bitter at all, like lambs quarter. Some ways of preparing greens can minimize the bitterness of greens, like making sweet and sour greens or making creamed greens.

And just because you don't like more bitter greens now, doesn't mean you won't like them later. I know plenty of people that started out not liking the more bitter greens, but now like the bitter kick of some greens -- and maybe even prefer those kinds of greens!

Are there other ways of comparing levels of bitterness or communicating preferences of bitterness levels in wild greens?

#wildfood #eatyouryard #eatwild #foraging #VEDA #SSSVEDA #HaphazardHomestead

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[andybaldman]

Your channel needs to find a LOT more people. You have one of the best foraging channels on YouTube. I can’t believe you’ve been doing this so long and don’t have more subs. Thank you for your hard work, Holly!

[christine]

Your food /salads always look so delicious

[ocelot]

You are a great teacher. I'm comfortable enough with being able to identify these 3 plants now and even since you showed what's ogod enough to each and what's not worth the bother even more so. Going to go out around the neighborhood and get some and see how good they are.

[rubywallace]

I am so glad I found this channel! great info

[LeeRalph]

Wow, I would have never thought of choosing wild greens based on our tastes in chocolate, coffee or better yet beer LOL
This was really great info to know. I really want to learn all I can on wild greens/wild edibles. Thank Yo for sharing this tip with us!!!

[LauraTeKiwiBirb]

Sow thistle is one of my favorite wild greens. It's known as Puha (poo ha) in New Zealand. We tend to use it in a soup simply known as 'boil up'. it's a Maori classic. You can add any wild green you fancy, you should give it a try sometime.

[mealbla]

You are one of my favs! Thank you for all your topics.

[swagobill]

I just picked a mess of poke, plantain and dandelion in my back yard where its nice and shady

[constancelovejoy]

I just add lemon to greens to help eliminate the bitterness whether the greens is wild or not 😊

[juliec]

I REALLY appreciated this video. However, I like Chocolate up to about 73%, but my kids say my coffee tastes like coffee ice cream. (That’s probably true.) I’m thinking that I will most likely do better with NON bitter greens. I live toward Mt Rainier, and our vegetation is a lot like yours. I nibbled a couple things in my yard today. Does all wild lettuce have spines? Is that the main difference to distinguish between wild lettuce and dandelion? (And what about the dandelions that are fuzzy?) Whatever it was, it was bitter, even though it was small, smooth, and looked good. Disappointing. Maybe (using your chocolate, coffee & beer) you could make a list for milk chocolate lovers, etc. Thanks again for these great videos. The more often they pull the romaine for bacteria, the more interested I become in eating wild greens.

[tallcedars]

Had read that bitter greens help clean the liver and since then have added young and old plants to my meals during the summer months. Can't say that is why I feel better eating wild greens, but I do feel better. Did have to work my way towards them but as you mentioned, one can learn to enjoy them later on. Carpe diem!

[evvie]

Will you make a video of SUMMER greens. I know amaranth and lambs quarters are in the summer but what else is there?