How You Can Make a Great Meal Out of an Ordinary Weed

Mariah Loves Earth. Young Creeping Bellflower. 2020.

The spotlight today is on campanula rapunculoides —better known as creeping bellflower. It is commonly thought of as an incredibly invasive, and difficult to remove, weed. Especially in Alberta where it is designated as a noxious weed in the Alberta Weed Control Act. This means that it must be removed and controlled. Assert dominance over nature!

If you live in Alberta you have likely seen it in your backyard. In summer time, it has lovely purple bell-shaped flowers running up its stem. Every year my yard seems to fill up with this hardy, perennial, plant. If you want to harvest the roots it is best to wait until the flowers bloom, but only the young leaves are consumed. Eating creeping bellflower is a great way to remove it from your garden and to save money on buying greens.

The Cambridge World History of Food notes that, much like dandelions, "in the past, the fleshy roots and leaves of C. rapunculoides were cultivated to be eaten in England, and the plant was carried to North America, where it is now naturalized." From my perspective, I imagine that people shifted away from consuming the plant because what supermarket could make money off of produce that is so widely available? Even though it is not widely eaten I find it to be thoroughly enjoyable. Uncooked it has a slightly bitter taste like rapini, but once it is blanched it tastes more subtle like spinach. I would actually consider it a great alternative to spinach!

Of course, it is important to first accurately identify any wild plant that you are planning to consume. Do your research. Find out if it is related to any foods that you may be allergic to, or if it could impact a health condition. Also, make sure that when you are harvesting a wild plant that it has not been previously exposed to pesticides or herbicides that may be harmful to your health.

This recipe was partially inspired by Latifa's Herbs. She has a great post on creeping bellflower and I recommend checking it out! 

Mariah Blanchard, 2020, Creeping Bellflower Sesame Noodle Bowl

Creeping Bellflower Sesame Noodle Bowl

    Ingredients 

• one serving organic buckwheat soba noodles (alternatively you can use a bed of white rice) 
• 5 cups baby creeping bellflower greens
• 1/4 cup frozen corn 
• 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil (preferably sesame) 
• 1 tablespoon organic gluten-free tamari 
• 2 teaspoons gluten-free, soy-free, teriyaki sauce
• 1 tablespoon organic black sesame seeds 

      Instructions

1. Bring two pots of water to a boil. One pot will be for the soba noodles—follow the package instructions. The other pot will be for the creeping bell flower leaves and frozen corn. Prepare a bowl on the side filled with ice water. 
2. When water reaches a rolling boil blanch leaves and corn. Immediately strain and put in ice water. Strain again. Remove excess water with a paper towel. 
3. After the noodles are finished cooking, strain, and transfer to a serving bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. 
4. In another medium sized bowl, mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon tamari, and 2 teaspoons teriyaki sauce. Stir in the leaves and corn. 
5. Layer leaves and corn mixture on top of soba noodles. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of black sesame seeds and serve.