Native Species on Your Table

Cooking with NM delicacies

BY: OLIVIA MARIN

The New Mexican landscape may not seem like a place of bounty at first glance; we often think of cactus-studded deserts, where rattlesnakes slither and roadrunners race across arid land. Even in the river valleys and forested mountain ranges, New Mexico isn’t often characterized as lush and fruitful. But the high desert has a lot to offer, especially if you’re willing to look for it. Here are some recipes featuring native species found in New Mexico in the spring and summer.

Purslane/Verdolaga (Portulaca oleracea) is a tasty little crawling plant, with a lemony sweet crunchy texture, that is commonly known as a weed in the Southwest. A powerhouse in both its growing capabilities and nutritional value, purslane is either a noxious weed or a delightful addition to your salad, depending on who you ask. An excellent source of Vitamins A, C and E as well as high in iron, magnesium and a powerful antioxidant- we say “Let them eat Purslane!” Popping up in the spring, keep a lookout for this tasty succulent green, that may grow where you least expect it! Remember: If you are going to forage for edible plants, avoid city lots or alongside busy roads. The pollution from cars and city-wide herbicide sprays are definitely not ingredients we are looking to add to this recipe. Instead, look in your own garden- you may be surprised to find that a lot of what you’ve been pulling is ready to go on your plate!

Zesty Purslane Salad

Ingredients: Large bunch of purslane- washed 1 can garbanzo beans- drained and rinsed 1 watermelon radish- thinly sliced ½ red onion- thinly sliced 1 cup feta cheese- crumbled 1 cucumber- peeled and cubed small For dressing: ¼ cup olive oil ½ lemon juiced 1 clove garlic minced Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Chop the purslane and toss all salad ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper, whisk together as you slowly incorporate olive oil to emulsify. Pour over, toss, and enjoy!

Quelites/Lambsquarters/Goosefoot (Chenopodium album) Depending on where you are in the Americas, quelites could be a variety of plants. In Mexico, quelites could be any wild green, and the word itself is derived from Nahuatl, meaning “edible herb.” Purslane, amaranth and many others may be identified by the term. While oftentimes in a New Mexican restaurant, “quelites” brings you an order of cooked spinach, there is another abundant plant, a wild spinach, that gets the job done! Lambsquarters, also known as goosefoot, has been characterized as a persistent weed in the Southwest. It grows all over, with long woody stalks and soft leaves that often look like… a goose’s foot. This “weed” can provide ample shade and delicious greens, so if you see it in your yard or garden, perhaps give it a try!

Garlicky Quelites con Frijoles

(Lambsquarters and Pinto beans)

Ingredients: Large bunch of quelites 4 cloves of garlic chopped 1 can of pinto beans- drained and rinsed 1 tsp red pepper flakes 1 tsp cumin ground Salt and pepper to taste 1 Tbsp olive oil

Directions: De-stem quelites, these cook down so there is no need to chop the greens. However, if the plant is quite mature, the stalk can be

Purslane photo credit: Raw Edible Plants

Lambsquarters photo credit: MSU.edu woody and it is better to remove completely.

Place pan on medium heat and add olive oil and garlic (use as much garlic as you like, the more the better!) Once garlic starts to get aromatic (before browning) add cumin and red pepper flakes. Let the spices meld with the oil for a few minutes before adding pinto beans. Let saute for about five minutes, adding more olive oil if necessary. Add Quelites and cook until just wilted, so that there is still a vibrant green color. Add salt and pepper to taste and remove from heat.

This meal is delicious with a buttery fresh Tortilla, or your choice of red or green chile!

Chokecherries (Prunus virginiana) are a member of the rose family, and start to fruit in late July through August. Found all across North America, these shrubs tend to grow near running water and you can spot them early in the spring due to their delicate white blossoms that will grow into tart berries several months later. A chokecherry is small, about half the size of a bing cherry, with a lot of pit! Make sure when foraging to follow the forager’s rule: Do not pick all your fruit from one tree, rather take some from one, more from another, so that the tree can provide fruit for wildlife and continue to reproduce in a healthy way! In addition to delicious, chokecherries have traditionally been used for a variety of medicinal purposes- what can’t our planet do?

“Some Like it Tart” Chokecherry Syrup

Delicious on top of pancakes, waffles or scones, this syrup is a simple way of adding sweet and tart to your breakfast table. Also tasty on some ice cream which we encourage eating at any time of day!

Ingredients: 4 cups chokecherries 2 cups water (more or less depending on consistency) 2 cups sugar (more or less to taste) 1 tsp lemon zest

Materials: Fine sieve (cloth is preferable but a fine metal strainer will do the trick!) Glass jars with secure lids

Directions: De-stem and thoroughly wash chokecherries- you don't want bits of twig or thorn in the syrup! Pour chokecherries and water into a pot, you want the water to just cover the cherries and bring to a boil. After the cherries come to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer for 30-45 minutes. Drain the cherries and keep that juice! It should be a beautiful color, anywhere from a bright fuschia pink to darker mauve. Mash the cherries, and put into a sieve so as to really squeeze out any excess juice. Place juice and sugar and lemon zest into a pan, and simmer until sugar is dissolved. You can add more sugar to taste. Let cool completely before storing in clean glass jars- one jar of syrup should last several weeks without requiring a major canning process as long as you keep the jar refrigerated. You can freeze jars for later use as well! Enjoy! Delicious over vanilla ice cream, pie, ice cream and pie, pancakes, ice cream and pancakes or ice cream!

Chockecherry photo credit: Kenneth Ingham 2005 from explorenm.com