This is such a simple dish, but so delicious! And there's wild plants here, too!

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The Ingredients

Of course, beets are the center of attention for this small dish. What makes them taste so special is slow-grilling them with a home-made balsamic vinegar made from young spruce tree needles, honey, and apple cider vinegar. You can see how I make this great faux balsamic in this YouTube video.

I'll lay those grilled beets on a bed of chopped greens that have distinctive and strong flavors - arugula, spearmint, and Italian flat parsley. Then I'll top the beets with the green seedpods of a common weed -- Common Mallow, Malva neglecta. Mallows are related to hollyhocks and hibiscus.

Lutz Beets are such a great beet that keeps well all through the winter. Mallow weeds are also known as Cheeseweed because of their little round seedpods that look like little wheels of cheese.

I use mallow greens often, like in this Wild Extravaganza Homestead Salad. But this time of year, these Common Mallow weeds in my yard have set on lots and lots of pods full of seeds. I was glad that the Steemit Iron Chef contest gave me a good reason to harvest these little green pods before they drop their seeds for next year's weed problems!

On the left, it's easy to see the little round seedpods. I'm after the still immature green ones. I just pull them off their stems and boil them a couple minutes. They turn a bright green and have a little nutty flavor.

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Grilled Beets

I peeled the beets and cut them about 1/2 inch thick. I grilled them on a low heat, on a cast iron grill pan, with a little olive oil and the spruce tree balsamic vinegar. Those beets get so tender and are good enough to eat plain, just like that! But with the greens and mallow "cheesewheels", topped with salt and pepper, they are divine! It's a wonderful small salad that goes great with a small beer!

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What Do You Think?

• Do you like grilled beets?
• Have you ever eaten the seedpods of Mallow weeds?
• Do you recognize any Mallow plants near you?
• Would you eat my grilled beet salad?

I eat a lot of wild plants and show you how, too. 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!

Thanks @progressivechef for creating the Steemit Iron Chef contest series. I haven't been able to be on Steemit much lately, but I can't miss the contest series! It's a great incentive! ;D

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Plant List

Common Mallow - Malva neglacta
Spearmint - Mentha spicata
Wild arugula - Diplotaxis tenuifolia
Italian Flat-leaf parsley - Petroselinum crispum
Lutz beets - Beta vulgaris

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Haphazard Homesteadforaging, gardening, nature, simple living close to the land
All content is 100% Haphazard Homestead!My YouTube channel: Haphazard Homestead