What's for Dinner, Fri., Nov. 18, 2022
Tonight I'll be making my fave vegetarian sandwich: slice of roasted eggplant, roasted tomatoes, melted mozzarella, chipotle mayo. Ciabatta.
I roasted tomatoes last night and the eggplant today. Everything in the pictures below was grown in my garden, all started by seed back in late February.
I roasted three sheets of eggplant, all dipped in flour, egg, and panko or cornmeal/Italian breadcrumbs.
Needless to say, I'll be freezing a couple packages of this.
Small tossed green salad with ruffly red tip lettuce and arugula.
Pineapple peach kombucha.
Dessert: up in the air about this at the moment. For sure decaf caramel nut dandelion root "coffee." 
= new reply since forum marked as read
It tasted like coffee. Very clear, rich color Thank you Euell Gibbons
I had some left over beans, made them yesterday. I was out of the house today and so glad I had something to heat and eat
Your produce and results are stunning
First, though, thanks for your comment on my produce/results. I found another 2 eggplants in the garden, so now I can make something like baba ganoush. I was putting insulation on the greenhouse door late this afternoon and couldn't believe it when I looked over and saw those two shiny eggplants. The foliage, which is now wilted from the cold, had previously hidden them when I picked produce the other day.
Can you tell about your experience roasting dandelion root and making coffee with it? Did you dig up the dandelions in your yard or did you buy the root? Also how did you get the idea to do it? Where did you get your instructions?
Also, what was your motivation? Love to hear about cooking adventures.
Hope I'm not too nosy! 
I got interested in wild food foraging. In 1973, we bought a 9.5 acre farm in Monroe County Ohio, which bordered on over 80 acres of woodland. When my husband's grandfather passed away, we were talking to some of his aunts and uncles. They told us about ramps. I had never heard of them. The week after they told us, we were hiking in the woods, and darned if we didn't see a plant that looked like how they described ramps. We showed my father-in-law, and he said it was a ramp, but he'd never seen one that big. The woods were full of them, beds undisturbed for years, if ever. For years after that, my in-laws would come over from WV and we'd all go hike and get ramps. I learned since that digging up the whole plant is very destructive, and I'm kinda glad we sold the land and moved.
The ramps got me interested in other wild food plants and I read every book I could get from the library. I stayed away from mushrooms, but looked for all of the other plants and roots. I feel like the farm acreage was seeded, because every time I went out to look for a plant, by golly, I found it. I read all 3 books written by Euell Gibbons, and he described how to make dandelion coffee in one of them. I dug up the roots from the lawn around the house, cleaned them, roasted them till they were dry and very dark brown, and then ground them in my food processor, then brewed it like coffee. I couldn't believe how much like coffee it tasted. In that time peroid, I made cough syrup from Colt's Foot and Ajuga, various teas, such as camomille and yarrow, made dried sugared violets to decorate a cake but the kids and their cousins ate them all. The violets were the only thing anyone would try. No one trusted my judgement. When we moved to town, I gave up my hobby, although I bought a pot of ajuga and planted it in the yard. it is a handy natural sedative, good to know
I don't remember the other books, but you could look for wild plant foraging and find some great resources. I highly recommend the books by Euell Gibbons. They are a treat to read. Thanks for asking. Hope I answered your questions without getting boring I enjoyed hearing about your finding more eggplants. I'll try those again next year. You sure have a green thumb!
I loved reading your story!! I will definitely check out the books by Euell Gibbons. I recall his name from decades back but had not read any of his books.
Foraging can certainly be a most interesting endeavor. I'm not surprised you were intrigued with it. The farm and the ramps were quite the adventure, as well as the other discoveries you made.
I had to look up Colt's Foot but I remembered Ajuga. Have never done anything with Colt's Foot but a friend a few blocks away has Ajuga. Some people complain about its aggressiveness once it gets in the lawn but I never could stand this purity thing about lawns. She's a pharmacist and a bit unconventional so she doesn't take that view. In fact, I'm going to mention to her about the plant's usefulness other than adding interest to the lawn. I wouldn't be surprised if she sees an application.
Regarding the dandelions, I am going to give that a shot. I have a long-handled dandelion digger. I don't have many dandelions on my property but the community gardens/school lawns are loaded with them. I would like to try it as a class project but I know better now. The science teachers I work with are scared of the school nurse. They wouldn't even let me give the students pumpkins at Halloween for fear of allergic reaction. I wanted the students to bring eggshells to smash up and put in the compost but they were afraid of that, too. 
How did the ramps taste? How did you cook them?
I've made yarrow tea a time or two for some ailment I had. I have quite a bit of it growing here. Have never been able to get enough chamomille to make a tea, so I ordered it and have a nice big stash of it in my tea cabinet. Just the other day, when reading my new book I've mentioned here, Fiber-Filled Cookbook, I was reminded of its value to digestion.
Years ago I wanted to be an herbalist. This was when I was young enough to do something like that. I had some fears about it, though, namely that it would be too much work, LOL. I had to leave room for my internet addiction.
I did, however, go to the annual herb conventions which were held in various parts of the country. I'll never forget one I went to in Dallas, when Martha Stewart was starting to become a national figure. In her convention speech, she pronounced "herbs" with an "H." Sitting in the audience, I debated whether I should touch base with her about being her speech coach.
At that convention I recall meeting two Dallas women who were very into gardening. They had some type of botanical business, but I can't recall what it was. They did things like make ivy leaf tablecloths for special occasions (yes, they glued ivy leaves to the tablecloth) and unusual arrangements for parties and events where the hosts wanted something different. That was their forte'. When they found out I was a northeasterner, they both looked at each other and yelled, "Moss!"
Puzzled, I asked, "Moss?" They responded that they were jealous because I could go anywhere and get moss, where they could not because of the hot and (then) dry climate of Dallas. And that is true. My neighbor is always having it removed from his garage roof and I ask him for it to put around the base of container plants. Gives a nice, finished look, especially to topiaries.
When I lived in CT, every weekend I would go to some nursery or herb farm. That is how I met Sal Gilbertie, of herb farm fame. I still smile when I see an herb at some establishment here and it has his name on the tag. He was a good friend but now the business has probably been taken over by his children. That was a long time ago.
Re your family not trusting your hobby except for the violets (I've candied them, too! Beautiful on cupcakes, cakes), I know I, too, thought twice about that when the RG would get oddball mushrooms with which to cook. He took a course in mycology when he lived in Italy.
His last mushroom adventure was to buy a particular type of mushroom at some gourmet grocery we went to. I nearly fainted when I saw the price was $750 a lb, but his purchase was only $21 because mushrooms are so light in weight. He then took the mushroom with us when we went out to dinner and he thought the chef would be thrilled with the opportunity to create some dish for him with it. The chef, however (even though it was a French restaurant), was simply befuddled at this request. 
Thanks for taking the time to write it all down.
WE'd have what everyone calls ramp roasts. Raw fried potatoes, in vegetable oil, with whole ramps piled on to wilt, as the potatoes were finishing. Soup beans, navy beans cooked with salt and pepper, hamburger patties, no buns, and horseradish. Lots of beer. The older family members said we all had to eat ramps, so we wouldn't smell them on the others. That's true. And they are stinky You have to wash them. They like rich, moist soil, so they are full of dirt when you harvest them. You can use the whole plant, just trim off the root. Around here, none of the critters eat them, but you often see (ah) evidence of wildlife, so wash them very well! We mostly used the ramps fresh, but also pickled them, or froze them. The inlaws would stuff whole ramps into jars and cover them with salt and vinegar. I'd cut off the leaves and pickle the bulb. My Mom loved them. They are a member of the allium family, and some people call them wild leeks. Always hard to describe their taste, but they are wonderful. I hear that restaurants in NY will offer them in the spring as a delicacy. Sometimes there are people who have collected ramps, and sell them, so I got some over the years from them.
The cough suppressant in Colt's Foot is still the main ingredient in most otc cough syrup. Guaifenesin. My Mom told me her dad drank yarrow tea to help his stomach.
I have never been to a convention, but had friends e who searched the woods for ginseng, morels, and other plants. I was working at the local library when I first heard of Martha Stewart. One of my co-workers went to see her in Cincinnati, and was thrilled with Ms. Stewart's ideas. Inspired by her visit to see Martha, my co-worker made zucchini bread with rose geraniums in the bottom of the pan. Beautiful result. Nover forgot it.
I don't know if I'd want to be an herbalist, because any time we cultivate plants, there is work I'm glad I looked into foraging when I did, because I can pass along things I learned if anyone is interested It's a shame there are so many food allergies to contend with. There is a post in the DU lounge with the OP describing results of their food allergy tests. You have me wondering if wild foods have less allergens than cultivated food, but it would be tough on someone to find out.
My yard is very diverse, full of wild plants. I have a lot of moss, at least 2 kinds. I have some grass, different kinds. In the spring, there are more violets and dandelions than grass The wildlife enjoy the sanctuary. I see squirrels, rabbits, groundhogs and birds.
It is cold here today, so the season for foraging is over, but happy Saturday! Thanks again for sharing your experience and insight. Always a pleasure.
Suffice to say, if you and I lived in proximity we would be talking up a storm for hours on end about plants, foraging, and cooking!
I'm saving these posts because they are so interesting and I want to try out the many ways you've used plants.
I bet we would!
Over dinner from your lovely garden