Welcome to the first edition of Backyard Botanist. Each week I will be introducing you to a new edible plant that can be plucked from your own backyard, roadside, or forest. I feel like this might be a Wednesday thing, but we'll see. As I share with you how to properly identify each plant, I will also share a simple recipe. It's a wonderful feeling, plucking food from nature, when we have been conditioned to think that these 'weeds' are simply a nuisance. I digress. So, let's move on, shall we?
We'll begin this segment with Curly Dock (Rumex Crispus).
I'm from SW Illinois. Curly dock is literally EVERYWHERE. On the map above, green represents where curly duck is indigenous, and purple represents where the plant had been introduced. A field beyond my backyard is incredibly plentiful so I thought this plant worth looking into. There are upwards of 200 species of docks and sorrels, which can be perennial, biennial, and annual. All species are considered edible. The plants themselves are cosmopolitan, growing just about everywhere in the world. Once dock plants get established, they really take over. Prolific seed production, combined with a weedy persistence that just needs the smallest crack to thrive. Add in a perennial growth habit, and you’ve got a recipe for a persistent weed…that just happens to be a good wild food source in both the country and city.
Dock plants are abundant much of the year, which is especially convenient when you’re foraging in the winter or late fall when other foods are scarce. The seed stalks persist through the winter months, and since they’re quite tall they’ll remain visible and available above the snow. Dock plants are perennials, which means they re-sprout from the same spot year after year. In the very late winter and early spring, the new dock plants will sprout and begin to form leaves right under last year’s seed stalks. As that new green growth begins, last year’s seeds are often still clinging to the stalk. Since dock seeds persist all the way until the spring greens sprout, their form allows you to keep foraging during an otherwise bleak early spring mud season. I always spy these in the spring landscape, long before the first dandelion blossoms.
Dock seeds are readily available in the wild, and they can be ground into a wild foraged flour with minimal preparation. While some of the foraged “flour” you can make seems a bit of a stretch, dock is actually a distant relative of buckwheat. The seeds have a similar taste, can be toasted and ground into a wild foraged gluten-free flour.
With two kiddos in the house, this year’s foraging often means crafting wild foraged treats to peak a little one’s excitement. Foraging with kids can be a challenge, but there’s nothing like bringing back a haul and then spending a bit of quality time in the kitchen making wild foraged cookies as a family.
Often the “flour” you can harvest in the wild isn’t exactly what we’d call flour in the grocery store. Red clover flour, for example, is made from a blossom rather than a grain, so it’ll cook very differently. Similarly, pine bark flour or birch bark flour are made from tree bark, not grain. If you want real “flour” you need to harvest seed and dock seeds fit the bill nicely.
The plants themselves are cosmopolitan, growing just about everywhere in the world. Dock plants are perennials, which means they re-sprout from the same spot year after year. In the very late winter and early spring, the new dock plants will sprout and begin to form leaves right under last year’s seed stalks. As that new green growth begins, last year’s seeds are often still clinging to the stalk.
Identification: 
The rumex is an erect plant, with fleshy almost leathery leaves that tend to form a 1 ft. basal rosette from a long taproot. Naturalized in North America but introduced from Europe, curled dock is considered the best to eat. It is a robust plant that grows 1.5 to 5 ft tall.
Flowers:
The small flowers emerge in dense hanging whorled clusters (1/8-inch) that are reddish, green, or white. These flowers grow at the top of long stalks, which develop into tiny, smooth, dry, one-seeded, 1/6-inch fruit.
Leaves:
The leaf of the curled dock is oval to arrow-shaped, dull green, hairless, approximately 6 inches long and 1 inch wide. Typically, these leaves are narrower at the tips and rounded with curled leaf margins.
Edible parts of this plant include seeds, leaves, stems, and roots (for tea). So, this is a pretty useful plant, all around.
Medicinally, Rumex Crispus may have a laxative effect, and astringent qualities to help clean the liver.
How To Harvest And Eat:
Leaves of the curled dock are edible raw or cooked. Some consider them to have a tart or bitter flavor. Removing the leaf stem and core, like you would with kale, improves the flavor and texture. Stems can be peeled and eaten, a great addition to chopped salads. Though the seeds can be tedious and hard to prepare, they can be ground into a flour substitute or roasted and used as a coffee substitute. Who knew, right?
Warning:
The sap of these leaves may cause dermatitis. High in soluble oxalates, which may be detrimental to livestock. Oh and let's not forget that the seeds may be toxic to chickens. So keep your
Now that we've established how to identify and harvest the curled dock, let's head over to that recipe I promised. Segue!!
Dock Seed Four 
While some of the foraged “flour” you can make seems a bit of a stretch, dock is actually a distant relative of buckwheat. The seeds have a similar taste and can be toasted and/or ground into a wild foraged gluten-free flour. Often the “flour” you can harvest in the wild isn’t exactly what we’d call flour in your local grocery store. Red clover flour, for example, is made from a blossom rather than a grain, so it’ll cook differently. Similarly, pine bark flour or birch bark flour are made from tree bark, not grain. If you want real “flour” you need to harvest seed and dock seeds fit the bill nicely.
Harvest brown, dried seed-heads in fall using what has been dubbed the "squeegee method": use your fingers, and gently running along the seed stalk, pull the seeds off into a container. Each seed has a husk. To winnow the seeds from the chaff (husk), use a large, flat container with side edges, toss lightly to allow the chaff to separate. Crush a bit if needed. You will not be able to get all the chaff removed from the seeds, but it will add extra fiber. I usually grind the whole seed and chaff into flour and get a bit of extra fiber in my diet. The chaff of dock seed doesn’t have much in the way of nutrition, but it won’t hurt you and it’ll help add bulk to your diet. Dock seeds can be used whole to make dock seed crackers, but for most purposes, it’s better to grind it into flour. Dock seed flour can be used when baking. Also, it does not contain gluten or any other binding agent.
The flour can be substituted into your recipes for about up to 1/4 of the flour in the recipe. Keep in mind that it doesn’t have gluten, so the bread won’t rise as high and the texture will be heavier. It’s best to use it in things like crackers or brownies where a heavy texture works well.
Once home after gathering my seeds, I place the seeds, with husks, on a cookie sheet and placed this outside in the sun for an hour or so. This way, any little critters may take their leave. I then roasted my seeds at 350°F for 4 – 5 minutes giving the seeds a nutty flavor. This also helps to achieve a finer grind.
After cooling, the next step is to grind the seed. I used my Ninja Blender, but a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle would work as well.
Be sure to grind your flour fine enough or you will chance the brownies being a little gritty. Give the grinding process a little extra time to get the flour nice and powdery. I found that 5 cups of seed and husks made about 1 cup of roasted and ground flour.
Dock Seed Brownies 
Tip #1. As I mentioned above, be sure to grind your dock seed flour fine. It will make a big difference in the texture of the brownies.
Tip #2. Use room temperature eggs. The whites and yolks will combine more easily and a lighter texture will result. The recipe results in a chewy brownie, but the heavier dock flour can stand to lighten up a little. Placing the eggs in a bowl of warm water will quickly bring them to room temperature.
Tip #3. Beat those eggs for 5 minutes. Yes, 5 minutes. This, again, will compensate for the heaviness of the dock flour.
Ingredients:
1 cup butter softened
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup coconut sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs room temperature
1/2 cup dock seed flour
1/4 cup flour of your choice or use all dock seed flour
3/4 cups cocoa powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cups chopped nuts (optional)
Instructions
Heat your oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom of an 8 x 8, or 9 x 9 baking pan. Cream the butter, maple syrup, coconut sugar and vanilla extract together. Add eggs and beat on high speed for 5 minutes. (Don't skip this important step). Combine the dock flour, cocoa, and salt. Add this to the egg mixture and beat on low until just blended. Do not over blend. At this point, you will stir in nuts, if you are using them. Spread the batter into the greased pan and bake for 35–40 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow your dish to cool before cutting the brownies into squares.
So, there you have it. The first installment of Backyard Botanist. I hope you've enjoyed as this will be a weekly thing. Do with it what you will and have a blessed night.
- Melissa