Edible Plants in New Mexico (Alamogordo, Dona Ana: for sale, buying, restaurant)

[songinthewind7]

Does anyone have any experience or advice on this?
I think it would be nice to walk through the woods and pick plants to have in a salad.
I was just wondering if any of you all have done this?

[SW Native]

I like to eat the berries off of prickly pear cactus. Mmmmmmm...

There's also this red flower that I have no idea what it is called that is good to pick and suck the nectar out of it.

Only 2 things I know of that are edible. Anyone else?

[chilegal]

New Mexico has a native plant society, with a chapter in Alamo. We were involved about 5 years back, and had the state chapter here. We served a dinner with different plants, very tasty. I have a cookbook from them that gives you many recipes. Not sure if the Chamber or visitor's center could give you info on it.

[Tim Rankin]

Song, the common yard-weed purslane has supposedly been used in traditional NM cooking for quite some time. It's called verdolaga. I've heard it even contains some omega-6 oils.

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by Tim Rankin

Song, the common yard-weed purslane has supposedly been used in traditional NM cooking for quite some time. It's called verdolaga. I've heard it even contains some omega-6 oils.

I have been trying to find the wild version here, but no luck. It came up volunteer in my tomato containers in Texas....and I'd go clip a few for my salad every day. It is really nutritious and tasty! I collected seed, and stuck it in a plastic container to bring with me. I forgot about it and left it on the front porch....

Here, I got some seeds for "garden purslane" and it's doing very well. It's supposed to be larger than the wild variety.

[songinthewind7]

Good input.
Please keep the ideas coming. I think I'm going to make this a hobby of mine but I don't want to eat anything poisonous by accident.
Thanks for the ideas so far.

Cheryl

[domino]

Asparagus can be found along the irrigation ditches in Dona Ana county. Probably not a native plant, but well established in the area and nice eating. You'll see lots of people out searching and picking it on their early morning or evening walks in the Spring or early Summer.

[mtncat]

Asparagus is also found in the Southern part of the state.
You can also find water cress, wild mint, onions, pinon nuts, choke cherries, elder berries, (and a mess of other berries) lambs ear, and a whole host of others that I can't recall right now

[tecpatl]

Cactus. Yes, you read right...cactus. The youngish paddles of prickly pear type cacti, with the spines cut off by a knife, are standard food in Mexico but I don't often see them for sale here, and NEVER in a "Mexican" restaurant around LC. Though you can get them jarred or canned, it's kind of like buying canned asparagus..not worth the effort. You can grill or poach them, slice them in strips and use anywhere you'd use green beans. Particularly good in a vinaigrette salad with some sharp cheese cubes added. Sometimes they have them at Albertsons or other grocery stores.
Here are a few sites with recipes and harvesting instructions to start with...google a zillion more.
GourmetSleuth - Nopalitos (Nopales)
La Fonda on Main’s Nopalito Salad
http://www.nopal-nopalitos.com/recipes.htm

[Cathy4017]

Lowe's here in Alamogordo had them packaged raw, so I got a package recently....made lentil-nopalito soup from them...and used some for my salad, too.

I cannot remember the name of the variety that is best for nopalitos--few or no spines, easily peeled, etc. I was reading an article on them, and found that that particular variety doesn't grow well here, so I didn't plant any.