Food from the wild... or your front lawn

Huge bunches of long dandelion greens caught my eye at Wegmans the other day.  I passed on the purchase this time, but it got me thinking about all the little yellow flowers sprouting in my (chemical-free) yard. Could I eat the greens?  Well, yes, I learned, but they would be extremely bitter.  Apparently, the greens are more mild when picked before flowers emerge.  But don't worry.  Instead of the greens, you can pick the flowers and make dandelion wine.  I haven't tried it, so I can't vouch for any particular recipe.

Lots of edibles exist in our landscape, like nettles and lambsquarter.  If you're curious about foraging for food, try checking out a book like this one or this other one.  For more specific information on finding local edibles around Ithaca and Tompkins County, the online community IthaCan offers a way to connect with other foragers.