THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2000
A 'dandi' way to use wild plants and herbs
By Vicki Hunker
Staff Writer
Dandi-burgers, nettle fritters and sorrel soup are high on the list of favorite foods for Peggy Dolinger.
What's more, she searches out the main ingredients herself.
"My favorite thing about herbs is foraging," she said. "It's just phenomenal what's out there."
"Dandi-burgers" are made from yellow dandelion heads; sorrel soup from a plant called sorrel; and "nettle fritters" are made from nettles -- the same nettles that make people itch if they touch them.
"They're more nutritious than broccoli or spinach," Dolinger said.
A few examples of other "weeds" Dolinger can make into a meal include amaranth, lambsquarters and wintercress.
But those are only a few of the variety that can be found in the woods or in many back yards.
She said some plants thought of as weeds today were brought to the United States by early immigrants to put in their vegetable gardens. They were used in everyday life for food and home medicines.
However, she said lots of information on the use of herbs and wild plants wasn't passed down to the next generation after the dawning of the Industrial Age.
"We lost so much information at the end of World War II," she said.
For example, Dolinger said farmers could cultivate and market lambsquarters.
"If farmers would grow them instead of get rid of them there's a market for them," she said.
The plant is much more nutritious than iceberg lettuce -- the type of lettuce most people think of.
"Lettuce is an expensive way to transport water from California to here," she said.
Foraging is a year-round activity.
"There are plants that are in their prime in the middle of winter," she said. And, of course, most plants are growing from spring through fall.
There are things, she said, people must know before foraging on their own in addition to identifying plants. People shouldn't forage near roadways or near fields sprayed with chemicals.
Those are some of the things she teaches spring through fall -- how to find edible plants, how to tell edible from toxic plants, and how to use them in cooking.
In addition to foraging, Dolinger hosts guest instructors who teach other classes at her home. She and her husband Jim are turning their 5 acres at 14943 TH 44, Wharton, into Dry Gulch Center and Retreat. The name "Dry Gulch" was derived from a creek running through their property that often runs dry in the summer, she explained.
Her dream is to turn her yard into a multi-purpose area where people can go for a serene, peaceful afternoon; take classes given by herself or others; or rent for private meetings.
"I want it to be so calm and so peaceful and so pleasing to the eye that people can just come and relax," she said.
Last year, they added a pond and started a water garden to go with the herb gardens, Oriental garden and others already in their yard. She has various types of herb gardens she uses for cooking, medicinal uses and soap-making.
"Our goal this year is to build a log cabin," she said, which could be used as a meeting room. She foresees renting the cabin to groups and catering meetings with her herb-based cooking.
It wasn't until 1992 that Dolinger began to learn about herbs and botany when a high school classmate rekindled her interest.
"I think I've always had an interest, but it didn't come to the surface until a few years ago," she said. "I was into my 40s before I knew what I wanted to do with my life."
Dolinger has taught herself much of what she knows by reading books by experts on the subject and attending many workshops and classes. She's currently taking an extensive course in herbology.
Unfortunately, she said colleges don't have degrees in the course of study she wants.
"It's a matter of gathering information from here and there over the years," she said.
In addition to herbs, Dolinger is interested in learning to make baskets from natural materials. She's been working on making rope and baskets from cattails.
She also teaches a class on making soap.
"My interest is all of these outdoors-related things -- all of these primitive activities," she said. "I like to do everything old -- everything the way it used to be."
While her two daughters were growing up, she was busy shuttling them to activities and just "being a mom."
She did, however, learn to quilt during those years.
"Now I'm really going gung ho into what I want to do," she said. "There's so much out there that people don't know."
What she's learned through foraging has made her more confident.
"That is such a comforting feeling," she said. "You'll never starve. The earth has everything that I need. I'm still learning what it has but it gives me such great pleasure. I love it."