Get your kids outdoors and make plantain crispies for a quick, nutritious snack

A healthy snack may be as close as the nearest weedy lot. Here is how to use a free, common edible plant to make a quick and easy treat.

by Leon Pantenburg

Want to get the kids outside? Suggest a foraging expedition, let the youngsters identify and pick some plantain, then take the leaves home and make some plantain crispies.

To me, spring means foraging for edible plants and looking for antler sheds. These activities are excuses for rambling in the woods, (as if I need one)! I frequently look for these items at the same time, and coming across some mushrooms is always a nice addition. But first, let’s talk about plantain, since that is the plant I foraged a few days ago. Plantain (the green, leafy kind, not the banana-like fruit) is frequently categorized as a “weed”, because it grows wild.

Plantain has long been considered by herbalists to be a useful remedy for cough, wounds, inflamed skin or dermatitis, and insect bites, according to Healthline.com. Bruised or crushed leaves can be applied topically to treat insect bites and stings, eczema, and small wounds or cuts.

Plantain is easy to identify and it grows just about everywhere.

 Here are some plant characteristics:

• Broadleaf Plantain (Plantago major) is also called Common Plantain.
• Plantain grows as a rosette from the ground, with the leaves all coming out of the same central spot.
• Broadleaf plantain leaves are broadly oval shaped, narrow leaf plantain leaves are thin and lance-like.
• Both types of plantain have five to seven long parallel veins running right down them. The lines in each leaf run from tip to base and are prominent and easy to see.

Put a plantain leaf on your burger and you get more nutrition along with great taste.

Here is how to make plantain crispies:

• • Wash the leaves thoroughly and pat them dry with a paper towel.
  • Place some parchment paper on a cookie sheet, and spread the leaves out in a single layer.
  • Drizzle or daub grapeseed oil on the leaves.
  • Sprinkle salt and your favorite seasonings on the leaves.
  • Bake at 350 degrees six to eight minutes, until the leaves are crispy.
  • Enjoy!

  More info on plantain

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