A valuable and nutritious food plant found “everywhere”
n though widely regarded as an agricultural pest
Christopher Nyerges
Nyerges has been teaching ethnobotany since 1974. He is the author of “Guide to Wild Foods and Useful Plants,” “Foraging Wild Edible Plants of North America,” and other books on the uses of wild plants. He can be reached at www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com
Curly dock (Rumex crispus) is a European native that has today spread far and wide over North America. In general, it is regarded as an agricultural problem, since the roots are perennial and so the plant will appear year after year.
But in the post WWII era, dock was one of the widely used as a survival foods when normal agricultural foods were not available. And in Armenian cookery, curly dock is found in every kitchen.
Dock leaves are a bit sour when raw, and they turn bitter as they mature. So it is mostly the young leaves which are used in salads. The leaves can also be steamed like spinach, and served lightly seasoned, ideally mixed with other greens or vegetables. When cooking, the leaves turn from green to almost brown. The texture of the cooked leaves is slightly mucilaginous.
One of the favorite dishes of wilderness traveler John Watkins was a sauteed dish made from dock leaves, onions and tomatoes. He taught it to me and I have enjoyed it on many occasions.
To Armenians, the dock is known as wild sorrel or aveluk. Here’s how the leaves are typically processed for soup. The fresh leaves – often a foot long – are first braided and dried. Then, they can be stored until you are ready to use them. When making soup, cut the braid into one inch segments with scissors. Put them into a pot, cover with water, and boil. Drain the water.
At that point, you can use add whatever soup ingredients you want to the cooked aveluk. A basic recipe would be to add an ounce of the dried and cooked aveluk to a stock of garlic, potatoes, tomato, and canned chickpeas. You can puree the cooked blend, or not, as you wish. Though this one is based on a recipe by the chef Alan Bergo, you can try any variation that appeals to you.
Then there are the dock seeds. The plant begins its cycle by sending up a green flower spike, and by summer, each green seed matures to a chocolate brown. The seeds are clustered in threes, and each seed is attached to a papery wing. For food, you just collect the entire seed. When adding to pancake mix, I have simply blended the whole seed into the batter, and made pancakes.
If you want to make a more refined product, like crackers, bread, or waffles, you should take the seeds and grind them in a coffee grinder. Then, since there is no gluten, you can blend in some wheat flour so your batter will rise.
MEDICINE/NUTRITION:
100 grams of curly dock leaves, cooked, contains 66 mg. of calcium, 41 mg. phosphorus, 338 mg. of potassium, 119 mg of Vitamin C, and 12,900 I.U. of Vitamin A – that’s a lot!
The seeds are likewise nutritious, though perhaps not one of the most nutritious seeds. An analysis of 100 grams shows about 60 to 70 grams carbohydrates, 12 to 16 grams of dietary fibre, 10 to 11 grams of fibre, and from 1.5 to 3.5 grams of fat, primarily the beneficial polyunsaturated fatty acids. This volume of the seed can contain up to 500 mg. of calcium, though this can vary widely depending on soil conditions. There is about 5 to 10 mg. of iron, a significant amount of phosphorus, and a moderate amount of Vitamin A and C.
In his book “Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern and Central North America,” author Sam Thayer says out that the mature seeds of dock can be removed from the chaff and eaten. He points out that it is best to separate the seed from the chaff, since the chaff has little food value. He also suggests leaching (by boiling) the seeds before using because they are usually bitter.
In “Herbal Medicine of the American Southwest,” author Charles Kane writes “Yellow dock is an old-school alterative. Its primary use is as an intestinal wall tonic. The plant has the ability, through its beneficial effect on small intestinal fat absorption, to lessen many skin and lymph irregularities…. Moreover, the plant improves absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.” Kane also describes using the leaves externally for rashes, largely due to the tannins in the dock leaves.
Fresh leaves of curly dock can be crushed and rubbed on areas of the skin that have gotten “stung” by nettles, to relieve the stinging.
In Western herbalism, the root is often used for treating anemia, due to its high level of iron. In the health food trade, it is sold as “yellow dock.” Herbalists the world-over use the root for many physical ailments. I suggest reading Michael Moore’s “Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West” for more details.
Though a European native, this plant is now common and widespread. It is found in agricultural lands, swamps, fields, gardens, ditches, and vacant lots. Though it prefers wet soils, it can be found in most environments.
Curly Dock is a member of the Buckwheat Family, which has 48 genera and about 1200 species worldwide. One such genus is Rumex, which has approximately 200 species world-wide, with about 63 species of Rumex in North America. The seeds and cooked leaves of most species of Rumex can be eaten, but they are not all readily-palatable.
DESCRIPTION:
Curly dock is most easily recognized by the conspicuous chocolate or coffee-brown seed stalk of autumn which can grow to about four feet tall. The seeds are clustered in threes and are attached to papery wings.
The dark green leaves are lanceolate-shaped with a wavy or curly margin, which gives it the “curly” part of its name. The leaves can measure up to a foot long.
The root looks similar to an orange carrot, though it is knottier, and darker in color.
Like many members of the buckwheat (Polygonaceae) family, dock seeds and leaves contain varying amounts of oxalic acid. Ingesting excess oxalates can interfere with calcium absorption, so moderation is recommended, especially for individuals prone to kidney stones or gout.
RECIPES:
Sweet, Sour, And Salty
2 cups white or red onions, coarsely chopped
2 cups tomatoes, diced
2 cups dock leaves, cleaned and chopped
Garlic salt
Butter
Add about 2 tablespoons of butter to your cast-iron or stainless steel skillet. Sauté the onions until they are thoroughly cooked. Don’t rush this step—cook them until the actually become “sweet.” Keep a lid on the skillet during cooking.
Now add the diced tomatoes, cover, and let cook for about 3 minutes. Add the chopped dock leaves, stir in well, cover, and let cook until the dock leaves have turned from bright green to a brownish-green. That will be approximately 5 minutes.
This simple vegetable mix has a delicious flavor, combining 3 different flavored foods that complement each other quite well. This was a favorite of John Watkins, a wild food forager (among other professions) who grew up in the South.
Rim of the World Lunch (Creamed Dock)
2 cups dock leaves, cooked
1 cup mustard leaves, cooked
1/2 onion, cooked and diced
2 tablespoons whole wheat or potato flour
3/4 cup milk (can be made from powdered milk)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
Cook the mustard and dock leaves and measure out the correct amount of the cooked leaves. Chop well.
Melt the butter in a skillet (with a lid) and add the flour. Mix well, and then add the onion (already cooked and chopped fine), chopped greens, and the milk. Stir and cover for about five minutes.
Serve with salt to taste.
Serves three.