Inspiring Salad Creations II: Roots and Shoots

The second salad of the week, as I continue to try to stay inspired in my salad making, is topped with thin slices of burdock root, radishes and mung bean sprouts.

Burdock is an excellent spring tonic that is nutritive and supportive of the liver. It grows as a weed in a lot of places. It often grows near nettles, actually, and the crushed leaves of the plant applied to nettle stings will lessen the sting. There’s a cute little folk saying about it:

     Dock in, nettle out

     Dock rub the nettle out

Around where I live, though, it must be cultivated so I’ve never had the occasion to try the leaves for stings while out gathering nettles.

Burdock, radish and mung bean sprouts all support the body’s elimination systems. This is really nice after a winter of heavy warming foods like meats, stews, and fats. And this year, I’ve been eating plenty of those, so this salad feels refreshing. I feel like spring now.