Quelites guisadas: a thick stew of wild greens with onion, garlic, tomato and jalapenos. The tortillas can be a vehicle, or they can be layered with cheese, toasted and garnished with your favorite fixings to make tacos de quelites.
One of the most magical moments this weeks has been unearthing this wonderful Epazote root from its pot, where it had grown wild for a year, and actually was overpowering the poor Caña Santa (Lemongrass), who was the original inhabitant of the pot.
This root will be used on my herbal powders and oils, for protection, hex-breaking, banishing, and much more – Epazote is one of my strongest herbal allies, and has been since I was a child, and my grandmother used to make me and my sister have a cup of its tea before breakfast.
n363_w1150 by Biodiversity Heritage Library
Via Flickr:
Icones plantarum medico-oeconomico-technologicarum cum earum fructus ususque descriptione =. Wien :herausgegeben von Ignatz Albrecht und verlegt bey Phil. Jos. Schalbaecher ...,[1800]-1822.. biodiversitylibrary.org/page/6209571
[EXACTLY. WE ADD A LITTLE BIT OF WATER. OKAY. AND THEN WE ADD JUST A LITTLE SALT. OKAY. WE HAVE TO ADD THE EPAZOTE. I KNOW EPAZOTE. YOU CAN'T FIND THAT VERY OFTEN. YOU'RE JUST GONNA LET THAT STEEP IN THERE... EXACTLY.]
The following herbs are burned in some Caribbean traditions to ward off malevolent ghosts and other troublesome spirits:
Epazote [Chenopodium ambrosides]
Grannybush (Croton linearis; known locally as rosemary, this is botanically distinct from the rosemary native to the Eastern hemisphere, Rosmarinus officinalis)
Guinea weed [Letheria alliacea]
Spiritweed [Eryngium foetidum]
Water marigold or waterweed [Medilia gracilis]
Burn one or a combination of these herbs in a pan, wafting the smoke as needed.
(from The Element Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells by Judika Illes)
QUESADILLAS. Dejémonos de pendejadas: las quesadillas llevan queso. Y las mías, algo más. Setas: van cortadas en rajas y salteadas con tremenda manteca de puerco, sal, aromático y medicinal epazote y un travieso toque de salsa de soya. Pero la cosa no termina ahí porque después le añado una cucharada de pasta de chile pasado (viva Chihuaha). La tortilla, natural y lógicamente, es de harina, siempre. Al final integro una rajita de portentoso aguacate y salsa martajada de tomate y jalapeño rojo. Putamadre, qué cosa. De México para el mundo. No, para el mundo se queda corto: para el puto universo. Los extraterrestres ya están preparando su viaje a la México para probar nuestra cocina. Bien. El punto es que los espero en la Fonda San Francisco, donde se sirven cosas de admirar y de las cuales se hablará por décadas. El teléfono-whatsapp es el 8119577070. Dígale a Chela que le separe mesa. Estamos sobre la calle de Manuel González 115, entre Vasconcelos y Garza Ayala, en el centro de San Pedro y somos felices, Oh, tan cabronamente felices. Acá nos vemos. #guisosvergas #cocinamexicana #cocinaregional #quesadillas #epazote #setas #chilepasado #chihuahua #monterrey #nuevoleón #alvtodo https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl709weO5Qw/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
In order of appearance (how do you put text INTO the video 😭):
Fig
Polarberry (it's supposed to be a thornless, pale colored blackberry but it is actually A LIE this mfer is Covered in thorns and has nary a berry in sight after two years of living with me. Fuck him!)
Lavender (grown from seed my high school mate gave me in a seed exchange!)
Alpine mignonette strawberries (grown from seed I bought 2 years ago. Yeah she a pandemic baby and I love her I do 🥺)
Sage! Grown from seed since 2017!
Low tin planter 1: more alpine mignonette strawberries, these ones are earmarked for @farfrompleasant and Freyja I honestly will mail this whole box to ya house when you move
2: rando tomatoes I found w genovese basil (think these seeds failed, which is kinda rude for year two for an annual type 😕)
3: a mistake of an over-planting of epazote... I can't really defend myself here, twas a boo-boo
4: more mystery tomato volunteers with Thai basil (these seeds were great, from the Asian supermarket, top notch germination rate 👍)
5: all stars strawberries, I bought these bare root shoots in 2020 and I mean they're fine but considering how easy the AM strawberries were to grow from seed I regret spending the money on starts 😒
I live in west Texas, in a border town. I have been to a dozen stores in the last 10 days, looking for epazote. Have I found any? That’s a big ole NOPE. I shake my head.