smoothie fodder

Gail H

I went out before breakfast this morning and gathered a bunch of random stuff to put in a smoothie. My assortment included: a lone squash blossom, dandelion flowers, red and white clover flowers, plantain, celery leaves, wood sorrel and quite a few Indian strawberries. I incorporated them into a smoothie with more conventional ingredients. Are there other things you can think of to put in a smoothie that will add some nutrition and bulk but not an overpowering taste?

blevinandwomba

Hmm, maybe some edible flowers like violets or roses? Lemon balm or one of the milder mints?

JodieDownUnder

I know you mentioned you didn't want an overpowering taste but I would also include garlic and ginger. Both are great for immune support and ever since I learnt that when you cook garlic it loses its medicinal qualities, I've been eating it raw. So now every morning when I make my smoothie I add a clove of garlic. Actually I'll list my smoothie ingredients. Coconut milk, hemp oil, banana or blueberries, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, garlic clove, teaspoon of either ashwaganda or rhodiola powder and my Vital all in one, (2 heaped teaspoons of vitamins, minerals, probiotics, herbs and superfoods) my daily serve.

Torey

If you are out wild foraging: Violets leaves. One leaf has the RDA of Vitamin C. Chickweed (but cut it up so the stems don't mess up the blender blades). Lamb's Quarters (you can probably get this in your garden). Purslane (again, probably in your garden). Raspberry leaves. Alfalfa. Rose hips (deseeded). Fireweed (blossoms and leaves). Rose petals. Many other wild flowers. Lots of wild fruits depending on where you live. Douglas Fir Needles (grind them in your blender first before adding other ingredients) have a citrusy taste.

From your garden: Parsley. Mints (lots of different scented ones) or Catnip. Scented Sages (Pineapple sage, Honeydew Melon Sage, Reach Sage, etc.). Linden flowers. Bee Balm (you may be able to forage this in the wild in some areas).

silvertipgrizz

@Gail H Chia seeds

seeker.nancy - Central Texas

I heard someone speak, not sure who of course lol, about drying leaves of plants before the freeze and powdering them for greens addition to smoothies during the winter. So I dried lamb's quarter, turnip, moringa, Swiss chard, beet and something else which I can no longer read lol. Not only was it not bad, it actually added a pleasant note to the oatmeal. So of course it would be great in a smoothie as well. Now there are probably lots of things available fresh but come January...unless you garden inside also...slim pickings. I also love cacao powder and some type of raw nuts (better if soaked unless you don't mind small chunks) and flax seed meal which will thicken it in about 2-5 minutes. Swiss chard fresh has a very mild taste in a smoothie and greens like orach, beets, tatsoi (I'm hoping lol, once the plants get big enough) and probably a myriad of herbs - tulsi is a good one. The varieties and combinations are almost endless. Happy hunting!

Gail H

@seeker.nancy Drying greens and powdering them is a wonderful idea! I was wondering how to incorporate nettles into my smoothies.

vickeym

Wow, this is great. Being newish to the herbal and wild foraging, I would never have thought to add most of this to a smoothie. Can't wait till my herbs are big enough to start harvesting them. I have used some of these in salads and in tinctures, but a smoothie would be an easy way to add a lot of nutrients in one serving. Thank you all for sharing and Thank you Gail H for bringing this question up in the first place.

dipat2005

Wow! a lot of great ideas that I never thought about. I had a smoothie one day with celery in it and it was very tasty. I usually do a fruit smoothie and add frozen bananas and strawberries, green powder, gelatin powder or collagen powder if I have it. I cannot add nuts (it adversely affects my pseudo gout).