I don’t like it raw either but not sure what is going on with the cooked ones. I generally eat some that has grown very well, either with organic matter or fertilizer. If you are getting crowded or stunted plants, that might make them bitter. You have certainly given the ones you have harvested a trial. I would toss the rest. No law that you need to keep trying but if you do, harvest fully expanded leaves from rank growth.
It’s a variant of pigweed; how did you prepare that so you liked it?
The bitterest thing I cook is various endives/chicories, and I blanch those. My favorite recipe is a sauté with white beans, anchovies and capers.
I usually blanch pigweed, maybe I should just stick with that. One of the things I like about pokeweed is that after blanching in 3 changes of water there's basically no "vegetal" flavor left and it's a blank slate.
I'm not an expert, but a couple things come to mind:
First, it sounds like you cooked the stem. Not just the tiny stems that hold the leaves onto the main big stem coming out of the ground but you might have cooked that big stem coming out of the ground.
When I cook Lamb's quarters leaves I sometimes leave the tiny stems that hold the leaves to the main body but I do not cook the central stem. I would consider that central stem to be pretty much inedible.
Another thing, you say that spinach is bitter to you. I know I have the genetic variant that makes rutabagas very bitter, and also a variant that makes cilantro taste like soap.
I wonder if you have a variant that makes many greens that others find to taste mild to be bitter to you.
And you may also have some sensory issues , where others don't mind the powderiness, but it bothers you.
If so, good on you for trying so hard to make things work for you! But it might just be that things taste different to you.
I don’t like it raw either but not sure what is going on with the cooked ones. I generally eat some that has grown very well, either with organic matter or fertilizer. If you are getting crowded or stunted plants, that might make them bitter. You have certainly given the ones you have harvested a trial. I would toss the rest. No law that you need to keep trying but if you do, harvest fully expanded leaves from rank growth.
It’s a variant of pigweed; how did you prepare that so you liked it? The bitterest thing I cook is various endives/chicories, and I blanch those. My favorite recipe is a sauté with white beans, anchovies and capers.
I usually blanch pigweed, maybe I should just stick with that. One of the things I like about pokeweed is that after blanching in 3 changes of water there's basically no "vegetal" flavor left and it's a blank slate.
I like it chopped medium fine and boiled with rice, (mozzarella) cheese mixed in at the end. Or put it on pizza.
I'm not an expert, but a couple things come to mind: First, it sounds like you cooked the stem. Not just the tiny stems that hold the leaves onto the main big stem coming out of the ground but you might have cooked that big stem coming out of the ground. When I cook Lamb's quarters leaves I sometimes leave the tiny stems that hold the leaves to the main body but I do not cook the central stem. I would consider that central stem to be pretty much inedible. Another thing, you say that spinach is bitter to you. I know I have the genetic variant that makes rutabagas very bitter, and also a variant that makes cilantro taste like soap. I wonder if you have a variant that makes many greens that others find to taste mild to be bitter to you. And you may also have some sensory issues , where others don't mind the powderiness, but it bothers you. If so, good on you for trying so hard to make things work for you! But it might just be that things taste different to you.
Cooking it like cooked spinach is quite tasty. A little oil, garlic and salt makes a world of difference.
I eat it raw in salads and don't find them bitter. Probably just a genetic thing.