Backyard “Spring” Rolls with Creamy Scallion Dipping Sauce
These “Spring” Rolls feature foraged greens and flowers commonly found in Virginia - and my backyard. Sheep sorrel has a distinct leaf shape and tangy, lemony flavor much like spinach and rhubarb. Redbud trees and dandelion blooms are familiar to many people and abundant. Lime and garlic in the sauce enhance the citrus notes in the greens, making these a bright, refreshing appetizer or snack.
Yield: 4 rolls
Time: 20 minutes
1 c. loosely packed sheep sorrel
24-28 young dock leaves, about 3-4” long
20 dandelion flowers
¼ c. red bud flowers
2 medium carrots, peeled
1 8” long piece of English cucumber, unpeeled
1 oz. dry rice vermicelli, cooked and cooled
4 8” round rice paper wrappers
Optional garnish - additional sorrel leaves, dandelion flowers, and fresh wild violet flowers
Creamy Scallion Dipping Sauce
¼ c. mayonnaise
1 tsp. rice vinegar
1 tsp. lime juice
¼ tsp. low-sodium soy sauce
¼ tsp. grated fresh ginger
½ tsp. granulated sugar
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1½ tsp. finely chopped fresh scallions (white and light green parts only)
Combine all sauce ingredients thoroughly and refrigerate until serving time. (Can be made 1-2 days ahead.)
Prepare all the filling ingredients before starting roll assembly: Thoroughly rinse foraged greens and blossoms in cold water, drain, and pat dry with paper towels. If desired, lay them out on new paper towels and refrigerate briefly to allow additional drying. Prepare rice vermicelli according to package instructions, drain, and let cool to room temperature. Use a vegetable peeler to shave the carrot and cucumber into thin ribbons. Lay out all the filling ingredients on a platter before beginning to soak the rice paper wrappers. Once soaked, rice paper will quickly get soft, sticky, and difficult to handle so only soak and assemble one wrap at a time.
Soak and pat dry one rice paper wrapper according to package instructions and lay on your work surface. Starting at the end closest to you, layer the ingredients on the paper in a long, narrow stack about 2” from all the edges of the wrapper, beginning with dandelion flowers, then dock, carrot, vermicelli, red bud flowers, sorrel and cucumber. Lay the wrapper edge closest to you over the fillings then fold the left and right sides in over the filling (like rolling a burrito), making the roll as tight as possible without tearing the wrapper (the stickiness of the paper will only give you one try at this!) Gently roll the enclosed portion away from you to form a neat roll. Repeat with remaining wrappers and fillings. Serve immediately with dipping sauce. Leftover rolls do not store well.
Left image: Dock
Right image: Sheep Sorrel
In mid to late March, redbud trees are emerging and the tender shoots of many “weeds” are revealing themselves. It’s an ideal time of year to forage for a colorful array of wild edibles. Taking a beginner foraging class helped me realize I was missing a lot of what was in my own backyard, and I enjoyed noticing plants I’d previously overlooked.
Foraging for wild edibles can be great fun, but it needs to be done safely. Rule #1 - never eat something unless you are 100 percent certain of its identity. Once you've found a new plant, research what parts are edible and at first only eat small amounts until you are sure you don’t have an allergic reaction. (The same goes for new fruits and vegetables from the grocery store!) Take a hands-on class or find an experienced forager to learn from, get a good book with lots of pictures, be sustainable with harvesting, and be respectful of the land. You never know what you’ll discover in your own backyard!