Spring bounty: Humulus Lupulus

Raise your hands if you're exhuding joy from every pore of your skin 'just' because you live in the northern emisphere and spring is here at last! I know I am, ohhh yesss. Even if we're back to winter greyness, we all know it has a short life span, so, dear cold season, I am NOT bothered by your moods for I know warmth is near and so are all the flowers and fruits and bumblebees and... life! Life is back! Hooraaay!

Now, we all know that Italians (and, I hear, our 'cousins' the Greeks, too - any of you out there who can confirm?) just LOVE picking up wild herbs, fruit, veggies, mushrooms, anything edible in sight, whether it's from an open field, a city park or somebody else's garden (doesn't matter if we know the person or not - seriously, would you waste that apple about to fall on the pavement our side of the fence?!) and I will admit I am no different.

 Give me a chance, any chance, of bypassing the supermarket veg department and I'll take it. Armed with old plastic bags, scissors or swiss knife I can happily spend quite some time scavenging for food and run back home fully satisfied with my bounty, ready to turn it into a delicious meal. For free. Delicious and free? Seriously? Trust me:-)


So what did I pick up this time? The answer is 'urtizons'. U-what?? 'Urtizons' is one of the many dialectal terms by which 'Humulus Lupuls' is known and if you enjoy your beer, then you've certainly heard its common name: hops! So you've most likely drunk it before but have you ever considered eating this plant? Well, we have and commonly do.
It grows wild in so many places, but it prefers damp areas, like stream shores or old irrigation canals. The young sprouts are so sought after that if you're not quick enough, from one day to the next, the lovely bunch you've been patiently waiting for all winter may end up in the hands of a much quicker picker (usually someone who's looking non-fussed, pretending to be out for a mere walk but who happens to have a plastic bag in its pocket, how strange uh?). Luckily hops is so resourceful that two days later it'll produce another lovely bunch: heaps of hops then for everyone to enjoy!
Only, picking has its rules: never over-pick! Nature produces lovely food for us in abundance but only when we let her. If we deprive these plants from all their young shoots, there'll be none growing next year! So if you do go out picking wild herbs, please remember to leave always something behind and you'll assure the plant and yourself many crops for many years to come:-)

But how does it look like? Here's one (plus a typical place where you can find it):

As you can tell from the picture on the right, this yummy little shoot is a bit on the shy side and likes hiding from the keen Italian picker among brambles and nettles. One piece of advice I can give you, is to avoid wearing a knitted jumper on picking days, unless you're happy to come home with more holes in it than you can count, of course.

So, you've met them, picked them and washed them and now? I reckon simplicity is best when it comes to hops. 'Urtizons' have a very mild bitter flavour and pair well with eggs, rice or barley and any other preparation where you'd use wild spring herbs. Maybe a souffé if you can get it to rise, unlike me? Let me know if you do!

I opted for a quick and easy hops omelette, as I was hungry after all that walking and picking and didn't want to 'waste' time on more elaborate dishes. Luckily, tradition was on my side too and the result was as satisfying as expected!

So what about you? Do you ever go for herb-picking walks? Which types of greens do you gather and how do you use them?