Revolutionize your salad game with young beech leaves

You don't have to buy pre-made salad mixes or expensive arugula to enjoy a delicious salad. You can replace them with young beech leaves, which taste better than lettuce. Discover a simple trick for an extraordinary salad.

Spring has already settled in for good. Trees and bushes are already covered with their first leaves, and more and more young vegetables and spring greens are appearing at stalls. After a long winter, the body needs fresh vegetables and fruits that will provide it with valuable nutrients.

When temperatures are already in the low 10s (°C), we crave light and nutritious dishes, such as soups or salads. You don't have to buy a pre-made salad mix to prepare a delicious salad. Gather some young leaves from beech and lime trees, and you will prepare an extraordinary dish that will surprise you with its taste.

There is a lot of talk about edible flowers, which are served in fine-dining restaurants. Flowers serve as decorations and a unique twist to the meal. They are delicate and noticeably floral. The most popular edible flowers are marigold, pansy, chrysanthemum, and nasturtium.

However, there is another plant that can be used in the kitchen. These are young beech and lime leaves. What do lime leaves taste like? They are delicate and somewhat sweet, unlike beech leaves, which leave a noticeable, sour aftertaste. They can be used in many dishes but taste best in a salad. They can successfully replace lambs' lettuce, arugula, romaine, iceberg lettuce, or pre-made salad mixes.

If you want to take advantage of nature's gifts, go for a walk. Beech and lime leaves taste best in early spring, at the beginning of April. Collect both leaves and buds, which are very crunchy and will diversify your meal.

Young beech or lime leaves can replace a pre-made salad mix. Mix them with tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, or other favorite vegetables, and drizzle them with your favorite dressing. The possibilities are endless. If you dislike salads, put them on a sandwich or use them to prepare a healthy smoothie. Beech leaves abound in many valuable nutrients and pair excellently with citrus and berry fruits.

However, remember not to collect leaves from a tree close to a road. You probably don't want to eat exhaust fumes, do you? Look for trees away from the city center. It is worth going for a walk in a deciduous forest or park to do this.