Enjoy!
The Definition of a Weed:
The definition of a weed is "a plant out of place." OK, if that's true, think about this for a second.... If a dandelion is a weed in a home lawn, grass is a weed on a dandelion farm! (Where they grow dandelion greens.)
Weed Harvesting Guidelines
1. Only harvest weeds that you can positively identify and know to be edible. The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants, by the Department of the Army is a good reference, if you aren't sure.
2. Avoid picking weeds close to roadways. They'll have absorbed exhaust fumes and road run off.
3. Avoid harvesting weeds in areas that may have been contaminated by animal feces.
4. Do not pick weeds from yards that have been treated with pesticides or herbicides.
5. Only eat the parts of plants that you know to be edible. Many edible plants have non-edible – and sometimes poisonous – parts.
Edible Weeds: What's in It for You
Not only will you be saving money on herbicides by tolerating edible weeds, but you'll also be saving money that would otherwise be spent on conventional edible plants from the supermarket.
However, the benefits of appreciating edible weeds go beyond saving money. For one thing, you won't have to worry about the potential harm that herbicides can cause children, pets or wildlife. Moreover, you'll develop a closer relationship with nature, one that will encourage you to stop to smell the roses. You'll find that your study of the edible weeds in your lawn will put you in closer touch with seasonal changes, botany and history. For instance, did you know that the dandelion, ubiquitous in North America, is not native to this continent, but introduced from Europe? Settlers brought it across the Atlantic precisely because it is an edible weed (with medicinal properties to boot).
Caveats in Harvesting Edible Weeds:
Of course, not all weeds are edible plants. In fact, some are quite poisonous! Consequently, proper identification is essential. Don't underestimate the complexity and potential danger involved:
* Never ingest a weed without first being certain that it is an edible plant! Books and the Web can help you with identification of edible weeds; but better yet, contact your local wildflower society or similar source for expert guidance.
* Just because a particular plant is an "edible weed," that doesn't mean that every part of it should be eaten. In some instances of "edible weeds," just the root or leaf, e.g., should be eaten.
* Likewise, some "edible weeds" must be cooked first -- never eat them raw!
Nor is that all. Consider the fact that "edible weeds" are only as safe as their growing conditions. For instance, avoid harvesting edible weeds in an area that has been subject to:
* Past or present herbicide use
* Road salt
* Pet waste
Edible Weeds! Local, Free & Nutritious
“Weeds are not the enemy. Rather, they provide solutions to global hunger, rising food costs, escalating malnutrition and other maladies of modern living.”
So says Dr. Peter Gail, Director of Goosefoot Acres Center for Resourceful Living in Cleveland. The ethnobotanist presents Edible Weeds Workshops throughout the United States, providing hands-on culinary sessions which introduce skeptics to the hidden nutritional, medicinal and tasty wonders of 10 common weeds.
Any invasive plant that grows where it’s unwelcome is considered a weed. But nature’s 10 best weeds, according to Gail, were intentionally brought to this country by European settlers who wouldn’t have survived their meager first years in America otherwise.
“Weeds are your real one-a-day-vitamin pills,” Gail says. “Everything you need to survive is growing right between your two feet on any ordinary lawn or vacant lot. There are actually 3,000 edible wild plants I’ve identified which are abundant, nutritious and enjoy a 10-12 month growing season.”
Here are Nature’s 10 Best Weeds, according to Gail:
1) The Dandelion, whose flowers, stems, roots and leaves offer nearly 17 times more vitamin C than citrus fruits. In addition, dandelion ‘bitters’ offer intestinal benefits that calm acid reflux, flatulence and other digestive discomforts.
2) Wild Violets, whose flowers and leaves are nature’s second-most abundant source of Vitamin C, after rose hips. These make attractive and delicately-flavored additions to salad.
3) Purslane, a fleshy-leafed plant found in most vegetable gardens, should not be pulled out and thrown away. The leaves are good fresh in salads or salsas, or dried and used later in soups. They are a prime source of Omega-3 fatty acids (for those who detest fish oil pills, purslane is a nutritional substitute.)
4) Mallows (not marshmallows) are usually found along outbuildings and garages. Used in salads or cooked in soup, the leaves are good for settling upset stomachs and help cure constipation. Hollyhocks, Rose of Sharon, hibiscus and dwarf mallow are all members of the mallow family.
5) Lambs Quarters is a basic wild green that tastes like spinach but offers even more nutritional benefits. The leaves can be used in any spinach recipe, and those eating it won’t recognize the difference. It’s a gourmet survival food.
6) Amaranthus (Red Root Pigweed) seeds can be crushed into flour for nutrient-rich bread. (You can find amaranthus bread in area health food stores and bakeries.) The wild green can also be used as a spinach substitute.
7) Plantain is called “Poor Man’s Bread By the Way” in England because the seeds were gathered by hobos and made into a gruel and flatbread. Its leaves are even more valued as a poultice to combat the effects of poison ivy, skin rashes and wounds. Plantain tea is said to cure the urge to smoke.
8-10) Sheep Sorrel, Curly Dock & Oxalis are all classed as spinach substitutes, but are generally sour, giving dishes a lemony flavor. The stems and leaves offer up a refreshing, lemony taste that’s good in salad, soup or steamed mixed greens.
... to be continued....
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