More Edible Weeds

[IdahoHerbalist]

Got weeds? Then, you’ve got dinner. Take a closer look at the weeds growing in your yard, and you’ll find that many of them are edible, delicious and nutritious. Here are 12 edible weeds to locate and try:

Blackberries

Edible Parts: Fruit, leaves and roots

When to Harvest: Late summer

Uses: Eat fruit fresh or use in jams, syrups and baked goods. Use leaves or root bark to make tea.

Burdock

Edible Parts: Roots and stalks

When to Harvest: Spring through fall

Uses: Use young stalks in place of artichoke hearts. Use cooked roots in soups and casseroles.

Cattails

Edible Parts: Shoots, flower heads and pollen

When to Harvest: Late spring

Uses: Eat peeled shoots raw and in salads; add them to stir-fry; or enjoy them cooked. Boil young female flowerheads, and eat them like corn. Use pollen in place of flour.

Chicory

Edible Parts: Flowers, leaves and roots

When to Harvest: Spring through fall, but leaves and blossoms are best when harvested young

Uses: Use in the same manner that you would use dandelions.

Dandelions

Edible Parts: Flowers, leaves and roots

When to Harvest: Spring through fall, but leaves and blossoms are best when harvested young

Uses: Add leaves and flowers raw to salads. Sautee the leaves; make dandelion wine or jelly out of the blossoms; or use the roots to make a coffee substititute.

Japanese Knotweed

Edible Part: Young shoots

When to Harvest: Early spring before the plant gets woody.

Uses: Use shoots in place of rhubarb. Steam it. Add it to soups; use it to make jam; or try it in baked desserts.

Lamb’s Quarters

Edible Parts: Leaves and stems

When to Harvest: Mid-spring to late fall

Uses: Add raw to salads. Sautee and serve as a vegetable. Use in place of spinach.

Plantain

Edible Parts: Leaves and seeds

When to Harvest: Spring through fall

Uses: Add young leaves to salads. Sautee older leaves. Eat seeds raw or roasted.

Purslane

Edible Parts: Leaves, stem, flowers and seeds

When to Harvest: Summer

Uses: Add raw to salads; toss in soups; boil it; or sautee it.

Red Clover

Edible Parts: flowers

When to Harvest: Late spring through summer

Uses: Add raw to salads. Steep for tea. Toss in soups.

Stinging Nettle

Edible Parts: Young stems and leaves (after boiling)

When to Harvest: Spring

Uses: Leaves must be boiled to destroy stinging hairs. Use in soups, pasta dishes or other cooked dishes. Steep for tea.

Wild Violet

Edible Parts: Flowers and leaves

When to Harvest: Spring

Uses: Add to salads. Use atop baked goods as decoration.

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.

[AnnettStudent]

I’m trying to decide where to put some blackberries in my yard. I have read that they are invasive and quite a nuisance. Which species would you recommend that is the best?

[IdahoHerbalist]

Yes, they can be invasive. We have found that most any plant can be invasive. Just depends on how desirable YOU think it is.

I would choose one of the thornless varieties.

[Dr. Patrick JonesHomestead Instructor]

Get yerself a nice set of blackberry pruners.

Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.

[Anonymous]

Curly Dock is another commonly found type of weed that you can eat.

It can be eaten raw or steamed. Or you can pickle it to get more taste out of it.

[Author]

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