Both are rich in protein, minerals, and carbohydrates. The flowers of both red and white clover can be eaten raw or cooked, or dried for clover tea. Lamb's quarters, also known as goosefoot, is loaded with fiber, protein, and vitamins A and C. The plant can grow up to 10 feet—although it normally doesn't—and produces oval or triangular leaves with serrated edges.
One of its most identifiable features is the pop of blue-green at the top of the plant. Though it has a cabbagelike taste, this weed is commonly used as a replacement for spinach. Its seeds, which resemble quinoa, can be harvested and eaten, although it takes a lot of patience to gather enough to make it worthwhile as a main dish. Not to be confused with the tropical fruit of the same name, this common weed is made up of a nutritious mix of minerals, fatty acids, vitamin C, carotenes antioxidants , nitrate, and oxalic acid.
Plantain can be identified by its large, oval leaves that surround tall spikes sometimes covered in white flowers. The seeds of the plantain, which are produced on the distinctive flower spike, can be cooked like a grain or ground into flour. Check with your doctor before consuming plantain while pregnant. Chickweed is a broadleaf weed belonging to the carnation family.
It has small, white flowers, each containing five split petals appearing as 10 petals , and it grows in clusters on hairy stalks. Chickweed is a resilient plant that may appear on roadsides or riverbanks and can thrive in just about any soil type. It's rich in vitamins A and C and contains about as much calcium as dandelions.
Chickweed leaves, stems, and flowers can all be eaten either raw—added to sandwiches and salads or ground into a pesto—or cooked. The plant has a grassy, spinachlike taste. Chickweed can look very similar to radium weed, a poisonous plant that grows in similar conditions, so consult an experienced forager before picking and consuming chickweed. Mallow, or malva, is also known as cheeseweed because its seed pods resemble a wheel of cheese. It shares a family with cotton, okra, and hibiscus, and apart from its distinguishing seed pods—also called "nutlets"—you can identify it by its funnel-shaped flowers, each with five petals and a column of stamens surrounding a pistil.
This hardy plant can grow almost anywhere—even in harsh, dry soil conditions. Mallow's leaves, flowers, and seed pods can be eaten raw or cooked. Both the leaves and flowers have a very mild taste that's often more tender and palatable in juvenile plants. Mallow is high in vitamins A and C, protein, and carotenoids. Wild amaranth—or "pigweed"—leaves are another great addition to any dish that calls for leafy greens. While the younger leaves are softer and tastier, the older leaves can also be cooked like spinach.
Displaying either green or red leaves and small, green flowers in dense clusters at the top of the plant, wild amaranth has been cultivated since ancient times. The Romans and Aztecs reportedly regarded it as a staple food. Wild amaranth seeds can also be gathered and cooked just like store-bought amaranth, either as a cooked whole grain or as a ground meal. Curly dock is an oft-overlooked plant that has slender, rigid leaves and tall flower spikes packed with flowers and seeds.
The plant contains more vitamin C than oranges, which means it's also high in oxalic acid. Consuming more than milligrams of vitamin C per day could lead to a buildup of oxalate in your kidneys. The leaves can be eaten raw when young, or cooked and added to soups when older. In younger plants, foliage is less curly and leaves are round and broad. Mature plants develop stems whereas leaves emerge right from the root when young. The leaves taste tart and spinachlike.
Because of their high oxalic acid content, it's often recommended to change the water several times during cooking. Newly-emerged stems can be peeled and eaten either cooked or raw, and the mature seeds can be boiled, eaten raw, or roasted to make a coffee substitute. Wild garlic is ubiquitous throughout Europe, but this favorite foraging find is also widespread among the damp woodlands of the eastern U.
It's so abundant, in fact, that the U. Department of Agriculture considers it a " noxious weed ," or one that could be harmful to the environment or animals.
It's not, however, harmful to humans, who typically love stumbling upon a blanket of its signature long, pointed leaves and white flowers sprawled beneath the trees. Wild garlic tastes like garlic, of course, only grassier. The flavor is milder than the pungent aroma these plants put off you'll probably smell them before you see them. Every part of the plant is edible, from the bulbs to the seed heads. Wild garlic is higher in magnesium, manganese, and iron than bulb garlic.
Known for their heart-shaped leaves and delightful purple flowers that cover forest floors and stream banks come spring, wild violets are also called "sweet violets" on account of their sugary flavor. They're often candied and used to decorate baked goods, turned into jam, made into syrups, brewed as a tea, or used as a garnish in salads.
Both the leaves and flowers are edible and rich in vitamin C, but the roots and seeds are poisonous. A common winter weed in warm and mild regions of the U. The plant is part of the mustard family and has a sharp, peppery flavor similar to mustard greens or arugula.
Katrina is the founder of Turtle Lake Refuge , a non-profit organization which celebrates the connection between personal health and wild lands. Over ten years ago I visited Turtle Lake and did a demo for them on wild-cultured ginger beer. I still remember Katrina and her vibrant smile—she made me feel healthier just by being around her!
Perhaps her glow came from all those dandelions she was eating. The following are a few ways we snack on dandelions at Round the Bend Farm. Dandelion blossoms add a bright floral flavor to salads. You can also sprinkle the petals over grilled meats and vegetables as a garnish. To remove the blossoms from the flower heads, just hold the green calyx in your fingers and pinch the yellow blossoms off with a small twist or snap.
Dandelion greens are also edible. The best time to harvest the leaves is when they are still young and tender, before the plant begins to flower. Allow me to re-introduce the dandelion. The botanical name for dandelion is Taxacum officinale , and it is a member of the daisy family. When colonists traveled from Europe to the Americas, they brought cattle, disease, and medicinal plants. Imagine relying on a plant so much that you hand-carried its seeds across the ocean on a boat without toilets.
Its tooth-shaped leaves are rich in minerals like magnesium, copper, folate, calcium, potassium, manganese, and iron. The leaves are bitter, and the intensity increases over the summer. If you start now, you will become more tolerant to this bitterness as the summer progresses. Bitter flavors are great for digestion and curbing sugar cravings. Eating more dandelion can be as simple as sprinkling a handful of chopped leaves into your next salad.
It will get your digestive system pumping and primed for a summer diet of mostly raw vegetables
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