EAT YOUR WEEDS

bills

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My hens may not appreciate this post..but eating weeds is a wonderful means of attacking them..Serve them right..lol

In studying more about the different kinds of weeds that continue to pop up in my veggie garden, (in spite of the drought like conditions this summer), it turns out many of them are quite tasty, and good for your health.

I found out a few years ago that Lambs Quarter was great to eat when the leaves are picked young, and quickly sauteed with a little butter and garlic, and a light squeeze of lemon juice.
Chick weed which grows in abundance, is great added to a salad, as of course are young dandelion leaves. My Granny used to feed me them 50 years ago.

Purslane was a new one for me this year. I have always just pulled and disposed of them, but after reading this..I think I might give it a try.

"Nutritionally, Purslane is a powerhouse. It has more than double the omega-3's that kale has. It has over four times the vitamin E of turnip leaves. It has other antioxidants, and about as much iron as spinach does. The Center for Genetics, Nutrition and Health in Washington, discovered that the purslane had the highest level of Omega-3 fatty acids, of any other green plant. Equal to eating salmon.

Apparently it's moisture-rich leaves are cucumber-crisp, and have a tart, almost lemony tang with a peppery kick, and one chef suggests using it in a panzanella. A mixture of purslane, tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, olive oil and vinegar and onions, served over crusty bread.
purslane_500_400.JPG


There are several more edible weeds which I am still yet to try yet, and was curious which ones you may have eaten?
 

thistlebloom

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I like purslane snacked on in the garden, and just like Journey, I've been adding it to our green gluk smoothies. Lambs Quarters I eat raw. I should just deliberately pick a bunch to bring in, but a bite here and there while I'm weeding is all I've done with them. I'll have to try chickweed, I'm pretty sure that's what I have all over the flower beds.
We have a lot of sorrel too, does anybody use that?
 

secuono

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I am doing a SASE on Purslane on FB.
:)
That's how much of it I have growing this year.
Also have shiso, by the tons, lol.
 

journey11

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I dig all my dandelions out of the garden each spring and dry the roots to make tea (detox) and we'll eat the leaves early on before they are too bitter. Or fritter the blooms. I've dug burdock root for that purpose too, but not a regular thing, since the dandelions are in my backyard. (I would cry if I had to deal with burdock in the garden. :confused:) If you eat your weeds, then you'll eventually be hard pressed to find them in your garden! A couple of times I've put lambs quarter in salads or sauteed as a veggie mixed in with other things. I have to be sneaky or DH wouldn't eat it. You can eat your red root pigweed leaves too (a member of the amaranth family.)
 

digitS'

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Pigweed is quite good.

I'm still hoping to learn when salsify roots are harvested and what one has to do with it to prepare salsify for the table.

I am doing a SASE on Purslane on FB.
:)
That's how much of it I have growing this year.
Also have shiso, by the tons, lol.
Shiso (perilla) has volunteered in my garden since I grew it about 10 years ago. It seems well behaved. Some years, there are only a couple plants that show up.

If a dozen grow, only one is allowed to make seeds. I understand that it is considered an agricultural weed in some areas, I guess, because it lowers the quality of hay and pasture.

Does that mean shiso will grow in perennial stands of grass & clover/alfalfa? Does it require cultivation? I never came up with a culinary use but -- it's a pretty plant.

Steve
 

thistlebloom

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Oh, I've got a metric ton of those redroot pigweeds out there! They're blooming now, so I need to get after them. I doubt I could eat them all....but smoothies would work I bet.
Dh probably wouldn't eat them otherwise, but he's good with drinking weeds in the green smoothies.
 

so lucky

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I've been using sweet potato leaves in our smoothies. Not exactly a weed, but very plentiful in the garden right now.
 

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