Weeding Waste Not, Want Nots

Boulder County Home & Garden Magazine, Online Feature, Spring 2011

Come springtime, come weeds. But not all weeds are created equal. Some are actually tasty. Here are ones you can toss into salads and soups instead of the trash (as long as your yard is organic).

By Brigitte Mars

Most people think weeding is a tedious chore. But in many parts of the world, weeds provide food, medicine and even soil aeration.

I collect weeds in a colander to double my garden’s yield by turning “weeds” into mineral-rich salad greens, soups, juices and herbal teas. You can do the same if you learn to identify these herbal allies and the times they are the tastiest. If we harvest weeds we won’t need to spray herbicides in our yards, and we help prevent weeds from becoming overly invasive.

Everyone knows young, tender dandelion greens punch up salads with their bitter bite. They also make great steamed greens. Here are some other weeds with edible value.

Amaranthus retroflexus by Robert Videki, Doronicum Kft.

Amaranth (Amaranthus retroflexus) is a member of the Amaranthaceae (cockscomb) family and is also known as pigweed and redroot. The genus name, Amaranthus, means “unfading” in Greek due to some species bearing persistent flowers. Amaranth was a major crop of the Aztec and Incan cultures of South America.

The leaves can be collected before flowering in spring and summer and eaten raw or steamed. The seeds are also edible. Collect them in late summer or autumn, spread them out on a paper bag and let them dry for several days. Using your fingers, separate the chaff from the seeds, which can be ground and made into cereal or flour.

Broad-leaf plantain (Plantago major) and lance-leaf plantain (P. lanceolata) are members of the Plantaginaceae (plantain) family. This humble plant is also known as white man’s footsteps, ribwort, waybread and snakeweed. In England both the seeds and leaves were referred to as “poor man’s bread,” because they were used to make a nourishing gruel that sustained many people in winter.

Young leaves are the most tender, and can be eaten raw or made into a healing tea. Older leaves have fibrous strands that are best removed. The leaves are high in beta carotene and potassium. The seeds can be used to thicken porridges, breads and crackers, and are rich in B vitamins, protein and carbohydrates. Harvest the plant from June to October.

Bull Thistle, photo by Ziga Camernik

Bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare) is a member of the Asteraceae (daisy) family. The word “thistle” is derived from an ancient Saxon word meaning “to stab.” Thistles are the wild ancestors of artichokes, and all thistles have edible roots that can be eaten raw or baked. The peeled stems are most tender in spring before the plant flowers. (Put on thick gloves before attempting to harvest any portions of this plant!) Marinate the stems in olive oil and lemon juice, and you’ll find the flavor to be a cross between celery and asparagus. You can also eat the inner portion of young leaves, which need to have their sharp outer edges cut off with scissors or a knife. Underneath the unopened flower head is a tiny, tender, edible heart, much like an artichoke heart.

Thistle is actually such a tasty plant that if it weren’t for the prickles, wild animals would consume them all. People have even survived by eating thistles, including Truman Everts, who got lost while exploring Yellowstone in 1870. Everts also lost his glasses, but he could easily identify thistles by their prickles.

Chickweed, photo by Andrew Williams

Chickweed (Stellaria media) is a member of the Caryophyllaceae (pinks) family. It also goes by the names starwort, stitchwort, winterweed and mouse ear. The genus name Stellaria is from the Latin “stella,” or star, in reference to the calyx shape. The species name “media” is Latin for medium. Add chickweed leaves to salads and soups. You can also juice leaves collected from very early spring until temperatures reach 70˚ F. The plant contains vitamin C, phosphorus and zinc. Chickweed makes an excellent ground cover, as it grows outward, not upward. The plant helps soil retain nitrogen, and indicates fertile soil wherever it grows.

Ground Ivy, photo by Le Do

Ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea) is a member of the Lamiace (mint) family. It’s also known as gill-over-the-ground, alehoof, cat’s foot and hedgemaids. The genus name is from “glechon,” the Greek word for mint. The Latin species name, “hedera,” means “ivy.” Ground ivy’s light taste is agreeable in salads. The plant is also rich in vitamin C and is said to be one of the first edible plants brought to North America by early settlers. Harvest it from May through June.

Lambsquarter, photo by Bill Summers, USDA NRCS Plants Database

Lambsquarter (Chenopodium album) is a member of the Chenopodiaceae (goosefoot) family. The genus name, Chenopodium, is derived from the Greek word “chen” meaning goose, and “podus” meaning foot, as the leaf shape resembles a goose’s foot. The species name, “album,” means white and refers to the whitish beads on the plant stalks.

Lambsquarter is a relative of spinach and beets, but it’s much easier to grow! Toss raw leaves and stems into salads, or prepare them like spinach. The leaves are high in beta carotene, vitamins B-1, B-2 and C, and niacin and calcium. The small black seeds can be winnowed and ground into dark flour (a coffee grinder or blender works well for this).

Malva, photo courtesy Ohio State Weed Lab Archive, Ohio State University, Bugwood

Malva (Malva neglecta) is a member of the Malvaceae (mallow) family. The Latin word “malva” means soft and “neglecta” means neglected. Malva is sometimes referred to as “cheeses,” as the tiny seeds resemble an old-fashioned cheese wheel. Add malva leaves to salads or use them to thicken soups (malva is a relative of okra). The delicate pink-and-white flowers make a lovely edible garnish. The moist seeds are also edible and can be eaten raw or even pickled.

Purslane, photo by Pedro Acevedo Rodriquez, USDA NRCS Plants Database

Purslane (Portulaca oleracea, P. sativa) is a member of the Portulacaceae (purslane) family, and is also known as Indian lettuce and Spanish lettuce. Purslane contains beta carotene, calcium, magnesium and vitamin C, and is the richest plant source of omega-3 fatty acids. Purslane is reported to have been one of Mahatma Gandhi’s favorite foods. Henry David Thoreau also consumed it when he resided at Walden Pond. The leaves have a sour flavor that can be enjoyed raw or cooked. Use purslane in salads, pickles and soups, and harvest it from early summer through fall.

Violet, photo by Marek Mierzejewski

Violet (Viola odorata) is part of the Violaceae (violet) family. Violet also goes by the names heartsease, Johnny jump-up, and wild pansy. The name violet comes from the Latin word “viola”—a name for scented plants and also a Greek nymph. The heart-shaped leaves are best eaten in spring, and are a source of beta carotene and vitamin C. The flowers are also edible, and appear as early as March and April to make a beautiful garnish. Freeze flowers into ice cube trays for an elegant iced tea garnish.

Yellow Dock, photo by Richard Old, XID- Services Inc., Bugwood

Yellow dock (Rumex crispus) is a member of the Polygonaceae (buckwheat) family. “Rumex” is an ancient Latin word for lance, referring to the leaf shape. Crispus is Latin for “curly,” in reference to the leaf edges. Yellow dock is also known as curly dock and sour dock. Both the early spring leaves (collected before the flowering stalk forms) and the peeled stems are nutritive. The leaves are rich in calcium, iron, magnesium and sulfur, and do well in a salad. The cooked leaves have a flavor similar to rhubarb. The potassium-rich seeds can be dried, threshed and ground into flour.

Amaranth, lambsquarter and yellow dock leaves all contain oxalic acid (as does spinach), so avoid eating them in excess and make sure you get calcium from other sources, because oxalic acid can inhibit calcium absorption. Collect weeds only from areas that have been free of herbicides for at least two years, and from areas not located near a busy road.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “A weed is a plant whose virtue has not yet been discovered.” Now that you know the virtue of these weeds, you can help your health and the health of the planet by using them in your favorite dishes.

Brigitte Mars has been an herbalist and nutritional consultant for more than 40 years. She’s authored several books, including The Desktop Guide to Herbal Medicine, has a radio show on KGNU called Naturally, and teaches herbal classes in Boulder and other locales.