The incrediable edible Dandlelion and other "weeds"

eriemer

Now that Spring has sprung, so has the dandlelions and other "weeds" but before you dig them up and toss them out, please think again. Here's a list of some that are in my area, there may be several more in the area you live.

1. Dandelions are edible root to flower, shoot to leaf. Not only can you find them in your salad mix and nice restraunts but they are right there in your yard! Dandelion greens and shoots (a little bitter raw) make wonderful salads, you can also sautee them much like spinach or collards. The roots and flowers can easily be made into teas. Or the flowers wine or jellies. How can you go wrong?

2. Clover another one of my all time favorites! As a kids we would gooble down the purple flowers, they have a nice pleasant sweet flavor and the flowers are also great in salads. The 3-leaf clovers are soft and supple in early spring, also nice in salads.

3. Nettle. Very popular in teas and leaves can be sauteed.

4. Lamb's quarter. This one I just discovered on an edible plant list! Wonderful, because we pull out hundreds from our vege garden every year. Now they won't be going to waste this year. The leaves are said to be mild and tender in salads.

5. Wild violets flowers and leaves. My yard and garden are crawling with them but they are so pretty I might never get to try!

6. Watercress, mint, kale- While only the watercress grows wild in and around my garden, mint can be found, and most ppl add decorative kale to their flower beds not relishing them on their salads.


Other edible plants to try- Rasberry leafs (in tea), Grape leafs (used to wrap meats, rice, veges for steaming or baking), squash flowers, beet greens, wild berries (rasberries, strawberries, blueberries, mulberries etc) Wild mushrooms.

Remember to always identify a plant and know which parts are edible and wash well before adding them to the menu.

Also note that most edible weeds are great sources of varies vitamins and minerals, most time more so then lettice and spinach!

Last but not least, make sure to google for various recipes! You'll be surprised at what you find!

Inebriated

I love clover, I used to eat those little purple flowers when I was young. The taste reminded me of honey.

ehs5mw

I feel obligated to mention that you should always be careful about what might have been sprayed on plants in your or neighbors' yards.

eriemer

I feel obligated to mention that you should always be careful about what might have been sprayed on plants in your or neighbors' yards.

Yes, I was going to mention that too but my post was getting a little long. We purposely do not put chemicals on our lawn and garden. There some safer natural products we use.

Also, do not eat any leaves from the nightshade family...like tomato plants, potatoes, peppers. And not all parts of all edible plants are edible such as rhubarb only the stalks are good for eating but the leaves are NOT. I think that goes with identifing your food.

SweatpantsRebellion

I read recently that dandelion specifically targets cancer cells and attacks them. I haven't done a ton of research on it though, so you'd have to look into it to see what you think.

dragonsheart84

My grandma told me that it used to be a treat in the spring to go have a picnic in the yard with her mom and sisters. They would have dandelion salad and other things that are only found in the spring.