Some weeds in our yards and Gardens are actually good for you and can be deliciously prepared.
Be sure to identify the weeds correctly (The ones described here are easy to spot.) Avoid harvesting from anyplace you suspect pollution — such as from vehicle exhaust, lawn pesticide or doggy business. Also remember that edible does not mean allergen-free. Here are 9 good ones:
DANDELION
Dandelion is one of the healthiest and most versatile vegetables on the planet. The entire plant is edible. The leaves are like vitamin pills, containing generous amounts of vitamins A, C and K — far more than those garden tomatoes, in fact — along with calcium, iron, manganese, and potassium.
The leaves are most tender, and tastiest, when they are young. This happens in the spring but also all summer along as the plant tries to rebound after being cut or pulled. You can add them to soup in great abundance. Or you can prepare them Italian style by sautéing with a little olive oil, salt, garlic and some hot red pepper.
You can eat the bright, open flower heads in a lightly fried batter. You can also make a simple wine with the flowers by fermenting them with raisins and yeast. If you are slightly adventurous, you can roast the dandelion root, grind it, and brew it like coffee. It's an acquired taste. You might want to have some sugar on hand.
Dandelion Greens
The yellow-topped flower is happily shunned and sprayed, but did you know it is one of the most healing herbs for the liver and kidneys? Dandelion (the flower and greens) is a diuretic, contains potassium, alleviates arthritis and intestinal disorders, and is even thought to regulate blood sugar levels. Used topically, it also has use to treat skin disorders such as Eczema.
PURSLANE
If you've ever lived in the city, you have seen good ol' Portulaca olearacea, or common purslane. The stuff grows in cracks in the sidewalk. Aside from being surprisingly tasty for a crack dweller, purslane tops the list of plants with omega-3 fatty acids, the type of healthy fat found in salmon.
If you dislike the bitter taste of dandelion greens, you still might like the lemony taste of purslane. The stems, leaves and flowers are all edible; and they can be eaten raw on salads — as they are prepared worldwide — or lightly sautéed.
You should keep a few things in mind, though, before your harvest. Watch out for spurge, a similar-looking sidewalk-crack dweller. Spurge is much thinner than purslane, and it contains a milky sap, so you can easily differentiate it. Also, your mother might have warned you about eating things off the sidewalk; so instead, look for purslane growing in your garden, or consider transplanting it to your garden from a sidewalk.
Also, note some folks incorrectly call purslane "pigweed," but that's a different weed — edible but not as tasty.
LAMB'S QUARTERS
Lamb's-quarters are like spinach, except they are healthier, tastier and easier to grow. Lamb's-quarters, also called goosefoot, usually need more than a sidewalk crack to grow in, unlike dandelion or purslane. Nevertheless, they can be found throughout the urban landscape, wherever there is a little dirt.
The best part of the lamb's-quarters are the leaves, which are slightly velvety with a fine white powder on their undersides. Discard any dead or diseased leaves, which are usually the older ones on the bottom of the plant. The leaves and younger stems can be quickly boiled or sautéed, and they taste like a cross between spinach and Swiss chard with a slight nutty after-taste.
Maybe that taste combination doesn't appeal to you, but lamb's-quarters are ridiculously healthy. A one-cup serving will give you 10 times the daily-recommended dose of vitamin K; three times the vitamin A; more than enough vitamin C; and half your daily dose of calcium and magnesium.
PLANTAIN
Plantain, like dandelion, is a healthy, hardy weed as ubiquitous in the city as broken glass. You know what it looks like, but you might not have known the name.
Part of the confusion is that plantain shares its name with something utterly different, the banana-like plantain, whose etymology is a mix of Spanish and native Caribbean. The so-called weed plantain, or Plantago major, was cultivated by Native Americans. There is also the Plantain that European settlers pre-Columbus brought to the Americas.
Plantain has a nutritional profile similar to dandelion — that is, loaded with iron and other important vitamins and minerals. The leaves are tastiest when small and tender, usually in the spring but whenever new shoots appear after being cut back by a lawnmower. Bigger leaves are edible but bitter and fibrous.
The shoots of the broadleaf plantain, when green and tender and no longer than about four inches, can be described as a poor-man's fiddlehead, with a nutty, asparagus-like taste. Pan-fry in olive oil for just a few seconds to bring out this taste. The longer, browner shoots are also tasty prepared the same way, but the inner stem is too fibrous. You'll need to place the shoot in your mouth, clench with your teeth, and quickly pull out the stem. What you're eating are the plantain seeds.
The leaves of the equally ubiquitous narrow-leaf plantain, or Plantago lanceolata, also are edible when young. The shoot is "edible" only with quotation marks. You can eat the seeds should you have the patience to collect hundreds of plants for the handful of seeds you'd harvest. With time being money, it's likely not worth it.
CHICKWEED
One of the not-so-ugly weeds worth pulling and keeping is chickweed. Identified by purple stems, fuzzy green leaves, and starry white flower petals, this weed is a fantastic source of vitamins A, D, B complex, and C. It also contains minerals like iron, zinc, calcium, and potassium. Chickweed (Stellaria media) has a cornsilk-like flavor when eaten raw and tastes similar to spinach when it is cooked.
Chickweed nourishes the lymph and glandular systems, and can heal cysts, fevers, and inflammation. It can help neutralize acid and help with yeast overgrowth and fatty deposits, too.
Additionally, chickweed can be finely chopped and applied externally to irritated skin. Steep the plant in ¼ cup of boiling water for 15 minutes, and chickweed provides benefits similar to dandelion root. Speaking of dandelion…
CLOVER
Other than the occasional four-leafed clover hunt, this common lawn weed goes mostly unnoticed, even though it is becoming popular as a lawn replacement altogether. Clover is an important food for honeybees and bumblebees, and clover leaves and flowers can be used to add variety to human meals as well. Small amounts of raw clover leaves can be chopped into salads or can be sauteed and added to dishes for a green accent, and the flowers of both red and white clover can be eaten raw or cooked, or dried for tea.
MALLOW
Mallow, or malva, is also known as cheeseweed, due to the shape of its seed pods, and can be found in many lawns or garden beds across the US. The leaves and the seed pods (also called the 'fruit') are both edible, either raw or cooked, and like many greens, are often more tender and palatable when smaller and less mature. The older leaves can be used like any other cooked green after steaming, boiling, or sauteing them.
WILD AMARANTH
The leaves of the wild amaranth, also known as pigweed, are another great addition to any dish that calls for leafy greens, and while the younger leaves are softer and tastier, the older leaves can also be cooked like spinach. The seeds of the wild amaranth can be gathered and cooked just like store-bought amaranth, either as a cooked whole grain or as a ground meal, and while it does take a bit of time to gather enough to add to a meal, they can be a a good source of free protein.
STINGING NETTLES
It sounds like a cruel joke, but stinging nettles — should you be able to handle them without getting a painful rash from the tiny, acid-filled needles — are delicious cooked or prepared as a tea.
You may have brushed by these in the woods or even in your garden, not knowing what hit you, having been trained all your life to identify poison ivy and nothing else. The tiny needles fortunately fall off when steamed or boiled. The trick is merely using garden gloves to get the nettles into a bag.
Nettles tastes a little like spinach, only more flavorful and more healthful. They are loaded with essential minerals you won't find together outside a multivitamin bottle, and these include iodine, magnesium, potassium, phosphorous, silica and sulfur. Nettles also have more protein than most plants.
You can eat the leaves and then drink the plants as tea, with or without sweetener, hot or cold. If you are adventurous — or, you can collect entire plants to dry in your basement. The needles will eventually fall off, and you can save the dried leaves for tea all winter long.
Rosemary
Commonly used in cooking, the herb native to the Mediterranean region can do more than spice up your dishes, however. A recent study shows that carnosic acid in Rosemary may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The oil in the flower is also anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. Finally, the oil in Rosemary has been shown to improve circulation to the brain, hence it’s association with ‘remembrance’.
Lavender
The beautiful bush which offer relaxing fragrance and a shield from your neighbor has many health benefits as well! Lavender is known to have anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties. Historically used in ancient Greek and Roman times, it was used as an antiseptic. Through the ages it’s progressed to be utilized as an alternative remedy to treat anxiety, migraines, insomnia, and depression.
Aloe Vera
Besides being a great soother for burns and stings, Aloe Vera offers healing in many ways. The clear gel can be used to treat skin infections, reduce inflammation (taken intrinsically and applied externally), relieve constipation, aid heartburn, and even soothe irritable bowel syndrome. It’s easy to cultivate a plant indoors and keep it on hand for any ails in the future.
Lemon Thyme
A colorful derivative of Thyme, this variety of herb can be used as a digestive aid for children with upset stomachs and has been utilized for centuries as an anti-biotic to treat wounds. Also containing anti-fungal properties, it’s use extends to treating toenail fungus and more. Thymol, one of the main active ingredients in most mouthwashes, is a derivative of Thyme. Grow it at home or let it naturally spring forth and harvest the benefits for free!
Sunflower
A beautiful masterpiece of a plant that follows the sun, Sunflowers have many health benefits. Tea made from the leaves is known to be an astringent, diuretic, an exporant, and an agent to reduce fever. Because of these properties Sunflower has been used to treat a variety of colds and coughs. The plant itself can extract toxic ingredients from the soil and was even used by the Russian government to help clean up after the Chernobyl accident.
Finally, if matured and seeding, the actual sunflower seeds provide many B vitamins, Vitamin E, protein, and fiber.
Peppermint
A wonderful additive to treats and entrees, peppermint boasts the ability to soothe headaches, skin irritations, nausea, pain, diarrhea, and flatulence. Because it calms the stomach, it’s a well-known indigestion aid. Some studies have even shown it has antiviral and anti-bacterial properties. Preparations made from the leaves can even relieve chest congestion. This wonder herb can freely abound from just a few sprinkled seeds.
Catnip
More than a happy-cat elixer, this herb is soothing for toothaches if chewed on, can make one sweat and lower fevers, and is even known to be a mild sedative to humans. Catnip oil can be a useful insect repellent, and some research even suggests it may repel mosquitos 10x better than DEET.
Sweet Basil
This delectable herb adds a zest to Italian-inspired dishes and boosts the healing of the human body. Not only is Sweet Basil an effective insect repellent, but in early Greek times its leaves were used to treat scorpion stings. Romans used it to alleviate flatulence, counteract poisonings, and to stimulate breast milk. A variety called ‘Holy Basil’ in India is one of the most medicinal herbs on the planet – used to treat stress, Diabetes, and even asthma. Further more, some studies have shown it to have antiviral and anti-cancer properties.
Whether wild food foraging or growing in the comfort of one’s own home, fresh and affordable herbs flourish easily and are readily available for man’s use.
**Note: Although rare, plants – like prescription drugs – may cause side effects if taken in wrong proportion/quantity. It is recommended to consult a medical professional before taking any medication, even natural herbal remedies, if concerned.
A part of traditional gardening is putting back into the earth whatever we took. Taking care of the soil, we compost. We try to keep bare soil to the minimum. Where there are no plants, instead of weeding, we mulch or add a ground cover. We are able to grow food without chemical fertilizer.
The biggest teaching that gardens teach is - what we consume into our body is more than just through the mouth. We feed ourselves through our eyes, our noses, and our touch. These senses are just as necessary as taste. So, we can grow for our senses.
*The information on this Blogsite has been put together for general information, education, reference, Spirituality Current Events, and entertainment purposes only and is not intended to provide medical advice. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any specific condition. Ask your doctor for his professional advice before making radical changes in your diet and lifestyle.
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