As I travel through the countryside, and see some of your gardens, yards and fields, I see some beautiful flowers, tidy and well kept beds and planters, and not many weeds. I see the care and effort that goes into all that work. But….did you know that many of the so-called “weeds” that you find are perfectly edible wild greens? Here is a list of common edible weeds. See if you can identify any in your yard or in nature. Not only can you eat these super-nutritious plants, but also knowing about them may make weeding more fun, too!
From the first dandelion rosettes in the spring, edible weeds abound. Then comes the stinging nettle emerging near the berry bushes and the wood sorrel along the edges of the vegetable plot. Bowls of wild salad and cooking greens will span the weeks until the arrival of our cultivated lettuce, lamb’s-quarters, amaranth, purslane, and others—bowls not only of wild leafy greens, but also of roots, flowers, berries, and stems.
There are many more wild edibles. Mustard garlic tastes like mustard greens with a hint of garlic. Plus, there are common plantain, broadleaf plantain, cress, curly dock, and chicory, growing in abundance right outside our doors. Even the leaves and dainty flowers of violets, nasturtiums and violas are edible, including the tiny ones that often invade lawns and gardens. Foraging for wild greens has become a popular hobby for many.
Our ancestors harvested many of the plants we call weeds right along with their veggies for use in salads and as cooked greens. Here we have something that is good for us, free, and growing in abundance in our own backyards. In some countries, plants that we consider weeds are essential ingredients in their cuisine.
There are many benefits to eating some of these lesser known greens. Higher nutrient levels, Health-promoting through biodiversity, Disease-fighting through the compounds that keep these wild plants alive, getting back to nature.
Here are 20 edible "weeds" for you to consider.
NOTE: As with many vegetables, not all parts of edible weeds can be eaten. Do your research. (See safety tips below.)
Amaranth
Bittercress (Shotweed)
Burdock
Chickweed
Chicory
Cress
Curly Dock
Dandelion
Galinsoga
Garlic mustard
Lamb’s-quarters
Pigweed
Plantain (different varieties)
Purslane
Sheep sorrel
Shepherd’s purse
Stinging Nettles
Violets, Nasturtiums and Viola
Wild Garlic
Wood Sorrel
Safety Tips: Important Rules of Thumb
Before you charge outside and begin grazing, a word of caution.
Never use any plant for food, beverage, or medicine unless you can identify it with 100% certainty. How do you learn? Read books on wild-food foraging. Seek old-timers who know their weeds and ask if you can accompany them on their foraging trips. For a good introductory book, read botanist James A. Duke’s Handbook of Edible Weeds.
Never forage weeds from lawns or agricultural fields or gardens that have been heavily fertilized or sprayed with pesticides. Even many city parks have been sprayed with chemicals. Basically, avoid places with heavy human traffic and know the history of the land you forage on.
Don’t harvest wild greens and roots from lawns or other areas frequented by animals, whose droppings may contaminate your harvest. This is especially important if you plan to eat your wild foods raw, and always wash/rinse your harvest before you use it.
If you’re not ready to forage, that’s fine! Now you are aware of edible weeds! You can find many edible weeds at farmers’ markets and ethnic markets.
Now that you know some of the weeds we pull are as tasty as the vegetables we grow we will have to start calling them volunteer vegetables instead of weeds because as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “A weed is only a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.”