A List Of Edible Weeds In Your Garden

A Caution on Edible Weeds

Before you start eating the weeds from your garden, make sure you know what you are eating. Not all weeds are edible and some weeds (flowers and plants as well, for that matter) are highly toxic. Never eat any plant from your garden without first knowing that it is edible and whether it is toxic or not. Also note that, just like fruit and vegetable plants, not all parts of edible weeds are edible. Only eat the parts of edible weeds that you know are safe to eat.

Harvesting Edible Weeds

Edible weeds are only edible if the area you will be picking them from has not been treated with chemicals. Just like you would not want to eat vegetables from your garden if you have sprayed many unsafe chemicals around, you do not want to eat weeds that have been sprayed with lots of unsafe chemicals.

Burdock– roots

Chickweed– young shoots and tender tips of shoots

Chicory– leaves and roots

Creeping Charlie– leaves, often used in teas

Dandelions– leaves, roots, and flowers

Garlic Mustard– roots and young leaves

Japanese Knotweed– young shoots less than 8 inches (20 cm.) and stems (do not eat mature leaves)

Lambsquarters– leaves and stems

Little Bittercress or Shotweed– whole plant

Nettles– young leaves (must be cooked thoroughly)

Pigweed– leaves and seeds

Plantain– leaves (remove stems) and seeds

Purslane– leaves, stems, and seeds

Sheep’s Sorrel– leaves

Violets– young leaves and flowers

Wild Garlic– leaves and roots

Burdock Plants

Burdock occurs in undisturbed sites where the plant forms a rosette the first year and a flowering spike the second. The roots and young leaves and shoots are edible. The plant is easy to grow and can produce roots up to 2 feet (61 cm.) long in 100 days or less. Gardeners who want to know how to grow burdock should know that it’s easier to harvest roots if planted in sandy, loose soil. Burdock may reach 2 to 9 feet (.6 to 2.7 m.) in height and produces rough, sticky burred fruits. From these fruits comes its scientific name, Articum lappa. In Greek, ‘arktos’ means bear and ‘lappos’ means seize. This refers to the fruits or seed capsules which are barbed with spurs that grab onto animal fur and clothing. In fact, from these fruit, it is said the idea from Velcro was developed. The flowers are bright pinkish-purple and similar to many thistle species. The leaves are broad and lightly lobed. The plant will self-seed readily and can become a nuisance if not managed. This should pose no problem if you are continually deadheading the plant or if you intend to use it as a root vegetable. Another way to contain the plant is by growing burdock in pots.

Burdock Plant Uses —Among the many burdock plant uses is in the treatment of scalp and skin problems. It is also known to be a liver treatment and stimulates the digestive system. It is a detoxifying herb and diuretic

To Be continued………………

Well, that’s all the news from the south,
Happy” farming” to all the farm girl sisters out there.
See you next time down on the farm..