A List Of Edible Weeds In Your Garden…… continued

Garlic mustard

roots and young leaves

(Alliaria petiolata) is a cool-season biennial herb that may reach up to 4 feet (1 m.) in height at maturity. Both the stems and leaves have a strong onion and garlic odor when crushed. It is this odor, particularly noticeable in the spring and summer, that helps to distinguish mustard weed from other mustard plants commonly found in woodlands.

Japanese Knotweed

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

Identification The Japanese knotweed plant (Fallopia japonica) tends to grow in clumps and can grow up to 13 feet (4 m.) tall in the right conditions, but is often smaller than this. The leaves are heart shaped and about the size of your hand, with a red vein running down their center. Japanese knotweed stems are the easiest to identify, as they also give it its name. The stems are hollow and have “knots” or joints every few inches (8 cm.). Japanese knotweed flowers grow at the top of the plants, are cream colored, and grow straight up. They are about 6 to 8 inches (15-20 cm.) tall. Japanese knotweed plant grows best in damp areas, but will grow anywhere that their roots can find soil.

Stinging nettle greens

young leaves (must be cooked thoroughly)

have been used for centuries to treat joint pain, eczema, arthritis, gout, and anemia. For many people, a bracing cup of nettle tea is still a panacea for a wealth of health issues. It’s no wonder since stinging nettle greens are loaded with antioxidants as well as lutein, lycopene, and iron. The health benefits aside, stinging nettles are also delicious.

Stinging nettles are an herbaceous, fast growing plant with leaves as well as stems, which are covered with tiny, hollow silica tipped hairs and can grow to about 4 feet (1 m.) tall. They developed the stinging hairs to discourage animal from feeding on them. If you aren’t interested in growing stinging nettles to ingest, you might still want to grow them to deter deer from nibbling on your other plants