Weed Eater: Edible Weeds

Enlarge Image Image Gallery Herbalist Brigitte Mars has learned to appreciate weeds for their abundant culinary and medicinal value. Photograph by John Wiltsie

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Thirty years ago, while living on a farm in Reynolds, Missouri, I used to help a neighboring hill woman in her large, wonderful garden in exchange for fresh farm eggs and firewood. As we pulled weeds, Mrs. Glore, who was old enough to have outlived three husbands, would declare: “Why, youse can eat these. It’s lamb’s-quarters. It’s wild spinach, and it’s good fer ya! Even better than the store-bought kind!” She’d incorporate the weeds into the evening’s dinner, doubling or tripling the yield of her garden. Over the years, I’ve developed my own appreciation for plants that others yank out and throw away. Weeds have survived centuries of adversity and are often much more durable than cultivated plants. Many do well without irrigation, are resistant to frost and trampling, and offer themselves freely and abundantly.

Chickweed

More than thirty bird species including domestic fowl are known to eat chickweed (Stellaria media). The generic name, Stellaria, refers to the star shape of the flowers; some people know the plant as starwort. Chickweed makes an excellent ground cover, as it grows outward instead of upward. It thrives in fertile soil.

Chickweed is delicate, delicious, and high in vitamin C; it has traditionally been fed to frail people to make them stronger. The leaves, flowers, and stems may be included in salads, soups, and stir-fry dishes. They keep well in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Herbalists make the tops into a tea to soothe bladder and bronchial irritation and ulcers; they put them in salves to relieve skin disorders ranging from diaper rash to psoriasis.

Dandelion

Almost everyone recognizes a dandelion (Taraxacum spp.), but not everyone realizes that nearly every part of the plant is edible. The leaves, which are most palatable in spring before the plant flowers, are high in iron, beta-carotene, and potassium. Dandelions are also mildly diuretic.

For a delicacy that tastes like mushrooms, collect a colander full of dandelion blossoms, wash them, dust them with flour seasoned with salt and pepper, then pan-fry them in a bit of butter. The blossoms may also be used to make wine.

I like to sauté well-scrubbed dandelion roots in a little toasted sesame oil and tamari sauce. Herbalists have long prescribed dandelion root tea to relieve acne and eczema as well as to enhance liver function.

Knotweed

Knotweed (Polygonum aviculare, P. erectum), also known as doormat grass, is used in Chinese and Western herbal medicine as a diuretic and to treat kidney stones. The generic name in Greek means “many-kneed” and refers to the plant’s jointed stems. Herbalists use knotweed tea as a remedy for swollen arthritic joints and believe that its high silica content commends its use to strengthen the lungs’ connective tissue.

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