How To Find Edible Weeds

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I've been very inspired by a friend of mine who teaches classes on wild foraging. I learned that so many of the common plants growing freely in my own yard are not only edible, but delicious, and there is a whole world of edible plants available for free at our local parks and beaches. Melany's classes focus on the edibility of invasive plants. Although many native plants are also edible, it actually benefits our local ecosystem to harvest invasives.

Personally, her classes have given me a new perspective on my own yard. Weeds become a different entity when you consider how nutritious they are! Check out her blog for more info. Here's what we saw today:

Bedstraw or Cleaver (Galleum). While it has velcro-like leaves and stems that stick to each other and to clothing, the young leaves & stems are surprisingly tender and can be eaten fresh or used in salads.

Catsear (Hypochaeris radicata). This is a particularly ugly example. You wouldn't want to harvest it, as it's obviously been stepped on. Better examples are most likely all around you! They are similar looking to dandelion greens, only very fuzzy and less bitter. Add young leaves to salads, or roast & brew the root for a coffee-like drink.

Chickweed (Stellaria). Entire plant is edible raw in early spring. Very tender and mild.

Nipplewort (Lapsana communis).  Edible flowers and young leaves.

Horsetail (Equisetum). This time of year the inedible dead stalks are still standing from last year. Soon though, new asparagus-like shoots will grow in this marshy woodland, and can be eaten raw or sauteed. Peel off outer layer of young shoots to expose the tender middle.

Miner's Lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata). Tender and delicious; leaves, stems, and the tiny white flowers that will soon bloom are edible.

Nettles (Urtica dioica). While this is a great time of year to harvest tender, nutritious young nettles, this particular area had kind of shoddy looking plants. To me the leaves look like serrated hearts. The underside and the stems are covered with stingers, but you can pick a leaf with bare hands, fold it carefully, and chew it up. Fresh nettles taste really good! They can also be blended thoroughly in green smoothies, or cooked in any way you might cook spinach.

Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium). New leaves in spring, which are a lighter green, are tender enough for salads. Dark blue berries can be used for jams or wines at the end of summer. This plant is native to the Pacific Northwest, so is not really a weed.

Salal (Gualtheria shallon). Another PNW native shrub, but a useful plant to know about. The dark blue berries were described as "better than blackberries," so I can't wait to try them! Fruits in late summer. Tender young spring leaves are edible as well.

Shotweed (Cardamine hirsuta). So-called because the seeds shoot off of it all over your garden when you come near it. However, the leaves are very tasty, with a slight peppery tinge. Similar in taste to nasturtium leaves, but milder.

Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum). It was determined that ferns should be avoided since the young shoots are carcinogenic. I had heard that fiddlehead ferns are quite tasty sauteed, but they should be considered a novelty food. I included it here just so I can remember what this type of fern is called ;)

Wall Lettuce (Mycelis muralis). A bitter green, but that's what salad dressings are for!

Water Hemlock (Cicuta). Poisonous, absolutely deadly. This plant has similar characteristics to the wild carrot, so both should be avoided until you learn to distinguish them carefully. Don't even touch it.

Wild Huckleberry (Ericaceae). Another native that we should be very careful with, an important plant for native wildlife.

Yellow Dock (Rumex crispus). Use leaves, after removing the tough midrib, for dolmas or green smoothies. Tiny seeds are edible but hard to remove from their sheathes. Chew up a leaf and apply leaf paste to sooth a nettle sting.

Other plants we discussed include the Chinese Coin plant (Lunaria annua) also called Annual Honesty plants because of the translucent seed pods that hide nothing. These weedy plants have gorgeous purple flowers and striking purple seed pods that turn papery when mature. The seed pods are edible when immature, leaves and roots may be edible as well.

Blackberry (Rubus) obviously has edible berries, but the young leaves can also be eaten. I know raspberry leaves make a tasty, nourishing tea and now I want to try making tea with blackberry leaves. Any plant in the rose family has edible leaves, flowers, and fruit.

Indian plum (Oemleria cerasiformis) is another PNW native, and the "harbinger of spring" as its leaves are a sign that spring is here. The white flower cluster looks like a face with two leaves that stick up like floppy rabbit ears. The young leaves are tasty, and the plums are somewhat edible. They have a large pit and are mealy.

Large Leaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum) has edible young flower clusters. They can be stir fried in butter in early spring. It's native also.

Rose (Rosaceae rosa) has edible young leaves, petals, and rosehips. Gather rosehips in fall and press through a sieve with the back of a spoon to remove seeds. Mix with honey for a simple, tasty syrup rich in vitamin C.

Mountain Ash Berry (Rosaceae sorbus) also called the Rowan tree, produces large clusters of bright orange/red berries that can be used for jam or wine.

Hawthorne (Crataegus monogyna) has edible leaves but the pomes, like tiny apples, are mealy.

Skunk Cabbage (Lysichiton americanus) has been used for food in times of starvation, but has very unpleasant, possibly dangerous effects, when consumed due to the formation of oxalic crystals that cut the mouth. Bears use the roots for food in winter, and the plant has medicinal uses.

Snow Berries (Symphoricarpos) have edible, though not sweet, white berries in winter.

Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia japonica) is highly invasive and damaging to salmon habitat. Young asparagus-like reddish shoots can be eaten in spring. Peel outside layer to expose tender middle. Look for shoots near mature knotweed, also called false bamboo because it looks similar to bamboo but is weak and breaks easily.

Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) has soft green tips that can be eaten in June, along with hemlock, pine, and spruce. A delicious tea can be made from the tips of most evergreen trees, but it sounds like Doug Fir is particularly delicious. Someone mentioned making ice cream from it. It has a sweet, lemony flavor. Also the cones from any trees have edible seeds inside, but most are so small they aren't worth harvesting unless you're a squirrel. However, Monkey Tail Trees (Araucaria araucana) have incredibly huge nuts that are similar to pine nuts, though more fibrous and the size of almonds.

Red Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum) has edible everything (of course, since it's in the rose family)

This is just the beginning! If you're interested in learning more about this, please also check out my post Wild Foraging in April.

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How To Find Edible Weeds

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Oleh Mellow

Mellow February 11, 2012 46 Comment