Edible weed species in your own backyard

At a recent family gathering, I was able to read five letters from my great, great grandmother written to her sister in 1905. It was interesting to wander into the past with her and get a glimpse of what has changed in 120 years — and what has not.

Fashion has changed, but friends and sisters with opinions on fashion choices have not. Rhubarb pie (known as pie plant in 1905) still graces many spring tables, but pigeon and dandelion green salad are no longer menu items that we would share recipe links with our best friends. However, our ancestors (including my own) harvested many of the plants we call weeds right along with their veggies for use in salads and as cooked greens.

Stephen Meyers, horticulture crops weed scientist at Purdue University, said “Ralph Waldo Emerson defined a weed as a plant whose virtues have yet to be discovered. This can also include plants whose virtues have been forgotten, including plants that we once ate or used for medicine or some other purpose.”

Here are some fun facts and uses for weeds that could be more friend than foe.

Dandelion

Dandelion is the most common edible weed and can be used in a salad or sauteed, the iconic yellow blooms can be frittered or used in dandelion wine, and the root can be brewed into a tea. 

My great, great grandmother wrote, “I simply craved for dandelion and you bet I had it 3 times already today.” Her review piqued my interest and sent me on a dandelion hunt in my own yard. What I found was that it was quite bitter. Timing does matter. 

“It’s similar to lettuce,” Meyers says. “You want to pick it when it has ample water and the temperature is not too hot. It will get bitter if you wait until later in the summer or if it's experiencing drought. It’s best flavor is early in the spring.” he says. 

A Utah State publication claims dandelions have a wide repertoire of health benefits. They are rich in vitamin A, C, iron, calcium, detoxifiers, and are reported to aid with everything from bone health, diabetes, acne, weight loss, cancer, and high blood pressure. 

Would someone pass the dandelion greens, please? 

Common lambsquarters

Common lambsquarters is a common garden broadleaf species with triangular leaves and a white powdery substance that resembles lambswool. While many of the edible weeds are harvested early in the spring, lambsquarter is found throughout the summer months.

Nutritionally, lambsquarter is a close competitor with spinach, so consider adding it to your next quiche. 

Garlic mustard

Garlic mustard is an invasive biennial that will overtake the understory of hardwood forests. It’s a biennial, which means its life cycle spans two years. The first year, garlic mustard grows in a rosette at ground level. In its second year, the leaves grow up a flowering stem with small white, four-petaled flowers emerging in the spring.

Naturalist organizations gather groups of volunteers to pull this pest by hand from woodlands. Ironically, the plant was introduced to North America in the mid-1800s for its herbal and medicinal qualities and as erosion control.The good news, however, is that it’s delicious. 

“People make pesto out of it and substitute garlic mustard for the basil so you can have pesto in the spring,” says Meyers. 

Yellow Nutsedge

Yellow nutsedge forms tubers — which have been eaten for a long time — to propagate. The tubers are reported to have a somewhat sweet taste. Nutsedge was cultivated in ancient Egypt for its tasty and oil-rich tubers.

“There’s documentation that in Sudan, (purple) nutsedge tuber residue has been found in the teeth of prehistoric humans, which is fascinating,” says Meyers. 

Ancient Egyptians aren’t the only ones who have enjoyed uses for nutsedge tubers. According to the University of Tennessee Extension, the Native American Pima tribe chewed nutsedge roots as a cold remedy and the Piute tribe ground up the tubers and mixed them with other foods.

Stinging nettle

Stinging nettle isn’t a species one expects to find on an edible weed list. The stems and foliage are covered with brittle, needlelike hairs, called trichomes – no doubt an adaptation to deter the very herbivory this article recommends.

“It’s one we tend to avoid because if you touch it, it has hairs that will irritate the skin. But it can be picked and used in a tea,” says Meyers. 

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden reports that the leaves, stems, and roots of stinging nettle have been used for food, medicine, cordage, and dye for millennia. 

Meyers offers one warning to potential gatherers. “If you harvest stinging nettle, wear gloves so you don’t get stung.”

Chicory

Many of us know chicory as the perennial blue-flowered weed growing along roadsides. However, close cousins to chicory include specialty crops radicchio and endive and find their way into our fanciest of salads and Food Network challenges. The most commonly consumed portion of the plant are the leaves and roots. 

“During the Civil War, there was a shortage of coffee so the root was ground up and used as a coffee replacement. Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans is famous for their beignets, but also offers a coffee mixed with chicory,” shares Meyers. 

Edible weed safety tips

Know what you’re gathering. Many highly toxic or even deadly weeds can masquerade as a harmless cousin. One example: Poison hemlock looks a lot like parsley, and people have died by adding it to a salad by mistake. Consult detailed field guides and/or contact your county extension agent to confirm identification before consuming. “For a lot of people, all broadleaves look similar, so it’s important to make sure you have identified them correctly,” says Meyers. 

Avoid weeds that might have been heavily fertilized or sprayed with pesticides. Each pesticide is approved for very specific uses and edible weeds aren’t among them. “Be aware of what herbicides may have been used for weed control, especially if you’re harvesting from a turf area,” warns Meyers. 

Finally, use caution when harvesting 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. Meyers adds one final note of caution, “If you’re harvesting from the wild, you have no idea what has been around them, so there is always that risk.”

A final thought as we gather at our family tables this Thanksgiving: you just never know where the conversation will lead. Perusing old family photos and letters may lead you down unexpected paths with delicious results!