· Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale
· Purslane, Portulaca oleracea
· Lamb's quarters, Chenopodium album
· Chickweed, Stellaria media
· Plantain, Plantago spp.
· Purple deadnettle, Lamium purpureum
· Henbit, Lamium amplexicaule
· Mint, Mentha spp.
My daughter and I were talking about the grocery store shortages, and she commented that she wished she could be a rabbit and just eat the grass. Well, we can all be rabbits with the bounty of edible greens in our spring gardens.
Looking around my garden I found several edible weeds including henbit, dead nettle, onion grass, violets, and dandelions. In my herb garden I found parsley, garlic chives, kale, and mint. For some fun color I included the edible flowers of dandelion, violet, and red bud. With all the nutrients from these hardy spring greens I should be able to avoid a trip to the grocery store for another day.
There is value to the weedy lawn. Many lawn weeds bloom in early spring and delaying the first mowing can allow early spring pollinators to take advantage. The buffet can also be enjoyed by humans, so I suggest tasting a few of your weeds to decide which ones you like. Encourage those species to keep growing and establish in unused areas.
Note, however, that eating weeds is not recommended if there is a chance that chemicals have been applied to the area during regular lawn maintenance or to kill weeds. Additionally, whenever adding new foods to your diet, start small and check with your doctor.
Although these plants are not native many of them have been naturalizing in the area since they arrived with early European settlers. I don’t recommend purposefully planting them in your yard, just wait for them to arrive. Where there is garden space for edibles to be planted give first dibs to native edible plants.
The first weed I was fed as a child was dandelion, when my teacher made us dandelion pancakes with fresh maple syrup. Yum! I like to pick the yellow fluff out of the center of the flower and remove the bitter outer green part. In a salad, a few yellow dandelion petals look great. They are also used as a garnish and can be baked into dishes like pancakes. Dandelion leaves are a healthy green, but look for fresh new leaves because older ones can be very bitter. Eat your greens fresh in salad, steamed, or sautéed.
Weeds can be an overlooked source of fresh nutritious greens. Check your garden for weeds next time you want a snack.
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