Our focus here is the culinary and nutritional value of these weeds. Keep in mind that several of these plants also have great value as herbal remedies, and as with all herbal remedies, the advice of a health care practitioner should be sought before their use. This is especially important for those with a health condition or those who are taking any medications.
DANDELION, Taraxacum officinale
The dandelion scarcely needs an introduction, as it is found almost everywhere, spreading far and wide by reseeding with wild abandon.The whole dandelion plant is very rich in nutrients,particularly the young leaves. It is an excellent source of vitamins A, B, and C, along with many minerals—mostnotably iron and potassium.Few realize that the golden yellow flowers of the dandelion are edible when cooked and add zest to dishes.Fresh young leaves lend a special tang to salads and can be cooked like spinach or blanched like endive. The dried roots of dandelion can be either used as a coffee substitute or added to your favourite coffee blend.
Try a delicious dandelion salad made with dandelion leaves, lettuce or spinach, tomatoes, chives, toasted breadcrumbs, an oil and vinegar dressing, and dandelion flowers as a topping. To wash the meal down, have a dandelion leaf tea or dandelion root coffee.
Yarrow prefers hot and dry sites in full sun with well drainedsoil. The plant multiplies rapidly by shallow,horizontal rhizomes as well as by seeds. Rubbing or crushing the hairy fern like foliage between your fingers releases the plant's strong, aromatic, somewhat nutmegor sagelike fragrance.
The younger leaves of yarrow can be cooked like spinach or added to soups or stews. If you are adventurous, toss a few leaves into your salad. For a delectable, although bitter, taste sensation, try adding a few leaves to a cream cheese sandwich, or you can dry the leaves for use as a spice that imparts a strong sagelike flavour. A tea of the leaves is tangy and bitter,though you can sweeten it by adding honey.
TIP: As a safety precaution, do not harvest and use any plants from are as where chemical spraying of any sort is suspected.
Many of you may remember sucking on the red florets of red clover to enjoy their sweet honey like flavour. The flowers are even commercially produced for a tasty syrup in some regions of the world. The young leaves of a close cousin, the white clover, T. repens, can be added to salads or cooked like spinach. Flowers of both these species can be tossed into a salad as well.Red clover has estrogenic properties, so those with an estrogen-sensitive condition such as breast cancer should consult a health care practitioner before use.
GROUND IVY, Glechoma hederaceaThis is a tough ground cover perennial that spreads by horizontal rooting stems and has the potential to become extremely invasive. Otherwise, it can actually be quite pretty with its delicate blue flowers and mint like fragrance. The young leaves and flowers are edible, with a slightly bitter and pepper like flavour. They are believed to be rich in vitamin C and iron, so try adding them to salads, soups, or stir-fries. A tea made from fresh or dried leaves is known as “gill tea” Andi's considered a spring tonic.
Most of us have enjoyed seeing the exquisite blue flowers of the chicory growing abundantly along roadsides or in neglected fields, but few are aware of the plant’s many valuable uses. The young leaves can be added to salads,steamed like spinach, or added to stir-fries, soups, or stews.Younger chicory leaves taste best, though the older leave scan be blanched to lessen their somewhat bitter taste. The leaves are rich in vitamins and minerals.The flowers are edible as well, and are a delicious addition to salads. Another way to enjoy eating your chicory is as chicons, also known as Belgian or French endive. Perhaps the best-known way that chicory is used is as a caffeine-free substitute for, or an additive to, coffee, prepared by drying,roasting, and grinding the roots,
Stinging nettle is an appropriate name for this weed of dampish meadows and roadsides. If your bare skin comes into contact with this plant, you most definitely will feel its stinging effects. Thankfully, cooking the leaves removes the sting of this nettle. Wear gloves when harvesting the plants.Stinging nettle is a storehouse of many vitamins,minerals, and protein, being especially high in iron and vitamin C. Fresh or dried leaves can be made into a nutritious tea and served either hot or cold (after boiling of course). The pleasant tasting leaves can be cooked like spinach or added to stir-fries, soups, and stews.
CURLED OR YELLOW DOCK, Rumex crispusThe leaves of curled dock are rich in iron, magnesium,vitam ins A and C, and several other nutrients. Thesecan be boiled, sauteed in stir-fries, or added to soupand stews.
This is a familiar sprawling annual often found in rich garden soils. It bears tiny, fleshy leaves, even smaller yellow flowers, and reddish creeping stems. The whole plant can be sauteed, boiled, or added to casserole s and omelettes for a tasty nutritious meal that is high in vitamins C and A, iron, magnesium, manganese,potassium, and several other nutrients. The flavour is difficult to describe—tangy, slightly sour, peppery, and hazelnut-like will give you an idea.
Borage is a tough hairy-leaved annual that is well deserving of a spot away from your main garden. It isa thoroughly undemanding plant, wanting only welldrainedsoil and full sun exposure.The fresh young leaves have a cucumber-like flavourthat goes well in salads. They can also be prepared asa cooked vegetable—fried or boiled or added to otherdishes such as soups and stews or with pickles. The leaves also make a tasty tea, either hot or as iced teawith lemon or honey. The leaves are high in calcium and potassium, plus the omega-6 essential fatty acid gammalinolenic acid (GLA).The blue star-shaped blooms have a deliciously tart and sweet flavour. Try these flowers as a colourful addition to salads, or candy them for decorating cakes.
Also known as goose foot, lamb’s quarters is another well-known weed that has many uses in the kitchen. The tender young leaves and shoots are a pleasant spinach substitute when boiled and served with butter. They area rich source of vitamins A and C, plus protein, calcium,phosphorus, and potassium.
Jesse Vernon Trail is an author, curriculum developer, and
instructor on horticulture, environm ent, sustainability, and
natural history topics.
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