Weeds good enough to eat
Parsnips and stinging nettles don’t often get a chance to be ferried around in a basket. But people who think of them as just weeds are missing out.
Dandelions were introduced to this country by European colonizers for their medicinal properties. But thanks to their propensity to spread rapidly in yards, gardens, and wild spaces, dandelions are now known primarily as weeds—something to be yanked and tossed.
Sautéed lamb’s quarters paired with nettle pesto potatoes and maple syrup parsnips. You could also pair any of these with our Sun Dried Tomato Feta Skillet, Whole Grain and Lentil Veggie Burgers, or Lemony Asparagus and Pea Risotto.
We’re used to thinking of weeds as throwaway plants, but maybe it’s time to reconsider. After all, the main reason a plant is called a weed is because it’s growing where it’s not wanted. Plenty of people don’t mind dandelions, for instance, because of the way the yellow tufted flowers can brighten a field.
Growing up, I found another reason to appreciate them: They taste good.
I grew up munching on dandelions, along with the red clover, purslane, and lamb’s quarters growing in my backyard. I loved the sour softness of wood sorrel and the bitterness of dandelions. Thanks to my mother’s encouragement, I learned to find ways to cook and eat them.
If you’ve ever been curious about how popular weeds taste, here’s your chance to find out. It’s possible to enjoy a few of the following plants raw, but most benefit from being sautéed or cooked into soups or stews.
Note: Make sure to forage only from areas that haven’t been treated with herbicides, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers, or been exposed to pollution or heavy pet traffic.
DANDELIONS
Distinguished by yellow flowers that turn into blow-able seed puffs, dandelions are edible from the roots, to flowers, to leaves. They’re especially delicious when picked in the springtime while still tender. With age, they can become bitter, though they’re still considered edible. Among the most common edible weeds, dandelions occasionally join other foraged plants on restaurant menus.
Nutritional value: Dandelions are high in iron, vitamin K, riboflavin (B2), and vitamin A.
How to cook: My favorite way to eat dandelion greens is sautéed, with a dash of oil, salt and pepper, and balsamic vinegar. Even sautéed, they can taste a little bitter. You can add young, tender greens raw to salads. Dandelion flowers can be infused into syrups; dandelion roots can be roasted and used as a tea or coffee substitute.
RED CLOVER
Red clover, which is actually purple, is a perennial legume native to Asia, Africa, and Europe and found all over the world. It’s often considered a weed, in part because of its adaptability. But it has nitrogen fixing qualities beneficial to soil health and for that reason is often used as a cover crop and grown to manage soil quality and erosion. You can forage for flowers and the leaves, though they aren’t as tasty.
Nutritional value: Red clover contains calcium, chromium, magnesium, niacin, phosphorus, potassium, thiamine, and vitamin C. It’s also a source of isoflavones, a type of phytoestrogen, which mimics estrogen.
A jar of mint and clover tea I made after drying the clover flowers and mint leaves in my food dehydrator. You can also dry them by bundling and hanging the plants in a dry place.
Medicinal value: Red clover flowers are sometimes used for medicinal purposes, including the treatment of osteoporosis, menopause symptoms, and high cholesterol, though little formal research has been conducted to provide evidence of its properties.
How to cook: This weed is not particularly flavorful, but you can infuse it into syrups, use it as a garnish, or add it to salads or wraps. My favorite way to enjoy it is as a tea. Brew it straight from your garden or dry it, for later use.
WOOD SORREL
Wood Sorrel leaves are similar in shape to clover, and contain oxalic acid, just like rhubarb and spinach. The oxalic acid is why it tastes pretty sour. All parts of the plant are edible and different varieties grow all over the world.
Nutritional value: Contains vitamin C.
How to cook: You can cook wood sorrel, but it’s tastiest eaten raw. It adds a tangy, sour bite to any salad and is a great garnish for other dishes.
PURSLANE
Purslane is a common garden weed so hardy it pops up in sidewalk cracks and along busy roads. A small, creeping succulent with oval-shaped waxy leaves, it’s not to be confused with the poisonous hairy-stemmed spurge, which has smaller leaves and stems, and produces a white sap when a stem is severed. The leaves, stems, and flower buds of purslane are edible. Harvest it any time during the summer.
Nutritional value: Rich in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins A and C.
How to cook: Purslane is juicy and a little sour. You can eat it cooked or raw. I like adding it to salads.
PLANTAIN
Plantain, not to be confused with the banana-esque plantain that grows in tropical regions, is a small, round-leafed plant that commonly grows in lawns. Native to Europe and Asia, it now grows all over North America. Both the leaves and the taller, seedy flowers are edible. If you’re harvesting the greens forage in spring for the young, more tender leaves.
Medicinal value: Plantain, chewed or crushed, can applied topically to heal bug bites and bee stings.
How to cook: Plantain is bitter and can be tough, so it’s best eaten cooked, not raw. My favorite way to eat it is as part of a creamy potato, onion, and celery soup with Italian seasonings. Just before the soup is done cooking, I add a cup of rinsed and chopped plantain along with a handful of chopped fresh basil and chives.
LAMB’S QUARTERS
Also known as pigweed or goosefoot, lamb’s quarters is a grey-green leafy plant with smooth, slightly serrated leaves and small flowers at the top. It grows all spring and summer, becoming less tender and tasty over time.
Nutritional value: Shares a nutrition profile similar to spinach, but more so. Lamb’s quarters is rich in protein, iron, and vitamins A and C.
How to cook: Lamb’s quarters has a muted flavor, which easily acquires the flavors of various herbs and spices. It’s best eaten cooked. I tried it for the first time recently, sautéed in olive oil with salt and paper to taste. It was so delicious I regretted having weeded it out of my garden for years!
NETTLES
This plant is often referred to as “stinging nettle,” for good reason. It hurts, so wear gloves when harvesting this weed. Pick or cut down the whole stalk, and use scissors to snip the leaves into a bag or basket. Nettles grow throughout North America and can be harvested all spring and summer.
Medicinal value: Nettles are rich in antioxidants and traditionally used for various medicinal purposes, including treating respiratory conditions, inflammation, and stings or venomous bites.
How to cook: Blanching or drying removes the stinging properties, and makes nettles safe to eat. Save the blanch water to use as a nutritious soup stock with a peppery bite. Nettles go well in soups, teas, and pesto.
WILD PARSNIP
Wild parsnip is a stinging, invasive species in North America that also happens to be delicious. It’s a biennial that is short and leafy in its first year and tall with yellow flowers in its second. Commonly found in environments like roadsides, where the ground and ecosystem have been disturbed, it’s best harvested in the spring before the roots get too woody.
Parsnip roots are edible but collecting them can be tricky. The leaves secrete a chemical that can cause long-lasting blisters if you touch it, and then expose your skin to sunlight. In other words, it’s very important to wear gloves and long sleeves when foraging. That said, I've grown up around it and have never gotten the rash and blistering it can cause. You just have to be careful.
Nutritional value: Wild parsnips are rich in fiber, vitamin C, and potassium.
How to cook: This plant is edible raw, but tastier when cooked. Cook parsnip roots the same way you’d cook carrots.
Thank you to Joy Schelble for sharing her knowledge of nettles and parsnip. Joy is a friend, teacher, and a settler on Anishinaabe land. She has a degree in botany and is the 4-H Youth Development Coordinator with the University of Wisconsin Extension for the Bad River Federally Recognized Tribes Extension Program (FRTEP), where she works on youth initiatives and food sovereignty. In 2020, Joy and Loretta Livingston (former Tribal Council Chair of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa) were honored 2020 Change Makers MOSES (Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service) for their work on the Bad River Food Sovereignty Project.
Ella Syverson is a Stone Pier Press News Fellow based in Swannanoa, NC.
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