10 Common Edible Weeds
Many wild plants are not only safe to eat — they're also delicious.
By Aaron Munzer
Many wild plants are not only safe to eat — they're also delicious.
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Getting Started
Pulling weeds is just about the most tedious task any gardener faces. But with many common species, you can take a route: Try eating them. Here's a somewhat complete list of commonly weeded plants that can add rustic flavor to your garden harvest. Just be careful — before you eat anything outside, positively ID it visually by using a guide book or by asking a knowledgeable person. Photos here are not necessarily illustrative of the plants in their edible form.
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Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale)
The scourge of many a lawn perfectionist, these flowering plants crop in most suburban and rural yards. But don't wipe them out with herbicides just yet. Dandelion leaves are a perfect, gourmet salad green when tossed with a light vinaigrette, and are packed with vitamin A, vitamin C, and beta carotene. The blooming flowers can be made into an intoxicating homemade wine, too.
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Red Clover (Trifolium pretense)
This plant's blossoms can be eaten fresh or steeped in hot water for tea. And you can toss both the green leaves and blossoms into a salad.
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Plantain (Plantago major)
Also known as "white man's foot," this is another one of those plants that seems to thrive right on the edge of gardens and driveway. Pick the green, rippled leaves and leave the tall flower stems. Blanch the leaves and sauté with some butter and garlic just as you would with kale or any other tough green.
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Garlic Grass (Allium vineale)
Wild garlic is an herbal treat often found lurking in fields, pastures, forests and disturbed soil. It resembles cultivated garlic or spring onions, but the shoots are often very thin. Use it in sandwiches, salads, pesto or chopped on main courses like scallions.
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Sorrel (Rumex acetosella)
Also known as sheep sorrel or dock, this wild plant is a tart, lemony green found all over North America and Europe. It slightly resembles Swiss chard, with thin, triangularly shaped leaves. Use the young leaves in salads for an interesting citrus flavor, or cook older, tougher greens in soups, omelets, or stir-frys. Wood sorrel is another variety that can be eaten; however, it looks more like clover, with three double egg-shaped leaves.
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Watercress
The cress family (garden cress, water cress, rock cress, pepper cress) are leafy greens long cultivated in much of Northern Europe. They have a spicy tang and are great in salads, sandwiches, and soups.
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Chickweed (Stellaria media)
A low-growing succulent with bright green, pointed oval leaves, this plant is supercharged with vitamins, minerals, omega-6 fatty acid derivatives, and deliciousness. Throw young leaves and stems in salads. However, take note: Don't eat too much chickweed, as it can give you diarrhea.
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Lamb's Quarters (Chenopodium album)
Also known as goosefoot or lamb's lettuce, this has long grown as a grain crop in the Himalayas and is often harvested from the wild in Africa. The plant has pale green leaves that resemble goose feet. Pick its young leaves and eat them raw or lightly cooked. The seeds, which are closely related to the super grain quinoa, are packed with protein, vitamin A and calcium, and can be eaten as well.
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Burdock
This plant's stalks, stripped of their rinds before the flowers open, can be boiled, and taste kind of like asparagus.
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