Edible weeds

ongoing

[djf]

I have decided to start a thread focusing on edible weeds. Many of the common plants we see everyday are edible, and while most are not hugely palatable or nutritious, a few are truly very good.

If you would like to post a recipe, please post recipes related to these plants only.

As always, an extreme amount of caution is advised. It's probably true that 90 percent or so of plants are actually edible, there is a small percentage that if you eat them, you WON'T have to worry about eating again!

Oleander comes to mind, it would take less than two leaves to kill an average person.

So be careful.

[djf]

Black raspberries

Widely distributed berry plant. Many folks are surprised to learn that berries that grow on vines with thorns are mostly from the rose family. These things are worth every scratch, they are truly delicious.

[Vinnie]

The smoke from burning oleander is poisonous also.

Growing up in S. Fla. where many plants are poisonous we learned a rule of thumb.

If the plant has milky sap, consider it poisonous until found otherwise.

[LucyJo]

I found this thread really interesting. My mother and I spent a good part of the morning talking about Pawpaw trees.

The pawpaw is apparently making a comeback too.

It has been called by a number of names through the years. The one I like best is ‘poor man’s banana’. The fruit has a creamy texture and taste similar to banana.

[djf]

Do they smell like carrots? That’s how I always identify QA Lace. Pull it out and it smells like a carrot.

Thanks for the warning. That’s the kind of stuff I wanted the thread to be about.

[Red_Devil 232]

Garden Weed Ping -— Yum?

[JoeProBono]

[x]

Please stay away from the seeds of Hedysarum alpinum or Hedysarum Mackenzii.

[GOPJ]

Acorns aren’t a “weed” but they can be eaten if boiled for 2 hours - draining off the water whenever it ( the water) become “tea” colored.

[Free Descendant]

What sort of wine would go well with that?

[patton]

Shell the acorns, put them in a bulap bag, and sink it in a moving creek for a couple of weeks.

[djf]

Horseradish

Have it in my garden, as it grows well here. Most are familiar with ground horseradish root, or wasabi, but the leaves are also quite edible, good in salads, and get large! Widely distributed in North America.

[LucyJo]

I’ve never eaten kudzu, but I thought ‘prolific’ was almost understatement as a description of how it grows. Don’t know the nutritional values, but we would never starve to death for lack of it in our neck of the woods.

[uglybiker]

You come stay in my countly for awhile!
Before rong, you know what weeds you can eat!
Cuz dat's all you can find!

[djf]

Dom Perignon, I guess.
Might as well enjoy your last six hours or so!

[GOPJ]

Most green bugs are ok ...

A few years ago I would have thought this thread a little nutty. Now I know I'll be checking back. By the way, what's the problem with yellow, red and black bugs? Do they taste bad or are they dangerous to eat? And what's Dr. Thunder?

[LadyPilgrim]

Thanks for the thread. :-)

[patton]

Roots are starch, leaves are salad greens.

You can cure world hunger with that stuff.

Oh, and goats love it.

[djf]

Huckleberries

Yur basic wild blueberry. Sadly, mostly grows at higher elevations. But I've seen (and et) them in the Adirondacks, the Rockies, and the Cascades.

[patton]

Oops, young leaves are salad greens, old leaves are spinach.

[ontap]

All my life I have eaten poke salad and never did any thing but boil it and fry it up with eggs. I’m in my seventh decade and feel great.