8 Weeds You Can Eat

 
One person’s weed-filled lawn is another person’s salad bar.

By Emily Main
 
If you think everything in your yard that isn't grass must be a nuisance, you're missing out—on a free lunch. Those pesky weeds invading your lush green patch of paradise are actually valuable foods, loaded with antioxidants, vitamins and protein, sometimes even more nutritious than what you'll find at the grocery store. Things like dandelions and clovers are starting to make their way into American lawns, and if you pick them early, you'll get an incredibly sweet, nutritious addition to your next meal.

Here are some suggestions for finding free munchies in your backyard. Just remember to ID them with a credible source if you’re not plant-savvy—there's even an app for that! If you've got a smart phone, download the Wild Edibles app created by Steve Brill, a botanist known for giving edible-plant tours of New York City's Central Park. Also, wash your harvest thoroughly before consuming, and steer clear of areas that may have been treated with chemicals or pesticides.

Dandelion
Perhaps the most familiar lawn weed of them all, the dandelion may also be the weed that’s most known to be edible. In fact, the reason it exists in the U.S. is that European settlers introduced it as a salad green. You can buy dandelion greens at some specialty food markets, but odds are, there are some growing, for free, a whole lot closer to you.  They have a slightly bitter taste when they mature, so harvest the tender leaves that appear in early spring and in late fall, when they're sweetest. The flowers are edible too and have a mildly bittersweet flavor. And eat them up! Dandelions have more beta-carotene than carrots.
Photo: (cc) digital_image-fan/flickr
 

Purslane
This plant has rounded, succulent, leaves and a reddish stem and grows everywhere, so it's very likely that you'll find a purslane plant somewhere in your neighborhood. Notoriously difficult to kill as a weed, purslane is probably better suited to your dinner plate anyway. It's loaded with antioxidant vitamins like vitamins A and C, and also contains healthy omega-3 fatty acids. You can eat the stems and leaves fresh—try them in salads or sandwiches—or use them in soups or in recipes that call for spinach (they’re related and have a similar taste).

Photo: (cc) pellaea/flickr

Bamboo
This familiar plant, made into everything from floorboards to pajamas, is actually a type of grass. And if anyone near you has ever planted any (it's actually grown by U.S. farmers in warm climates and even as far north as New England), there’s a good chance some of it will spread into your yard because, once it escapes, the weed can be very invasive and hard to control. Bamboo shoots are full of fiber, and are sometimes described as tasting like corn. Should any pop up in your vicinity, harvest shoots that are less than two weeks old and under 1 foot tall. Bamboo shoots have to be cooked before you eat them: Peel the outer leaves away and remove any tough flesh. Cut across the grain into one-eighth-inch slices, and boil in an uncovered pan for 20 minutes (or longer, if there’s still a bitter taste to them). After they’re prepared in this way, you can eat them with some soy sauce, add to salads, or use them in stir-fries.
Photo: (cc) shawn henning/flicker
Extra:  Learn How to Grow Non-Invasive Bamboo

Japanese Knotweed
Another invasive species you can control with your appetite, Japanese knotwood looks a little bit like bamboo, but they're not related—even though it’s sometimes called “Japanese Bamboo." This weed might be harder to find if you don't live in the Northeast or Midwest, where invasive populations have taken root. But if you do see some, harvest the green and red shoots when the weeds are 6 to 8 inches tall, before they turn woody. Remove any tough leaves or rind and steam or simmer for a tart, rhubarb-like taste.
Photo: (cc) loopzilla/flickr

Lamb's Quarters
Despite what it sounds like this isn't meat. Lamb's quarters is a weed commonly referred to as "wild spinach," and fortunately, it starts to appear in early summer after the last of the spring spinach has disappeared from farmer's markets. It's loaded with calcium and protein, as well as vitamins A, C and K, even more so than spinach. The best way to eat the leaves, or pretty much any green weed in this list, is to wash them well, sauté them in olive oil while they're still wet (the steam helps them wilt), then add a dash of salt, garlic, pepper and a squeeze of lemon or lime, says Hank Shaw, forager and author of Hunt, Gather, Cook (Rodale, 2011).
Photo: (cc) frankenstoen/flickr

Watercress
You can pay $3 for a bunch of watercress—an antioxidant powerhouse—at your local grocery store…or you can find a stream and stock up for free. An increasingly popular ingredient in gourmet salads, many people don't realize that watercress is actually a weed. It grows alongside streams and riverbanks in nearly every U.S. state. The most popular way to eat watercress is to add it to salads raw. If you need some ideas, check out the watercress recipes in the Rodale Recipe Finder.
Photo: (cc) frankenstoen/flickr

Kudzu
Gardeners, homeowners, landscapers and foodies south of the Mason-Dixon line, take heed: Kudzu, the "weed that ate the South," can actually be eaten itself. This highly invasive weed, introduced from Japan in the late 1800s, now covers over 7 million acres of the Southern U.S. and is nearly impossible to kill. Thus, you have an unending supply with which to experiment in the kitchen. Southerners have found dozens of ways to eat kudzu, including making jams and jellies to pickling the flowers that appear in August and September. For your first efforts at cooking it, try steaming or boiling the roots until they're tender and adding soy sauce or miso, as is often done in Asian cooking. The plant is also used in Chinese medicine for treating allergies, colds, fevers and as a digestive aid. Brew a kudzu tea by chopping up a cup of leaves and boiling them for about 30 minutes to treat what ails you.
Photo: (cc) robertmichalove/flickr

Red Clover
Another weed you'll see all over the U.S., red clover has been used for ages as a folk remedy for cancer. It contains the phytoestrogen genistein, which, although controversial, has been found to have a protective effect against colon and prostate cancers. However, because there's some evidence that phytoestrogens can have the opposite effect on breast cancer, go easy on the red clover. But if you have some growing in your yard, an occasional meal of red clover flowers sprinkled over rice or cooked in soy sauce is a good way to clean up your yard. In addition to being potential cancer-fighters, clover flowers are high in protein. You can also eat white clover, but it's not as nutritious or flavorful as red.
Photo: (cc) dendroica cerulea/flickr

http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/8-weeds-you-can-eat?page=0,0

Sweet Woodruff in the Herb Garden

A fragrant vanilla substitute.

By the MOTHER EARTH NEWS editors
May/June 1984

Sweet woodruff can spread to make a nice ground cover. 

ILLUSTRATION: MOTHER EARTH NEWS STAFF

Lately, more and more people have begun to understand just how limited — in both variety and nutritional value — our “modern” diets have become. This realization has sparked a new and widespread interest in the culinary and therapeutic uses of herbs ... those plants that — although not well known today — were, just one short generation ago, honored “guests” on the dinner tables and in the medicine chests of our grandparents’ homes. In this regular feature MOTHER EARTH NEWS will examine the availability, cultivation and benefits of our “forgotten” vegetable foods and remedies ... and — we hope — help prevent the loss of still another bit of ancestral lore. 

If you enjoy fragrance, you’ll probably like sweet woodruff (Asperula odorata or Galium odoratum), because its scent has been likened to that of new-mown hay or vanilla. A perennial that thrives in moist woods in temperate climes, sweet woodruff has, for centuries, been gathered and dried for use as — among other things — a strewing herb (the old-fashioned equivalent of today’s air fresheners), a perfume and potpourri ingredient, a tonic tea, and a special addition to the May Day wine (“Maibowl”) with which Europeans celebrate the return of spring. Furthermore, on St. Barnabas’s and St. Peter’s days, bouquets of woodruff, sweet box, lavender and roses were placed in churches.

Sweet woodruff’s pleasing scent only becomes apparent after the leaves have been dried ... but then it lasts for years. The odor is due to coumarin, a chemical also found in tonka beans, sweet clover or meliot, and some other leguminous plants. In potpourris, given it not only adds a fragrance of its own but acts as a fixative for other scents, woodruff’s contribution is twofold. Sachets of the dried herb can be laid among the household linens; in an earlier age, the leaves were even used to stuff mattresses. (In addition to perfuming the bedclothes, the sachets were reputed to repel insects, which must have made the herb a popular commodity in the days when regular bathing was a luxury!)

Teutonic warriors believed that sweet woodruff promoted success in battle, and therefore tucked its green sprigs in their helmets. The origin of this belief isn’t clear: Perhaps it stems from the fact that woodruff leaves are mildly anesthetic and healing when applied externally (thus helping a soldier to ignore his wounds) ... or perhaps it derived from the leaves’ ability to “make the heart merry” when taken in wine.

Be that as it may, this charming little herb can be a vanilla substitute in various sauces and beverages. Marilyn Hampstead, whose Fox Hill Farm is one source of Asperula plants, reports that sweet woodruff can be steeped in milk —overnight or for several days — to make a refreshing drink that’s especially enjoyed by children ... or, to impart a vanilla taste, soaked in whatever liquid is required in a given recipe ... or, to make a delicious glaze for tarts and turnovers, steeped in currant juice and strained out before the juice is thickened by cooking with sugar.

Woodruff grows to an average height of about eight inches from a slender, creeping root-stock. Whorls of six to eight slightly shiny, somewhat rough, pointed leaves surround the square, glossy stem. Small, starry flowers appear in May and June; later, the seeds ripen into little rough balls covered with hooked bristles that cling to passersby. The plants can be propagated by seed, but since the germination period is so long (sometimes 200 days!), more satisfactory results can be obtained by root division in the spring and early summer (right after flowering). The herb prefers moist, slightly acid, humus-rich soil in a semi-shaded location. Woodruff is quite finicky, so its conditions must be met for it to survive ... but once established, it spreads to make a good ground cover. The leaves will be most fragrant if harvested during and directly after blooming. Chop them up and dry them immediately in a warm, shaded area.

Many fine nurseries carry sweet woodruff plants, among them Hemlock Hill Herb Farm, The Rosemary House and Fox Hill Farm. 

http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/sweet-woodruff-herb-garden-zmaz84zloeck.aspx

Comment: Sweet Woodruff plants can be found at most nurseries. It is a great long lasting herb in the garden that takes little to no care.

Peppermint Discourages Mice in Walls

   

You may be able to get rid of mice in your walls by scattering about cotton balls soaked in peppermint oil.

By Norm Noe
December 2010/January 2011

I live in a 102-year-old house, on a small acreage, which helps explain why I had a problem and needed to know how to get rid of mice in my walls. (It sounded like they were having a party in there!)

The young lady that works where I shop said she had heard from her grandma that all you need are peppermint-soaked cotton balls scattered about, and mice will split!

So I placed small, peppermint-soaked cotton balls all around the kitchen. I unscrewed two wall plugs and carefully slipped some in behind the sockets and, like magic, no more sounds of mice. Twenty-four hours later, no sign of the mice at all.
Norm Noe
Vancouver, Washington

http://www.motherearthnews.com/green-homes/how-to-get-rid-of-mice-zm0z10zhun.aspx

Comment: I live in a 105 year old house and I don't get mice. But in the past I got lots of rats in the walls. It was not pretty.  I can remember banging on the wall in my bedroom to try to scare them away. No, it did not work! When we did some remodeling we put blocking in so the walls and attic space are not one. This keeps them out of the walls, but we have gotten a couple in the attic since then and catch them with a have-a-heart trap. (they like cheesecake)  Then they have to be transported more than 4 miles away so they can't find their way back. I am wondering if the rats would be offended my the peppermint smell. My spearmint and orange mint plants (which I have plenty of) don't seem to keep them out of my yard though).

Plant Spirit Medicine

We all yearn to be connected to our spirit, a community, and the natural world, yet how often do we give ourselves the time to nurture that pure, heartfelt desire? Our modern lives have become so busy and stressful. We know the pace takes a painful toll, which we try to remedy with healthy food, therapy, a yoga class here and there, or morning meditation. All of these approaches help, yet we still wonder, is there more?

Sometimes an illness, a bad break-up, or the death of a loved one will activate our core of inner wisdom, shaking us up enough to open our hearts and commit to deeper healing.

Could the potency and mystery of ancient-wisdom traditions provide a medicine for the spectrum of illnesses and the alienation of modern culture?

Communities once worked and played together around the fire. People felt connected to each other and to the natural world around them. Healers helped with individual maladies and also maintained the emotional and spiritual wellbeing of the entire village. The medicine of the old cultures was deep and effective. It was more holistic than anything we dream of today. Despite all that modernity has undone, the Huichol people of central Mexico have kept alive their humor, their communities, and their profound medicine.

Eliot Cowan is the author of Plant Spirit Medicine, and a fully initiated Tsaurirrikame (shaman) in the Huichol Indian tradition. He began the study and practice of herbalism in the 1960’s and completed a Master of Acupuncture degree with J.R. Worsley in England in the 1970’s. Eliot subsequently apprenticed with Don Guadalupe Gonzalez Rios, an eminent Huichol Indian Shaman. On the occasion of Don Guadalupe’s retirement in 2000, he ritually recognized Eliot as a guide to shamanic apprentices in the Huichol tradition.

Eliot has shared his gift with many all over the world. In 1989, Eliot was my teacher. My year long apprenticeship program was based at Dry Creek Herb Farm north of Auburn CA. It was a wondrous year, opening me up to many life changing opportunities. The journey has continued to amaze and confirm my belief in this profound medicine.

It is only with the heart that you can see, what is essential is invisible to the eye. ~ Unknown

Herbs & Children: Collecting and Drying Herbs for the Herbal Harvest

IN THE HERB GARDEN

Down and dirty in the garden.

Herbs & Children: Collecting and Drying Herbs for the Herbal Harvest

8/4/2011 3:31:04 PM

by Lisa Kuhlman

L.KuhlmanLisa is a writer, budding photographer and herb enthusiast. She enjoys poking around in the garden, creating in the kitchen and reading a good book (when she’s not answering the call of “Mom!” from her five children).

The twins and I wandered outside the other day to survey the state of the herb garden together. It was humming with bees and naturally decorated with butterflies—delightful! After some discussion, we determined the herbs were ready for a mid-summer haircut. Each girl set to work with a pair of scissors and instructions to cut at about halfway down the plants.

Butterflies and bees are frequent visitors to herb gardens.

Photo by raymondgobis/Courtesy Flickr

As we cut, we put each herb in its own pile. Sometimes they would have to stop and inspect the plants before they added another handful, comparing the shape of the leaves or how the leaves were situated on the stems to be sure it was going to the right place. Every so often we took a break to have a tasting party and decide what kinds of things we might like to make with the herbs we were preparing to dry in our kitchen.

After collecting the herbs, I assigned Claire and Olivia each several piles to divide into handfuls and secure the bunches with rubber bands. They had a little trouble at first, but after I explained it was much like putting a ponytail in their doll's hair, they caught right on and chattered though the hour just like ladies at a salon!

Next, we added a paper clip hook to each bunch, opening the paper clip so it looks like an elongated “S” and hooking one end under the rubber band. Again, this took a couple of demonstrations, but they caught on and we had a nice collection of hangers in no time. 

An opened paper clip attached to a rubberband is an easy way to hang herbs.

Photo by Lisa Kuhlman

My girls love to do crafts, so making labels from slips of paper for each bunch was turned into an artistic endeavor. They wrote out the labels (with a little spelling help from me) and then after taking a close look at the plants, proceeded to add tiny sketches that represented the herb. Since we weren't in a hurry, I let them embellish as much as they wished. Then we slipped the papers under one section of the rubber band on each bunch.

Photo by Lisa Kuhlman

Here is a list of the herbs we gathered this time:

• Lemon balm

• Lavender

• Oregano

• Dill

• Thyme

• Bee balm

• Comfrey

• Plantain

• Spearmint

• Chocolate mint

• Chamomile

• Catnip

• Rosemary

•Sage

Make labels for each herb bunch. 

As you can see, this is a fairly diverse list. As we gathered each herb, it was an opportunity to talk about which parts we use, how they are used (cooking, tea, medicinally, etc.) and whether or not the plants will grow back (perennial, annual, biennial, etc.) I explained there were a few herbs, like basil, cilantro and parsley, that we didn't cut for drying this time because I prefer to use them fresh or frozen. We'll wait until later in the summer to dry or freeze them.

Soon our bunches were ready to hang in the kitchen. In our kitchen, on a wall out of direct sunlight, I have strung a length of beading wire between two nails. We simply hang the bunches on the wire by the paperclip hooks and in a few weeks, they are ready to bring down and put into glass jars. Our kitchen always smells divine! (This line can double as an art gallery, too!)

When it was time to store our harvest, we took down all of one kind of herb at a time, rubbing the leaves off the stem and onto a large piece of paper. Then we picked up edges of the paper and slid the herbs right into a glass jar with a lid. Always be sure to add a label to the jar as soon as you are done with each herb. I can almost always tell the difference between the dried herbs by taste or scent, but plants like plantain and comfrey are very similar to each other in their dried form! Besides, having the kids create a label for even the most distinct herbs (like rosemary or lavender) is good reinforcement for learning about them.

As we worked, we dreamed about making our own herbal tea blends or perfume with floral waters (hydrosols) with the fresh herbs still growing in the garden. We wondered if the fairies that live in the fairy house tucked away to the side of the herb garden would like to collect and dry herbs as well.

It was agreed that they would. Collecting and drying herbs is great fun!

http://www.herbcompanion.com/in-the-herb-garden/herbs-children-collecting-drying-herbs-herbal-harvest.aspx

Red Clover - infusion

Susun Weed talks about the wonderful herb - red clover.
She shares about its immune healing abilities and many important uses for it. It is easy to make a nourishing red clover infusion as you will see in this video.



Susun Weed makes red clover nourishing herbal infusion. Red clover blossom infusion is one of the world's best remedies for infertility, no matter what the cause. It nourishes the health of both eggs and sperm, opens blocked fallopian tubes, adjusts hormones, and generally makes the entire body more receptive to pregnancy. It is also highly regarded as an anti-cancer remedy. It is considered safe for consumption by pregnant and lactating women. The high vitamin content of red clover blossoms, combined with the folic acid in the leaves is especially helpful to sperm and egg production and helps prevent birth defects. Red clover's high mineral and trace mineral content helps restore and maintain good production of hormones. Its profuse and exceedingly absorbable calcium and magnesium help rejuvenate and repair the delicate tissues of reproduction.

An infusion is a large amount of herb brewed for a long time. Typically, one ounce by weight (about a cup by volume) of dried herb is placed in a quart jar which is then filled to the top with boiling water, tightly lidded and allowed to steep for 4-10 hours. http://herbshealing.com/How_to_make_Infusions.htm

Join Susun Weed in the Catskill Mountains near Woodstock NY, view complete schedule of events at http://www.susunweed.com/ join the free ezine, register for the free online course Nourishing Herbal Infusions the Wise Woman Way, view the holistic links directory, ask questions at the Wise Woman Forum, join Herbal Healing Email group, visit five weblogs with Women's Health Q&A database, and so much more...join us at http://www.herbshealing.com

What Are the Health Benefits of Garlic?

5/31/2011 9:25:53 AM
By KC Compton

I’ve heard garlic is good for you, but what exactly does it do? Are there any specific health benefits that come from eating a lot of garlic? 
  

My initial reaction to this question is that even if garlic weren’t healthy, my diet would still be full of the stuff. Just considering that aroma and flavor are part of what makes life worth living, I’d say that garlic is exceptionally good for you. But yes, it does have specific medicinal uses.

Ethnobotanist James Duke, Ph.D., one of the world’s leading experts in medicinal plants, places garlic among the best all-around plant medicines in the world. According to Duke’s seminal book, The Green Pharmacy, garlic is effective for alleviating conditions ranging from high cholesterol and high blood pressure to yeast infections and clotting disorders. Garlic compounds have the potential to help treat more than 200 ailments, Duke says. It’s the best overall plant for stimulating the immune system, the best anti-clotting herb, one of the best anti-fungals, and potentially useful for preventing heart disease and cancer.

When I’m learning about any herb, what gets my attention isn’t the amount of advertising it garners on late-night TV or even in the pages of magazines, but how long it has been in the human medicine cabinet and what its uses have been through the ages. Garlic passes that test with the highest marks. Cultures throughout the world have recognized garlic’s healing abilities. The first-century Roman scholar Pliny the Elder cited uses for it from treating snakebites to dealing with dizziness and intestinal parasites. In China, records show garlic was used as early as the sixth century to treat conditions such as colds and digestive ailments.

For specific information on how much garlic is recommended for a particular condition, check out the articles at The Herb Companion, or read about garlic in The Green Pharmacy, a welcome addition to any home library.

Note: Because garlic is a powerful anti-coagulant (prevents bloodclotting), don’t take it in large amounts if you have a clotting disorder, and consult with your health care practitioner if you take anti-coagulants, such as Coumadin, or therapeutic doses of aspirin. Stop using garlic two weeks before any scheduled surgery.
 Photo Credit: Fotolia

Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/ask-our-experts/health-benefits-of-garlic-zb0z11zphe.aspx

What do I do With All That . . . Mint

What do I do With All That . . . Mint
By Amber Royer
June 3, 2011

I just had a gardener give me some very healthy mint plants today. She said she used her mint for making tea, but didn’t know quite what else to do with it. “There’s just so much of it,” she lamented. Sound familiar? Mint is one of those aggressive herbs that tend to take over, if not checked. One way to keep it in its place is to cook it in as many ways as are possible.

One of my favorite ways to use mint is in making chocolate ganache for frosting a cake (or a slightly thicker version for truffle centers, which can then be rolled in nuts or cocoa powder). You need equal amounts of heavy whipping cream and chocolate (add a couple extra ounces of chocolate if you are making truffles) - and a whopping bunch of coarsely chopped mint. Melt the chocolate slowly in the top of a double boiler. Meanwhile, heat the cream in a saucepan together with the mint. When the cream is warm to the touch, turn it off and let the mint steep into the cream, for a minimum of ten minutes. Taste the cream. If the mint flavor isn't strong enough, put a lid on it and keep steeping. When it is done, strain the cream through a sieve into the chocolate mixture, and whisk to combine. Discard the mint leaves. This works with any variety of mint, but you get really nice effects from orange mint (Mentha x piperita f. citrata) and lemon mint (Mentha dulcia citreus).

A traditional way to use mint is in jelly. Take your favorite apple jelly recipe, and add 1 ½ cup of peppermint (Mentha x piperita) or spearmint (Mentha spicata) leaves when you start cooking down the apples. Mint doesn't have the natural pectin required to make jelly on its own, and the apples have a mild enough flavor to blend in behind the mint. Adding the leaves at the beginning of the process will allow plenty of time for the mint flavor to suffuse through the juice coming out of the apples, and when you strain out the solids you don't have any leafy bits to disrupt the texture of the jelly.

If you're having Indian food on the menu, don't forget to turn some of your mint into chutney. It tastes very "green" but goes exceptionally well with kebabs and chicken tikkas. Use either a mortar and pestle or a food processor to grind the following ingredients into a paste:

1 small bunch cilantro (stems removed)
1 whopping bunch mint (stems removed)
1 hot green pepper (stem and seeds removed)
Couple cloves garlic
Salt (to taste)
Half an onion
Juice of 1 lime

Mint is cooling (which may be why the above recipe is so nice with super-spicy Indian cuisine), and the Greek culinary tradition capitalizes on this by adding another cooling vegetable - cucumber - to make tatziki sauce. This can go over gyros, or can be used to dress a salad, where it will add a creamy taste without adding a load of fat. Start with a 16 oz. carton of Greek-style yogurt, and add a peeled, seeded, diced cucumber. Mince a handful of mint leaves together with a couple of cloves of garlic, add that to the yogurt mix, season to taste with salt, really good olive oil (I like using some in which I've infused lemon) and your favorite vinegar. You'll want to refrigerate this for at least a couple of hours to let the flavors mingle before you use it.

Mint also goes really well with both strawberries and pineapple, so try making a minted fruit salad. Add your other favorite fruit (whatever's in season), a handful of finely diced mint leaves and a syrup made by boiling down 1/2 cup lime juice and 1 cup sugar until it is syrupy (which will seal your fruit and prevent it from turning brown - but make sure you let the syrup cool before adding it to the fruit).

Don't forget mojitos! One of the most refreshing ways to enjoy mint is to drink it. Steep the mint as for tea, strain it, add a bit of sugar and an optional shot of rum, and serve over a lot of ice.



These are just a few ideas to get you started. Once you see how the herb works in the kitchen, you'll be making mint pesto, minted lamb dishes, tabouli, mint ice cream, and minty herb seasoning mixtures. Take the time to dry some for later, and to sprinkle a few dried leaves at the back of your cabinets to keep bugs away!

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/3280/