Most people live normal lives, expect little change and prepare for less, never expecting to run out of food. However, disasters do happen and store shelves are often emptied in no time. However, most are unaware that there are weeds that can be eaten, and that they are often found in or around the average backyard.
Many of the weeds you can eat can be found in your garden, around your driveway, on the side of roads, etc. We will talk about 5 common weeds that are edible in this article. Keep in mind, however, that you will need to be able to positively identify any wild plants before consuming them, as in some cases, there are wild plants that may look or be very similar to the weeds we will be covering, but can be potentially dangerous to ingest.
Plant identification is beyond the scope of this article, so I encourage you to do your due diligence and research before consuming wild plants or fruits. There are many field guides to plant identification that are complete with color photos and descriptions of the identifying characteristics of the weeds it can eat. The information in this article is for educational purposes only to bring the idea of the piercing option to your attention for future research. With that out of the way, let’s take a look at 5 common weeds you can eat.
Dandelion
Dandelions are the archenemy of lawn lovers. However, these “nuisance” plants are, in fact, edible. The leaves, which are rich in vitamin A, can be cooked similar to kale or mustard greens. Dandelion roots are similar in appearance to a carrot, and can be baked at a low temperature to dry, ground, and then filtered to make a beverage similar to coffee or tea.
Clover
The second of our weeds that you can eat is one that is almost as common in gardens as dandelions, and that is clover. Clover will need to be boiled for about 10 minutes to make the leaves and flowers easier to digest; however, it is a good source of protein. Using a hand mill, you can also grind up the dried flower heads and seeds to make a flour that’s probably much healthier than the bleached white flour we normally use.
wild lettuce
Wild lettuce is actually a plant that a friend of mine and I mistakenly called “milkweed” when we were kids because of the milky white sap that seeps from breaking the stems of these plants. The leaves of wild lettuce, which is a tall, bushy plant, resemble the leaves of dandelions. The young leaves of these weeds can be eaten. Like clover, you’ll want to boil them for about 5 minutes. Remove and replace the water, and boil for another 5 minutes. If the leaves are still too bitter, they can be mixed with other types of vegetables to reduce the bitterness.
wild onions
I remember one of the houses we lived in when I was growing up had a backyard that was filled with almost evenly spaced tips of wild onions that sprouted everywhere during the spring and summer. And of course I never knew they were edible then, but yes, they are weeds that you can eat. The leaves can be chopped and added to salads or cooked dishes. The onion bulb can be dug up or dug up from the ground and used similarly to store-bought onions to flavor dishes.
Thistle
Although it’s not likely to be in your backyard, thistle is another edible weed that can be found where your garden meets a field or on nearby roadsides. The new or tender leaves can be eaten once the spines are removed, either in salads or cooked similar to kale or mustard greens. Thistle is a biennial plant that, in its first year, has no stem. In this first year of growth, the roots can be eaten raw or cooked. The first stems of the plant in its second year can be eaten raw or cooked after peeling off the outer skin.
We have lived in a society that has been connected with plants and fruits grown to fill our plates for generations. However, a long time ago, the search for food was much more common than it is today. Fortunately, in times of need, you can also forage for food, when needed, and take advantage of the many edible plants we commonly think of as weeds in our gardens to survive the tough times and avoid food lines.