Scavenging Weeds

11 years ago

okiedawn mentions scavenging weeds. I think this is very interesting. My Mother used to tell about going with her Grandmother and walking along fence rows and the edges of woods and her Grandmother cutting and pulling up weeds and putting them in a basket to take home and boil or cook for a meal. She couldn't remember what kind of weeds they harvested as she was only six yr. old but she remembers going with her Grandmother on these trecks and how her mother would have a fit about how that old woman was going to poison them by eating weeds. People have forgotten how to live off the land the way they used to do. I am amazed at people that know how to do these kind of things. I have eaten Lamb Quarters & Poke Salad and tasted Dandelion greens and Pine seeds and green pine needles. My Grandfather used to talk about during hard times how his mother and he would gather weeds and Nut Grass rhizomes to live on, early in the 1900's long before the Great Depression. I'll bet very few people know Nut Grass make a small nut like rhizome that taste much like a green peanut on their root.

Featured Answer

authereray
Original Author

10 years ago

Stinging nettles have a white flower that blooms on top of the plants. In the fall after the flowers die you can pick the seed husk off (very carefully) and find a seed that looks like a full tick, you can crack the hull and there is a white seed that taste kind of like a green peanut. They are very good, kids love them.

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Comments (8)

chickencoupe
11 years ago
I prefer gently sauted tender lambsquartes with rice over spinach any day. I savenge all the time for my rabbits. I'm still learning ID and human edibles. Only this year am I finding plantain. I eat dandelion greens and roots, sometimes. I made the mistake of harvesting too much dandelion for my rabbits the first year. Took a while for more to show up. Might be the weather, too. For a while I thought I might need to buy dandelion seed. Blasphemy! Of course there's always Jerusalem Artichokes. I really love the versatility of some wild and native weeds.

I've intentionally transplanted native lambsquarters near my tomatoes (last year) and I found the tomatoes did extremely well. I need another trial with control to see this happen again to be sure.
hazelinok
11 years ago
I'm still learning ID too. I would like to go on one of those wildcrafting walks in Coyle, OK. Anyone done that? Actually, I would like to hire her to come to my property and wildcraft walk my area.

Other than dandelion, I'm certain of plantain and yarrow. I would not eat yarrow though. It's not too tasty. I've made medicine with it and quite honestly, I'm very impressed with it.
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scottcalv
11 years ago
COOL! I am watching this thread! I might finally start learning something. Young fresh canna shoots are tasty and tender before the leaves unroll. They also have a satisfying water content. And all parts of a pine tree are edible. I think the pine needles are loaded with viramin C.

Can you tell us more about the plantain and yarrow?

Thanks.
qzr TX Zone 8B
11 years ago
I enjoy looking for various native plants and trying them ever since I read "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George. I have read that pine needle tea can cause spontaneous abortion in pregnant women. There is some discussion about this and it may only be certain species, but I wanted to point it out. (http://spot.colorado.edu/~mitton/webarticles/ponderosa%20pine.htm)
hazelinok
11 years ago
scottcalv, the yarrow I have in my field is just the plain white kind with a yellowish center. I'm so impressed with this plant. I often have canker sores and it has helped heal them so well. I tinctured some in the late spring and also dried some. The leaves and flowers are the beneficial parts of it. Last year, I noticed the plant in the field, but my husband mowed often and it didn't have a chance to grow. Still, I was so fascinated with the plant and almost had an intuitive knowing that it was something special. I went so far as to dig some up and put in a pot to keep during the winter. It didn't die but didn't grow either, so I dumped it after a few months. With all the rain we had this spring, my husband couldn't mow every 5 minutes, so many of the wild flowers grew and THAT is when I discovered what that pretty little plant really was/is. You do have to be careful not to confuse it with hemlock. But once you've identified it, you'l not confuse it again. Now, I see the differences quite easily.

Sorry, I love that plant and I get a little crazy-sounding when I talk about it.

Both yarrow and plantain work as styptics. Salves can be made from both as well. Plantain pulls toxins from the body and I've heard it can help remove splinters. (I haven't tried) Plantain is supposed to be good for the liver and for cleaning the blood. I have dried plantain in my cupboard but haven't used it to make medicine yet. Plantain is edible, but not too tasty really. I wouldn't eat yarrow. It won't hurt you (I chew it and use it as a poultice on canker sores), but it's very bitter. I'll probably make a throat spray with it for the upcoming winter months. I imagine that it would be very healing for a sore throat.
hazelinok
11 years ago
Oh...and musk thistle. The stalk can be peeled and eaten. I would have to be pretty hungry to do that, though. Maybe the seeds are good too, for liver health? I can't remember for sure, but it seems I've read that.
chickencoupe
10 years ago
The milky sap of wild lettuce is a sedative. I have yet to try it, because I prefer poppy seed tea. I feed it to my rabbits. Their eyes gloss over and they become very still. Wild lettuce stoners.