9 Weeds That You Can Actually Eat

Posted on 14/10/2020

9 Edible Weeds Likely Growing in Your Yard

Nature works in mysterious ways. Some things that kill plants can actually be used to sustain humans – how curious is that? Have you ever imagined that some things you battle during weed control in your garden so that your plants stay alive can be used in meals? Well, there you have it – next time you are doing garden maintenance, don’t be too quick to throw away the pulled weeds. Some of them are edible – and better yet, some of them are actually tasty. Never had a clue about it? Well, it’s time to learn.

Here are nine edible weeds:

Dandelions

These bright yellow flowers that grow just about anywhere associated with grass can be pulled and used in a salad. Yes, simply add some vinaigrette and make a standard green salad to adorn any gourmet meal. Add some vitamin A and vitamin C to your life with dandelions.

Plantain

These little green leaves are a bit sour in taste, but they can be spiced up and used in a salad to be the perfect addition to taste. You can experiment in the kitchen to adjust the taste to your liking, or simply use them as you would use kale.

Red Clover

Both the green leaves and blossoms of this flower can be used in a salad, or you can add them to a herb mixture and brew a delicious tea. Planting and weed control suddenly have a very warm expectation about them.

Garlic Grass

Gardening experts often times throw away these little purple jewels. But what you can do instead is use it as an herb in just about any dish. Salads, sandwiches, main courses – they can all gain with just a bit of sliced or blended garlic grass and it will be delicious.

Watercress

These even look delicious. All sandwiches and salads gain from them and soups will be excellent in taste once you add to the texture. What watercress brings to the table is a subtle spicy taste that will leave the eater to wonder what it is that your secret ingredient is.

Sorrel

This does not look edible at all, right? But it has a surprising citric taste that resembles that of the orange or grapefruit. You can use it in salads or egg dishes to balance the rest of the tastes and make a really nice meal.

Chickweed

Again, some salad addition to make for better greeny taste. This one, however, should be used cautiously. Too much of the small white petals will eventually give you a bad case of the diarrhoea.

Lamb's Quarters

Vitamin A, calcium, and quite a lot of protein – these are the ingredients found in this funny-named plant. It’s something that can be eaten cooked, as well as raw. Another name for the plant is lamb’s lettuce – and it all makes sense now. Smart lambs.

Burdock

This is one of the preferred donkey foods, and hence why in some countries it’s actually called ‘donkey thorn’. It does not look either edible, or tasty, but if you are careful with the grass cutting and its picking, you can do some trimming and take out the flower from the top. Boil it good and then you get an asparagus substitute.

Weed control can be just as beneficial to your garden as it can be to your meals. Practice it when proving you do your gardening and make sure you keep all the products you took out from the garden so that you can practice your culinary skills as well. It is simply another piece of evidence that being good both in the kitchen and in the garden pays off in more than one way. Now start planting, wait for those weeds to pop out and start collecting!