Friday, June 13, 2014

"Weeds" in my garden.



Wood Sorrel (Buttercups) and Lambs Quarters

Wild edibles is a more accurate name for these weeds I found in my garden. I don't pull them up! I eat them in my salads. 

I grew up eating buttercups (wood sorrel) all summer long. I would eat the flowers, the heart shaped leaves and the seedpods that we dubbed pickles. They are wonderfully sour. Only eat a small amount at a time due to oxalic acid. 

Lambs Quarters are a wild mineral-dense treat I learned about as an adult. It can be eaten raw but not too much because it contains oxalic acid. Cooking the greens removes the acid and thus makes it safe to eat large quantities. The flavor is comparable to spinach and kale and can be used interchangeably.  If you like those greens, you'll like lambs quarters. This plant was introduced to the U.S. by British settlers and was once highly regarded as food for humans and livestock.

Source: http://www.mofga.org/Publications/MaineOrganicFarmerGardener/Summer2011/Lambsquarters/tabid/1929/Default.aspx





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