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Weed Walk

"And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat." Genesis 1:29


    Many of the plants known as weeds today are edible and very nutritious. This is a list of some edible weeds that grow at my home in southern Texas. Many of these weeds can be found across the United States, or even on other continents. Freshly-picked weeds are very high in vitamins and minerals-- more so than many store-bought foods.

    **WARNING: Some weeds are poisonous. Positively identify a plant with several photographic references before eating. Do not eat weeds from land that uses pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, or other toxic chemicals. Plants readily absorb these chemicals and become poisonous. Avoid weeds that grow anywhere (within 100 ft.) near a road, as toxins in the exhaust are absorbed into the plants. Know which part of the plant is edible-- some parts of the plant may be safe while others are unsuitable. It is good to eat a mixture of several edible plants to get a balanced intake of vitamins. Use caution, and use the following information at your own discretion.

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Need help identifying plants? Click their names for an external link with more images.

    Weeds that may be eaten raw are good in salads, in the juicer or blender with fruit and milk (which masks the raw green flavor for those who do not like it), cooked to make fresh greens (which also tends to mellow the flavor), or infused to make teas. You can also let the plant dry and grind it up to make flour for use in breads.

    Eating weeds from my back yard is how I get most of my green leafy vegetables. The fresh chlorophyll in green plants is very healthful and helps the body eliminate free radicals, absorb nutrients, and absorb oxygen. Fresh foods are always preferable to processed or packaged foods because they usually have many times the amount of vitamins and nutrients. I always wash the plants to get rid of dirt and any bugs that might be on them before eating.



Common Chickweed: The leaves, stems, flowers, and seeds are all edible raw and have a mild green flavor. Chickweed, which is high in vitamins A, Bs, C, D, as well as calcium, potassium, zinc, phosphorus, and iron, usually grows in a thick mat so it is not difficult to spot.

If you cook it, do not put it over heat longer than 5 minutes to keep the nutrients and flavor intact.

Chickweed was the first plant that I started eating regularly from my lawn. You can identify it by its paired green leaves that always come in twos. A delicate line of hair travels the length of the stems. Chickweed germinates during fall or winter, bears seed, and then goes away until next year.

Note: do not confuse chickweed with Spotted Spurge, which is poisonous. Unlike chickweed, spotted spurge has a dark marks in the center of its leaves and the stems bleed a milky sap when broken, which chickweed does not. Chickweed has a single, thin line of hairs going up the stems, which helped me identify my chickweeds. Also, chickweed, along with many other weeds, is a mild diuretic. Be sure to be well hydrated before eating (always a good thing).




White Clover: The stems, leaves, and flowers are edible raw and are high in protein.

Other varieties of clover are edible as well. Note: clover can be difficult to digest and may cause bloating. I grab a handful of leaves and flowers and am fine with that amount. Avoid eating large quantities of red clover in autumn as they contain alkaloids.
















Hoary Plantain: this is a very healthy, healing plant with vitamin B1, C, beta-carotein (helpful for good vision), and calcium. The leaves and stems can be eaten raw.

If you have a cut, sting, sunburn, or bite, chew up some plantain and put it on the wound as a poultice every day and it will heal faster. The American Indians called it, "life medicine" because of its healing abilities, and they used it to treat snake bites. It's leaves are antimicrobial. There is a substantial amount of material a available online as to the many healing properties of this plant.

There are many other varieties of plantain, including the Brodleaf Plantain, Buckhorn Plantain, and Blackseed Plantain.











Henbit: The shoots, leaves, and flowers are edible raw. There are many recipes for henbit (there's even a book called 100 Ways to Cook Henbit); one popular recipe is to cook with butter and season with fresh onions, onion powder, or whatever seasonings you like. This is very good. This recipe works with many greens as well-- after harvesting my radishes and beets in the garden, I tore up the stems and leaves from the tops of the plants and sautéed them with butter and salt-- delicious and healthy.

Henbit is nearly identical to Purple Deadnettle, which is also edible and has a very similar or identical taste.















 Wood Sorrel: There are many varieties of wood sorrel, ranging from bright yellow varieties to green varieties (pictured) to purple varieties.  In all of them, you can eat the stems, flowers, seed pods, and leaves raw, although if you are going to eat more than a few, boil them to eliminate the oxalic acid. Wood sorrel has   a pleasantly lemony, sour taste and is high in vitamin C; it also acts as a blood cleanser. 

You can identify wood sorrel by its three, distinctive, heart-shaped leaves.

Note: Because of the presence of oxalic acid, people with kidney diseases or stones, arthritis, and gout should avoid wood sorrel.







Sow Thistle: Related to the completely edible Dandelion, there are many varieties of sow thistle that have bristles. They are an excellent source of vitamins A, Bs, C, iron, calcium, and many minerals.

The leaves are edible raw but taste bitter, and I boil them in one change of water at a minimum before eating. The boiling also gets rid of the bristles. The stems and taproots are also edible when boiled or steamed (I have not eaten the taproots which are supposed to taste poorly).

When I boiled my sow thistle leaves, I was pleasantly surprised at how palatable the otherwise thistly little plant became. It can make a healthy side dish similar to collard greens. Sow thistles are popular in the diets of New Zealand's Maori people. Allergy note: the sap contains latex.

This is the leaf of a mature sow thistle plant.









Pony's Foot: The leaves and stems are edible raw and make good additions to salads for added minerals.
















Cleavers: This weed gets its name from the fact that it will cleave onto just about anything. It grows quickly and thickly in the spring, often covering other vegetation, and dies before summer begins.

Cleavers has a distinctive leaf pattern of 7-12 slender leaves that radiate in groups from the stems.

The stems, flowers, and seeds are edible raw, although you may want to cook them or put them in a shake because many people do not like the fuzzy leaves (I don't mind them though and have only eaten them raw). It is a good source of vitamin C. Note: can have a mild laxative effect if eaten in large amounts.












Indian Strawberry: These light-tasting fruits have a very faint berry flavor and have protein and vitamin C. They appear in the spring. Note the jagged leaves, also edible raw but usually cooked, in the image below.



    Indian Strawberries are supposed to be good for sore throats and upset stomachs (I haven't tried this yet), and you can add them to water or lemonade for a delicious drink--though I eat them as soon as I see them. Although often considered an invasive weed on lawns because it grows very quickly, it is used in China extensively as an herb and is being studied for its potential anti- cancer and HIV properties.


Pine Needles: While not a weed, the needles of pine trees may be chewed or boiled for 10 minutes in water for high amounts of vitamin C.


    I have found it liberating to be able to identify the edible plants on my land. In the event where I cannot obtain any other source of food (Christians are coming to a point where they will not be able to buy or sell (Rev. 13), and calamities and emergencies are a fact of life), I know that I can eat what is around. If you incorporate weeds and natural food sources into your diet now,  you will be adding vital nutrients to your diet now and you will be prepared in the event of an emergency.
The Next Steps:

    • Plant a garden. It is very easy to learn if you start small with a few plants. Depending on where you live, you can easily grow potatoes, squash, beans, etc. for calories, and other plants such as radishes, tomatoes, and strawberries for healthy, vitamin-packed, tasty supplements to your diet. Before supermarkets and grocery stores, families would often grow their own fruits, vegetables, and herbs in gardens.

    • After I planted a garden and identified which wild plants I can eat in nature, I learned how to make fire without matches. After learning these basic skills here and there over the course of just a few months, I felt as if I was prepared to face any external emergency that came my way.

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