So says Dr. Peter Gail, Director of Goosefoot Acres Center for Resourceful Living in Cleveland. The ethnobotanist presents Edible Weeds Workshops throughout the United States, providing hands-on culinary sessions which introduce skeptics to the hidden nutritional, medicinal and tasty wonders of 10 common weeds.
Any invasive plant that grows where it’s unwelcome is considered a weed. But nature’s 10 best weeds, according to Gail, were intentionally brought to this country by European settlers who wouldn’t have survived their meager first years in America otherwise.
“Weeds are your real one-a-day-vitamin pills,” Gail says. “Everything you need to survive is growing right between your two feet on any ordinary lawn or vacant lot. There are actually 3,000 edible wild plants I’ve identified which are abundant, nutritious and enjoy a 10-12 month growing season.”
Here are Nature’s 10 Best Weeds, according to Gail:
1) The Dandelion, whose flowers, stems, roots and leaves offer nearly 17 times more vitamin C than citrus fruits. In addition, dandelion ‘bitters’ offer intestinal benefits that calm acid reflux, flatulence and other digestive discomforts.
2) Wild Violets, whose flowers and leaves are nature’s second-most abundant source of Vitamin C, after rose hips. These make attractive and delicately-flavored additions to salad.
3) Purslane, a fleshy-leafed plant found in most vegetable gardens, should not be pulled out and thrown away. The leaves are good fresh in salads or salsas, or dried and used later in soups. They are a prime source of Omega-3 fatty acids (for those who detest fish oil pills, purslane is a nutritional substitute.)
4) Mallows (not marshmallows) are usually found along outbuildings and garages. Used in salads or cooked in soup, the leaves are good for settling upset stomachs and help cure constipation. Hollyhocks, Rose of Sharon, hibiscus and dwarf mallow are all members of the mallow family.
5) Lambs Quarters is a basic wild green that tastes like spinach but offers even more nutritional benefits. The leaves can be used in any spinach recipe, and those eating it won’t recognize the difference. It’s a gourmet survival food.
6) Amaranthus (Red Root Pigweed) seeds can be crushed into flour for nutrient-rich bread. (You can find amaranthus bread in area health food stores and bakeries.) The wild green can also be used as a spinach substitute.
7) Plantain is called “Poor Man’s Bread By the Way” in England because the seeds were gathered by hobos and made into a gruel and flatbread. Its leaves are even more valued as a poultice to combat the effects of poison ivy, skin rashes and wounds. Plantain tea is said to cure the urge to smoke.
8-10) Sheep Sorrel, Curly Dock &Oxalis are all classed as spinach substitutes, but are generally sour, giving dishes a lemony flavor. The stems and leaves offer up a refreshing, lemony taste that’s good in salad, soup or steamed mixed greens.
Dr. Gail is a former Boy Scout who has authored Boy Scout survival handbooks. He lives by the Boy Scout Rule, to always be prepared. He advises others to do the same, because in a time of rising fuel and food prices, housing slumps, poor job security, raging wars and uncertain futures, there’s comfort in knowing where your next free meal might come from.
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