Many popular crops of the present time once were weeds. Even grains, today’s most commercialized crop, are domesticated from formerly wild grasses. Weeds were used for human consumption since historical records can be traced. Many parts of the plants; leaves, seeds, roots, stems, were used as food or medicine, making the diversity of ancient diets very high. Two well-preserved mummies from the Iron Age found in Denmark whose stomach contents were examined were found to have eaten 66 different plant taxa. The perspective on edible weeds gets more interesting when we realize that many of them considered bad in one region of the world, are sold at high prices in others. Shepherd’s purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) and Amaranth (Amaranthus sp.) are examples of a paradox: these weeds are exported from Korea to an international market, comprising countries in which people pull it from their gardens, while their neighbors buy it at high prices in the local import gourmet grocery stores.

About 19 weeds are imported into the US from Korea for international gourmet restaurants, and by 1995, 11 of them were beginning to be developed as crops in the U.S. Lambsquarters (Chenopodium album) is appreciated in Mexico and sold in markets by the ton; however most farmers in North, Central and South America don’t know of its very high nutritional value or the wide variety of uses in the kitchen. It’s one of the best sources of Vitamins A, C, and it also contains more calcium than milk or cream cheese. Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) presents a similar situation; while some attempt to control it, in other areas is carefully cultivated and commercialized. In turn, we arrive at a second paradox: the crop left to grow in the field is less nutritious than the one we pull out. The case of Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) deserves a closer look. While people try every method to control it in their gardens and lawns, others pay $14.50 per pound for the dry herb (tops), or $21.95 per pound of dry root. Its well-known property as a liver remedy is featured on the package label. In addition to its medicinal value, this forgotten good food is also an excellent source of vitamins and minerals.

According to the USDA data bank, raw dandelion greens contain similar levels of vitamin C to oranges, the same amount of vitamin A as baby carrots and more iron, magnesium and calcium than many common vegetables and other foods including milk and meats. Low in water (84% vs. 94% in lettuce), dandelion greens are a concentrated form of various minerals and vitamins, and a fair amount of protein too. Therefore, this annoying weed has known nutritional as well as healing value. At the same time, a quick survey among friends and neighbors finds that this is one of the most hated weeds in gardens, and people seldom consume it on a regular basis. A remarkable property of weeds is their adaptation to different climates, drought conditions, soil compaction, and their ability to produce a variety of pest-fighting substances. An observation in any garden will lead one to the conclusion that the strongest and more adapted plants are the weeds. These properties make weeds convenient in the winter and spring, when other vegetables are rarely grown. For example, when waiting for lettuce to be ready, weeds can be an alternative for use in salad, sauce or pie fillings. Weeds can also be grown with minimal work and attention. Seeding them periodically allows one to harvest over an extended period of time, and to increase the availability of the more tender new shoots after others have flowered and become tougher.

Edible weeds are crops that are usually not planted, and are often called spontaneous vegetation. They require little care, work, and no extra cost. In fact they grow best in areas where garden crops do not do as well. It’s common to see Plantain (Plantago major or Plantago lanceolata), growing better in garden paths and driveways than in a comfortable garden bed. Recently, a careful study in Mexico and the southwest of Argentina in vacant lots, roadsides, and orchards, demonstrated the high yield of edible weeds that can be harvested. Quantitative considerations The high nutritional value of edible weeds can be clearly seen by comparing them with common vegetable crops. The graph on the next page shows a comparison of the content of vitamin A and C in common vegetables, foods, and in some of the edible weeds discussed here. Data were taken from the USDA nutritional data base which is available on the internet. These data can also be found for processed foods as part of the nutritional labeling on every package in your local grocery store. In the graph, the scale in the horizontal and vertical axis are linear, so a direct comparison can be easily done. We can see that the hated weeds consistently rank at the top for one or more nutrients.

Lambsquarter for example, is very high in vitamin C, higher even than oranges. If we were to similarly plot mineral content on a graph, you would see that dandelions are the best source of the mineral iron, and also have more calcium than milk. All the weeds presented in the figures are wholesome foods, in the sense that they provide carbohydrates, fiber, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals and an array of other substances related to plant growth, development and protection from insects, diseases, and UV radiation. The American Institute for Cancer Research has published data which consistently shows the preventive action of vegetables in the development of cancer. Many of the substances responsible for this preventative action have not yet been identified, nor are the mechanisms responsible understood. However, it is clear that both the amount consumed, and eating a variety of vegetables is important. Experiences in eating and selling weeds Believe it or not, we have successfully sold packets of weeds, labeled as wild salad mix, at the farmers’ market in Manhattan, Kansas. At first, we offered small bags, with a timid label, and only asked $0.50 per bag. They didn’t really sell themselves, but with some verbal prodding, many customers were willing to give it a try. We added a simple fact sheet, with some of the USDA nutritional data comparing weeds to lettuce, and a list of weeds that they could eat from their own gardens. Later, we began having many repeat customers, and we gradually increased the size of the bags, and the price to $0.75, and then $1.00. We could have maybe been more bold, after seeing the California dandelions for sale in a nearby Kansas town, for $2.59 per bunch! Some of the edible weeds have a characteristic strong bitter taste, for which most people nowadays have lost their appetite. Not long ago, a diet high in bitters was preferred, as a relationship between the degree of bitterness and health prevention was established. Researchers in England found an interesting correlation in the amount of cancer-fighting substances in Brussels Sprouts and Broccoli, and their bitter taste. Varieties specially developed as delicacies for the preferred softer and milder taste have been shown to have almost no traces of the cancer-fighting chemicals. The creation of new recipes and combinations attenuate to a large degree the usually wilder and bitter taste of weeds. For instance, dandelion salad is much less bitter if shredded carrots or tomatoes are added. Lemon juice and chopped garlic is found to soften the bitter taste of most weeds. In addition, weeds lose some of their wild taste when cooked. Another consideration is to find out which edible weeds we personally prefer. We should not ban all weeds because we find one of them to taste strange.

There are also variations in taste due to season, the size of the plant, and even the companion plants in the area. Which weeds are OK to eat? First of all, you don’t need to be a rocket scientist, or even a weed scientist, to learn to identify weeds. However, if you don’t know lambsquarters from nightshade, get some assistance before putting ANYTHING in your mouth. Just because it is green, doesn’t mean it is edible. There are any number of excellent plant identification books on the market; some designed to help with weed identification, some cleverly disguised as wildflower handbooks, and others specifically written for those of us who would like to eat wild plants. Find one that includes plants from your part of the country. Some weeds are ubiquitous, and will be found from Maine to California, and others may be more common in one region but not another. When harvesting weeds, be sure to only gather from places where you have permission, and areas that have not received herbicides or other pesticides. Roadsides are generally not a good idea, because many plants there may be contaminated with heavy metals, asbestos (from brake linings), as well as layers of road dust.