Best 16 Weeds You Can Eat

Weeding is one of those gardening chores that you have to keep on top of otherwise these unwelcome intruders can get out of control. The article quoted below does not contain any suggestions to make this task any easier, but it does explain that several common weeds are edible. In fact they “can turn an ordinary dish into an exquisite dish”. Perhaps that is a slight exaggeration, but this article which I found on the Balcony Garden Web site describes sixteen weeds that are either edible or can be used for medicinal purposes.

In the spring and summer, or whenever the favorable weather arrives, the sun and the warmth bring?the irresistible desire to grow plants and beautiful?flowers. We love to see their dazzling colors that cover up the green meadows and love to look again and again? how they shine under the sun in the garden. But with all of these, comes the unexpected surprises, a few unwanted plants ?the weeds?.
But do you know that many tasty and healthy edible plants can be found among the common weeds? Wild edible weeds can turn an ordinary dish into an exquisite dish. They also have many medicinal properties. Some of these weeds are low in calories, contain a lot of vitamins, minerals, trace elements, protein, and fiber.

Which parts of edible weeds?are the best to eat?

The nutritional value of the plants depends on the vegetation period, so you should find out what is the best?time to begin harvesting. For some weeds, flowers are harvested when they are still in buds and for others, the best time is immediately after development. Depending on the species, you can cut the whole inflorescence, pluck individual flowers or just tear the petals.
Leaves are tastiest and healthiest when they are?young and tender?although they are not suitable for?long-term storage. Roots should be harvested when the plant is dormant,?in the spring or autumn.

1. Wild?Amaranth

Also known as ?Pigweed?, amaranth leaves are treated as a green leafy vegetable like spinach. The seeds of wild amaranth are edible too and can be roasted. They are a good source of free protein.
The young leaves of pigweed are soft and mild in taste and can also be used in salads ?or teas and the older leaves can be cooked like spinach. It contains proteins, vitamin A and C and minerals.

This plant can be toxic to livestock animals due to the presence of nitrates in the leaves.

2. Queen Anne?s Lace

The wild carrot is almost identical to the highly poisonous hemlock. So be very careful that you don?t confuse. There are many ways to identify wild carrot, but one important identifier of wild carrot is the smell, it smells like a?carrot.
Like carrots, its roots are also edible when young (first year) but can become woody if not harvested on time.?Its flower heads are edible too and can be eaten raw or cooked.