Gardening with Nature's Crossroads

Guest post by Luna Dirt Dani.

Welcome to the garden revolution where herbicides are replaced by herbalists! Wait, don’t kill that plant!   I’m going to make medicine out of it!

It’s true; almost all the “weeds” that grow in the garden are useful food and medicine plants.  Let’s first talk about that interesting word “weed.”  Simply put, a weed is just a plant that is out of its zone of human desire.  If we don’t want it there, it’s a weed. If we do, it’s an herb.  So there are lots of weeds that become herbs once we pick them out of the garden where they may be competing with the veggies.

How Did They Get There!

Gardeners spend a whole lot of time dealing with weeds.  We use cardboard, plastic, straw, and more to act as a light barrier to keep weeds from growing.  There are millions of seeds in the soil just waiting to be watered by the rain, heated by the sun, and provoked by the proper timing to sprout on out for its go to making more copies of itself.  No matter how hard we try the weeds are going to win most of the time.  They are way smarter, so why don’t we take advantage of these genius plants and eat them?

Many of the weeds that come up in the garden are non-native, meaning they evolved in a different area of the world.  So how are they in your garden?  Many of these plants were intentionally brought over by Europeans during colonization because they were prized medicinal and food plants.  A great example of this is Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale.  This is a wonderful food and medicine and the entire plant can be used and prepared many different ways.

They all look so Green

So how do you identify all these lil’ ones?  It is easy once you get to know your garden.  Every year the same weeds usually come up.  Over time things may change and then you’ll get to know a new set of plants.  Try to find a friend who will walk you through the garden and show you the differences between the plants.  You can use books, but the best way is to have someone who knows the plants just show you.  There are some poisonous plants out there, and it’s important to know how to identify these.  Go to your local library, gardeners club, or ask your neighbors.

Preparations

When you are gathering these plants you want to consider which parts are edible.  Generally: You have roots, leaves and stems in the spring.  Leaves, stems, flowers in the summer.  Leaves, stems, flowers, roots, and seeds in the fall.  Depending on the plant and the season you may use the entire above and below ground parts or just the seeds.

There are a few basic methods of using plants for medicine.

• Infusions: You can use the fresh or dried plant for infusions.  To make a cold infusion just place the plant in cold water and let sit for a few minutes before serving.  To make a warm infusion pour boiling water over the chopped plant.  Let it steep for 10 minutes, strain and serve.
• Oils: You can also use fresh or dried plants for oils.  Just chop up the plant and pour olive oil over the top.  Be sure to fully submerge the plants.  If you are doing a fresh oil, you want to put a cloth over the top.  Some plants may mold at the top so watch it and if they start to mold, scoop it off and strain the oil immediately.  For dried plant oils you can put a lid on it.  Let the oil sit for a few weeks in darkness and then strain with a cloth bag.  You can use these oils externally as they are or mixed with beeswax and made into lip balm or salve.

The Green Gems of the Weed World

There are lots of great weeds.  They will come up at different times of the season so don’t worry, you can pace yourself. Here are some of em’….

• Lambsquarter (Chenopodium album) – Food: Use the greens like spinach fresh or cooked.  I love lambsquarter pesto!  You can also harvest the seeds in the fall.  You will need to learn how to winnow which is a simple way to blow the chaff from the seed.  Then you can grind the seeds into flour.
• All heal (Prunella vulgaris) – Food: Eat the leaves and flowers in salads.    Medicine: Infusion or oil.  Used externally for healing wounds.  Also contains antioxidants.
• Yarrow (Achillea millifolium) – Medicine: Use the leaves and flowers to make infusion or oil.  Externally to stop bleeding and sterlize wound.  Internally as an anti-microbial.
• Sorrel (Oxalis spp.) – Food: all above ground parts.  Its sour tasting and many children love it.  Add it to salads
• White clover (Tifolium repens) – Food: leaves and flowers contain some protein and have a bean like flavor.  Mix in salad or breads.
• Red clover (Trifolium pretense) – Food: use like white clover.  This one is a bit sweeter though.
• Stinging Nettles (Urtica dioica) – Food: Tender leaves in early spring are the best.  The sting will stop after being cooked.  Lightly cook until bright green and eat like spinach.  Medicine: Infusion of leaves.  The seeds and roots are also used for urinary and prostate conditions.  Utility: The stalks harvested in autumn can be woven into cordage or cloth.  Nettle cloth was more commonly used before flax (linen) came on the   scene.
• Chickweed (Stellaria media) – Food: Eat the leaves, stems and flowers in early spring.  They are sweet and full of water, yummy in salad.  Medicine: Juice or infuse for a spring cleanse.
• Plantain (Plantago spp.) – Food: Eat leaves sparingly (they are a little tough).  Harvest the seeds in the fall for a crunchy trail snack.  Medicine: Leaf oil or infusion for healing wounds.  Chew and spit onto a bee sting to relieve the sting.
• Onion Grass (Romulea rosea) – Food: Eat bulbs and leaves raw or cooked like onions
• Cleavers (Gallium spp.) – Medicine: Juice or infuse above-ground parts for a spring cleansing drink
• Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) – Food: Flowers can be eaten raw or cooked.  I have dipped the flower heads in egg and breading and cooked it in oil.  Not so cleansing, but yummy.  Leaves cooked or raw made into soups, salads, and dips.  Roots when roasted can be infused and made into a lovely aromatic drink.  Roots can also be cooked into soups with other veggies.  Medicine:  Infused leaves are highly nutritious, bitter(digestive aid) and also a diuretic (usefull during a Urinary tract infection).  Roots are commonly used as a liver tonic for those with liver conditions.
• Mustard Greens (Brassica spp.) – Food: Greens can be eaten raw or cooked and roots made into a horseradish like sauce.
• Burdock (Arctium spp.) – Food: Roots are sometimes called Gobo and can be eaten cooked in soups, or grated and made into patties.  The stalks are simiar to Cardoone, and can be cooked and seasoned.  Medicine: Infused roots used as a liver tonic

Yikes That was Kinda Gross

So maybe you will try some of these things and spit them out.  Well that’s okay!  Keep trying things out and give them a second chance.  Sometimes the plants taste different depending on growing conditions, weather, and time of the season.  Anyway, have fun and spice it up a little.

Luna Dirt Dani is an avid gardener and environmental activist who is excited to come through Bloomington from time to time in her travels.