So we have the self sufficiency thread going, oddly enough in the Canning/Preserving/Recipes section. Perhaps we need a homesteading section? Or perhaps that fits well enough here? Anyway it has been touching on some of this, but I thought it would be nice to pull it together here.
What are we eating out of our yards, other than crops? Lately I have been foraging chickweed and purple dead nettle. (Used along with the baby greens and parsley that are in my garden, they really make a nice addition to salads, giving them a very fresh, lively taste.) I was out looking around today and noted leaves on the strawberry plants. I checked and they are edible (if fresh and not decaying). So I tried eating one. It tasted like nothing (not bad, just nothing) and was tough. But these are last year's leaves that have been hanging around for many months. I will try it again in spring when there are fresh leaves.
Lots more "lawn greens" will be coming soon: wild violets and dandelions, plantain, purslane, lambsquarters. The creeping charlie will soon be back and taking over lawns, but it also turns out to be edible and medicinal. https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant- ... edible.htm The leaves of the blueberry and raspberry plants are also edible, though mostly used in herbal teas. All the fruit tree leaves are also used in teas: apple, peach, apricot. In most cases if the fruit of a tree is edible, so are the blossoms and leaves.
As I find out more about all the common lawn weeds that are edible, I am thinking maybe I should just go graze my lawn!!
A number of my herb plants still have leaves on them, including especially mint and lemon balm.
I think if you know how to use the common weeds and wild edibles, you would never have to starve, though by themselves, they would be pretty low in protein.
- rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
- rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
Here's a nice article - ten invasive plant species (weeds) that are not only edible, but very good. And it gives suggestions of how to use/ prepare them:
https://returntonow.net/2018/05/22/10-d ... 6xY2KB4G5g
Some are well known like dandelion, chickweed, wild garlic. Others I never heard of or thought about.
And of course they left out a lot of the best ones, like lambs quarters, purslane, wild violets, etc. Still a nice article though.
https://returntonow.net/2018/05/22/10-d ... 6xY2KB4G5g
Some are well known like dandelion, chickweed, wild garlic. Others I never heard of or thought about.
And of course they left out a lot of the best ones, like lambs quarters, purslane, wild violets, etc. Still a nice article though.