Weeds are generally thought of as, well weeds, and are definitely unwelcome in our gardens. The ones in my mother’s garden all shook with fear as she took each and every one out. Oh how times have changed.
People of the so called first world forgot many years ago about weeds and it is only generally when disaster strikes that their memories are jogged, usually by a so called underprivileged person of a third world country, into how important these plants can be. Weeds and other plants have been gathered as food and medicine for donkey’s years and they have been essential to survival.  The last time I can find anything reliable regarding their use in society dates back to during the two world wars and it seems that was limited to European households.

Currently weeds are seen as by the average person as frustrating plants, so easy to grow but hard to eradicate and at the sight of them out comes the weeding tools or the herbicides to get rid of these intruding and unwanted pests. So what are the pros and cons of weeds?

• They appear where man has disturbed the soil. (man’s fault)
• Fast growing weeds will smother other smaller plants and deplete our soils of fertility. (Maybe we should have mulched).
• Many weeds act to mine deep down minerals and nutrients that might not be available to surface plants. (These weeds should then become great mulching material)
• Readily self seed, producing large quantities of more weeds. (This characteristic has been harnessed and turned into a positive especially if you save seed).
• Difficult to control. Some weeds are so hardy they can sprout in rock walls, shoot between pavement cracks, and grow on rooftops. They are truly exceptional plants.

A bit of history

​In Australia, many weeds came out with the First Fleet (1788), in soil, crop seed or attached to clothing. Only 14 years later, botanists found most English weeds growing here.
Australia’s colonial pioneers ate wild greens to combat scurvy when other foods were scarce. Other ‘weeds’ were native to Australia.
Why the renewed interest in Edible Weeds?
Because they are…
Abundant – they grow everywhere!
Free – just find them and pick them!
Easy – they grow without any effort from you!
Nutritious – many are more nutritious than things you grow in your veggie patch!

Why consider eating edible weeds?
​​

​Don’t we have enough abundant sources of food? Isn’t it a pain foraging for weeds? Surely they taste pretty ordinary? Surely they aren’t nutritious? How on earth would I cook them? Only people who can’t afford ‘real’ food would eat edible weeds, wouldn’t they?

Taste Great !

​I am not suggesting that the weeds be allowed to take over the garden; but that, as you pull young edible weeds, make use of some of them as a food, as many have a higher nutrient content than commercially grown greens we buy. And many of these weeds are endowed with remarkable healing properties.
Before eating weeds, it is your responsibility to positively identify any plant material. Not all weeds are edible, and careless experimentation by eating, could be dangerous. There are numerous edible weeds that have a similar appearance to poisonous plants; so, accurate identification is essential. For example, edible Chickweed Stellaria media, is similar to Petty spurge Euphorbia peplus, (which should never be eaten as it has a milky latex sap in the stems and leaves). Plants containing milky latex should be regarded with caution, as many are known to be toxic; however, not all white-sapped plants are poisonous (eg dandelion, chicory, fig). If animals are seen eating plants this does not, necessarily, mean it is a reliable indication that they are suitable for human consumption. Birds may provide a better indication, but are by no means infallible, as poisonous seeds may pass through a bird without absorption. Certainly, do not look to insects for endorsement as to what may be edible for us humans. The larva of the common crow butterfly spends its life munching through oleander leaves, while just one leaf of oleander has been known to kill a human.

Ways to eat weeds: 

• Many weed leaves can be eaten raw. Nibble on leaves when in the garden or add to a tossed salad, tuck in a sandwich, or use as a garnish on a meal.
• Add leaves to a cup of boiling water in a teapot, and add other herbs to give aroma and flavouring, like lemon grass or spearmint. Stir, steep a few minutes, drink, and enjoy the health promoting benefits.
• Place leaves in a blender with fruit juices (I like using orange or pineapple) and blend to make a nutrient-rich smoothie.
• Pickle the fresh leaves in apple cider vinegar, adding garlic, onions and herbs for flavouring. " Use as a potherb like our ancestors did, by adding handfuls of fresh leaves to soups, stews, steamed vegetables, curries, starchy grains or rice dishes.
• Incorporate leaves in recipes like quiche, pesto, stir-fries, fritters, casseroles, sauces, spreads and dips.
• Dry the leaves, then crush to a fine powder with your hands. Put in containers for a stored survival food to add to soups, stews, etc.
• Add some dried powdered leaves to dried herbs in a saltshaker to use for flavouring meals, as a nutrient-rich salt substitute.
• Mix all ingredients well ... to give your dog a healthy, balanced diet.

​Since 'survival' in the broadest sense, suggests we may need to be able to live outside the system of supermarkets, our knowledge of edible weeds must be acquired now. Many kinds of edible weeds can be found over a wide area in Australia, while some are found in more precise areas or various climatic conditions.
 
I find this subject fascinating and so overlooked and my bible for identifying weeds is Doris Pozzi’s
 
“Edible Weeds and Garden Plants of Melbourne” in which she details over 25 of the most common edible weeds across all urban areas of Australia. 

References: http://www.edibleweeds.com.au/edible-weed-facts/
http://www.herbsarespecial.com.au/self-sufficiency/getting-to-know-and-use-edible-weeds.html