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?
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A bit of historyIn 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?
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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.
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:
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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.
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
http://www.herbsarespecial.com.au/self-sufficiency/getting-to-know-and-use-edible-weeds.html