Spring is in the air, and foragers everywhere look forward to the first wild edible plants this time of year. Like our ancestors we still count on spring’s nutrient-rich plants to help awaken the senses and cleanse the body after a long winter.
Among the earliest to arrive on the spring scene are the leafy greens, sometimes called “weeds” because they are tenacious, hardy, and tend to propagate quite easily when given the slightest opportunity to do so. Often growing prolifically in uncultivated patches of earth, these plants can be gathered in the wild, or in your own backyard — which just might just be the most productive place you’ll forage this time of year.
Innately strong and vigorous, many wild greens are a potent medicinal food source, containing high amounts of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and chlorophyll as well as concentrations of species-specific plant-based compounds. Including them in our diet can improve vitality, strengthen digestion and immunity, rejuvenate the body, and energize us for the growing season.
Think of them as spring cleaning for your system!
Chickweed (Stellaria media)
Like the dandelion, chickweed is considered by some to be a nuisance but is in fact a nutritional gem. The small, succulent leaves have a fresh, pea-like scent, and, as the name suggests, chickens love it. Rich in B vitamins and iron, chickweed is super-nutritious with many health benefits.
Delightful in salads or when added to salsa verde, spreads, dips, or cooked briefly in soups or sauces, this potherb can also be stirred into eggs or pastas. When adding to a cooked dish, the stems, buds, and tiny flowers can be used also.
Dandelion greens (Taraxacum officinale)
One of the first plants of spring, the common dandelion is everywhere, dotting lawns, vacant lots, fields, and roadsides with their recognizable yellow flowers. In early spring, it is best to gather the greens just before or after the plants bloom since once they bloom, they can become tough and bitter (although the presence of bitter flavor stimulates the digestive system).
Dandelion greens contain vitamins A, B, C, and D, high amounts of beta-carotene, calcium, and potassium, and are best eaten right after harvesting. When small, the leaves are delicious in salads, while bigger leaves can be wilted and added to soups. The flowers can be fried as fritters, strewn over green salads, and of course, used to make dandelion wine.
Lamb’s Quarters (Chenopodium album)
Often referred to as wild spinach, lamb’s quarters can be gathered from the wild as well as cultivated in your garden, where it will volunteer for years. Leaves of this potherb can be used in salads, sandwiches, and salsa verde. The small flowers are tender and tasty, and harvesting them will stimulate plant growth. The leaves and flowers can be cooked in soups, sauces, eggs, quiches, and spanakopita.
Mustard greens (Brassica species) There are a wide range of mustards that come up early in springtime, as they are so tolerant of late frosts. Warm and spicy, they wake up the digestion and liver, and additionally contain compounds that show much promise in preventing and treating cancer. They are best as part of a wild food salad, sautéed, or cooked in soups.
Nettle (Urtica dioica)
Wild stinging nettles characteristically grow in waste areas at the wood’s edge and near compost piles, especially where there’s water since they like damp areas. If you are introducing them into your garden, place them in an out-of-the-way spot of the garden, and warn others about their stinging nature.
Nettles have an appealing, herbaceous flavor, and a cup of nettle tea is a wonderful spring tonic: it detoxifies and promotes kidney function, helping the body cleanse itself of waste. The nutritious leaves strengthen the immune system, renew and tone body tissue, and nourish and purify the body.
Nettles should be cooked before eating. They are good wilted in soups and pasta, on top of pizza, in omelettes, or anywhere you might use spinach. Cook them on their own or with other greens — they are delicious with garlic and olive oil.
Learn the history and uses of nettles, including a delicious pesto preparation!