Edible Weeds You Can Find In Your Own Garden

he only real difference between a garden weed and a wild plant is personal preference. What some people might see as a nuisance, wiser gardeners and chefs will spot as an opportunity for foraging in your own back yard. While you should be very careful not to try eating just any plant without knowing what it is, here’s a list of edible weeds that might be right behind your house, just waiting to be eaten.

Dandelion

Yes, the humble dandelion, the most hated of garden weeds, is actually edible. Traditionally, this pesky plant was brewed as a tea to treat a number of ailments, and for good reason. It’s filled with healthy vitamins and is good for liver health in particular.

Stinging Nettle

One of the least welcome plants in any garden is the stinging nettle, as touching this plant will cause sore hives at the point of contact with your skin. Brave the risk of stings to harvest the plant, though, and it can be boiled as a soup or ground into a pesto that’s good for urinary infections and kidney stones.

Chickweed

Chickweed, with its tiny yellow flowers and small green leaves, has a taste that’s not entirely unlike spinach, and as such, it can be used in all the ways that spinach would normally be cooked. It contains Vitamins A and C, as well as magnesium, potassium, and calcium.

White Clover

White clovers have many uses. They can be boiled into a tea, or can be baked into cookies and pastries, as they provide a vanilla-like flavor. You can even go the extra mile and grind them down into flour if you don’t want to deal with the fact that your cookie has an obvious plant leaf in it.

Red Clover

Red clovers are very similar to white clovers, and are also edible. They come with a tiny amount of pink coloring which can be useful in baking if you know how to use it, but do bear in mind that eating more than a few clover leaves is associated with minor bloating, so don’t overdo it.

Burdock

The burdock thistle, identifiable by its large purple head (and the fact that it hurts to touch it), can be used as a flavoring for curries, and is rich in vitamins. Its roots can be roasted like a carrot, and can also be turned into a traditional British drink when combined with dandelions.

Lamb’s Quarter

Lamb’s Quarters, also known as wild spinach, can be cooked and eaten alongside most other green vegetables. It’s rich in protein, calcium, iron, and Vitamin B, but it’s very important to cook it before eating as it’s not quite as edible when raw.

Japanese Knotweed

A tremendously invasive plant, Japanese knotweed is actually edible if you pick the leaves early when they are young. It can be used in place of rhubarb, and made into jam or added to soup.

Dock

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Dock leaves are well known for their effects on stinging nettle reactions, as they can help to sooth the swelling and itching that results from a nasty sting. What’s less well known is that dock leaves are also edible, and can be added to soups, or eaten raw. The young leaves in particular have a sharp, lemony taste which can be useful in baking.