We Have Food Everywhere: Chickweed, Nettles, and Lambs quarter

Chickweed makes a good salad plant, Nettles is good in soup, and Lambs quarter makes a good spinach dish (Photos – Christopher Nyerges)

With so many activities shut down because of the virus threat, it’s understandable that people are worried about the food supply.

By Christopher Nyerges

Let’s consider this together:

I have been showing my students how to collect common weeds and make salads and soups, as well as how to freeze, dry, and store these foods for future meals.

For example, some of the most common weeds currently available include chickweed (makes a great salad), nettles (excellent as a soup base), and lamb’s quarter which is a type of wild spinach that you can use raw or cooked in various dishes. Once you learn how to recognize these plants, you can carefully pinch off what you need and include them in your meals. (Never uproot a plant unnecessarily; even if it is an annual, it will continue to grow back a few times before it dies).

Ornamentals

The city is also full of ornamentals which produce edible fruit and nuts, though these are seasonal. These includes trees like loquat, Kurrajong (bottle tree) seeds, wild cherries, rose fruits, prickly pear cactus pads and fruit, Eugenia fruits, acorns, and many others.

Growing vegetables and greens

Many of you have spaces where you can grow vegetables and greens. This is a great time to plant seeds, and to get them going.  And when you plant in your yard, always think about your own ability to produce some of your foods. Some of the easiest plants to grow in your backyard garden include plants like New Zealand spinach (provides you a perennial source of greens), Jerusalem artichokes (a sunflower with edible tubers), potatoes, tomatoes, and kale.

Identifying edibles

During this time of stress, take the time to get to know your neighbors, and find a way to discover what’s edible in your local landscape.

We can attempt to identify plants if a photo is sent to us, at info@schoolofself-reliance.com

Our organization conducts regular classes in how to identify and use the abundant wild edible plants growing everywhere, and we offer on-site consultations so you can learn what grows at your place.  The web site is SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com.