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Edible 'weeds'

ladyblue50ladyblue50 Posts: 3
in Wildlife gardening
Is there an illustrated guide anywhere that defines not only which weeds, grasses and other wild plants can be eaten but, also, how to gather and prepare them? 

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Richard Mabey’s Food for Free is the acknowledged ‘bible’ for foragers. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    One of the River Cottage handbooks is called Hedgerow. It's much less comprehensive than Richard Mabey's book but funnier
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • Jess is in the GardenJess is in the Garden Posts: 1,022
    Wondering if I could eat the tonnes of ground elder I have spent weeks hoeing up...perhaps with a sycamore sapling coulis...
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited April 2019
    Ground elder is very edible. Introduced to Britain by the Romans as a vegetable. Great steamed chopped and added to creamy mashed potatoes like Champ. http://www.wildplantforager.com/blog/edible-weed-ground-elder
    Delicious 😋 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Jess is in the GardenJess is in the Garden Posts: 1,022
    Argh!!!
    Flippin' Romans (and I'm half Italian!)  ;)
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    It tastes very like parsley

    You can eat stinging nettles too (in soup or quiche). And hairy bittercress (tastes like cress - eat in egg sandwiches), silverweed (tastes like jerusalem artichokes but much more fiddly to eat) and dandelion (if you really want to) too. And fat hen, chickweed, orache and goosefoot.
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • SkandiSkandi Posts: 1,723
    I have a very nice book, getting a bit old now I actually bought my copy from Amazon when it was a rare book site it took them 6 months to find and deliver it for me!
    I'm sure it can be found in other places but that is the book.
    Please do not eat sycamore seeds/saplings they can be deadly. as it contains Hypoglycin A which has killed several horses and is also toxic to people.

    Ground elder is not for me I find the taste way too strong. but chickweed is very mild and a perfectly acceptable salad vegetable, even goosegrass/clevers are edible, although probably better used as a rennte substitute than actual food.


  • ladyblue50ladyblue50 Posts: 3
    Thanks very much for that. I'll look for the book.
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