If you made New Year's resolutions about eating lighter and healthier (and who didn't?), here is some free help for your menu: edible weeds.You don't have to buy them; you don't even have to grow them. And you will no longer want to fight them after you pick and eat them. You will want to leave a few in spots where they can look intentional, or blend in with your veggies and ornamentals.
There are many edible weeds that grow in just about any yard or neighborhood, and you can look them up: dandelion, sowthistle, wild lettuce, henbit, chickweed, lambs quarters, and the list goes on. This photo contains the first three from that list, picked from my yard, rinsed, chopped a bit, and sauteed with olive oil. Delicious!
Most, including dandelion, can be eaten raw in a salad (even the flowers are edible). For the prickly ones like sowthistle and wild lettuce, you would want to cook them until they are softened. You can steam or saute, or choose any other cooking method that you like.
Even if you have mowed them down after the recent rains, these plants will be back up, since they grow faster than your lawn grass. Pick, rinse, cook or not, and enjoy.
If you are unsure of identifying a plant, look at Google images of the above names, for starters. When trying a new plant, be on the safe side and nibble a tiny bit without swallowing. If it tastes bitter or unpleasant, leave it alone. If it tastes good, you can try eating a small amount and see how that goes. You will come to know several common plants that are good to eat and highly nutritious. Look for further resources if you want to advance your foraging skills. Foraging Texas one such blog dedicated to that purpose.
