Urban foraging: Nutritious weeds growing in your backyard
Updated
Next time you weed the backyard, take a closer look at the plants you dig up because they could be more valuable than you realise.
Key points:
- Many common weeds are edible, and some are more nutritious than store-bought greens
- Do your research before you go foraging
- Never eat anything you cannot positively identify
Dandelions, plantain and cat's ears are three of the most common edible weeds growing in gardens and street verges across Canberra.
Urban forager Sarah Aylott told ABC Radio Canberra's Lish Fejer that these plants come from a long list of edible and highly nutritious weeds.
"Wild brassicas are the ancestor from which we cultivated broccolini, kale, brussels sprouts and kohlrabi," Ms Aylott said.
"We look at these plants and see them as something we want to get rid of from the garden, but they're unbelievably precious.
"The dandelion is the most nutritious vegetable ever tested by the US Department of Agriculture."
Ms Aylott is a garden educator with the National Botanic Gardens and facilitates foraging workshops at the Canberra Environment Centre.
Learning to forage safely
She said the safest place to eat plants is from your own backyard.
But in order to forage for edible weeds safely, you need to be very sure the weeds you are picking are what you think they are.
"There are many plants out there that I don't know and could be toxic," Ms Aylott said.
"I just look for the plants I know."
Information on plants to avoid:
- Poisonous or harmful plants fact sheet, from the Sydney Children's Hospital Network
- Garden plants poisonous to people, from the NSW Department of Primary Industries
- Plants and mushrooms poisonous to people database, Queensland Health Poisons Information Centre
Reading a book on edible weeds, taking an edible weeds tour or studying reputable online sources are good places to start.
Ms Aylott said the plantain weed was one of the most common edible weeds and could be found all over the city in backyards and green spaces.
"Plantain has nice long oval leaves and a beautiful seed head which looks like a miniature grass tree.
"This is where we get psyllium husk from and if you eat something like Metamucil, this is what it is made from.
"Just break off the seed head and grind it up in your fingers.
"You can chop up plantain leaves and put them in your pesto, salads, stir-fry or a smoothie.
"You can sprinkle the seed head on your cereal or put it in your homemade bread or into stews or soups."
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Blackberry nightshade berries are edible, but care should be taken only to eat the fully ripe berries that fall into your hand when touched. (ABC Radio Canberra: Hannah Walmsley)
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Cat's ears (Hyochaeris radicata) is often confused with the dandelion. One identifying characteristic of cat's ears is its sharply toothed and asymmetrical leaves. (ABC Radio Canberra: Hannah Walmsley)
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Dandelion flowers are edible and make a colourful addition to a salad, while the leaves can be cooked and eaten like spinach. (ABC Radio Canberra: Hannah Walmsley)
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Plantago major is a species of the flowering plant in the plantain family and is rich in calcium and vitamins A,C and K. (ABC Radio Canberra: Hannah Walmsley)
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Sour thistle or sonchus oleareus (which translates to 'cooked vegetable') is a common edible weed in backyards around Canberra. The best time to eat the sour thistle is when it is small and has spade-shaped leaves. (ABC Radio Canberra: Hannah Walmsley)
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Violet leaves and flowers can be eaten raw in salads or cooked like spinach. Dried leaves can also be used to make tea. (ABC Radio Canberra: Hannah Walmsley)
A bitter aftertaste
But if you are expecting a flavour that leaves you wanting more, you could be bitterly disappointed.
"Plantain has a very bitter aftertaste that improves with salt," Ms Aylott said.
"Those bitter tastes in the plants are from the alkaloids in the plant that have strong antioxidant properties.
"That's what's so good for us, but that's what we don't like because we'd rather eat chips and sugar.
"One of the nice things about getting into eating weeds is that you really start to appreciate the cultivation efforts of being able to eat a beautiful piece of spinach."
The Canberra Environment Centre will run a course on identifying and cooking with weeds on March 14 as part of a series of workshops.
Topics: gardening, food-poisoning, food-and-cooking, human-interest, canberra-2600
First posted
