So yesterday I went to a edible weed walk with the holistic nursing association. VERY interesting. The lady that sponsered the walk lives in a very nice (beautifully manicured) neighborhood. Her backyard however is weed central. The funny thing is, she can't get enough of them!

During the weed walk I noticed some edible things I have in my yard and have never thought about.

1.Dandylion- Dandelion root can be roasted as a coffee-substitute, or boiled and stir-fried as a cooked vegetable. Dandelion flower can be made into a wine, or boiled and stir-fried as a cooked vegetable.

Dandelion greens (i.e., the leaves) can be boiled, as you would spinach, and used as a cooked vegetable, in sandwiches or as a salad green with some "bite."

2.Plantain- she adds the leaves to salad, and crushes them to apply to bee stings.

3.Red clover- she eats the leaves

4. Stinging nettle- Stinging nettles have long been used for medicinal purposes, including as a treatment for hay fever. Harvest the young leaves from stinging nettles and boil them, which renders the leaves edible. "young" because the barbs haven't had time yet to develop on young leaves. Not only will they not sting your mouth once cooked sufficiently, but young stinging nettle leaves are also quite nutritious. She also uses the sting of the nettle to dull arthritis pain.

And those are just the ones I have found in my yard! Of course she also went over mints, and I learned that catnip is actually a part of the mint family. Who knew?! I am hoping to find out how to make dandylion wine... fun project.

Also very different to see someone who is upset about their lack of dadnylions in the yard (she has ate them all haha).