by Burt Glover

It’s February — not quite winter, and not quite spring. Some of the early blooming trees and shrubs are waking from their winter sleep. Also waking right now are the yard weeds or, as us foragers call them, dinner — and sometimes breakfast!  

I use no insecticides, pesticides or herbicides in my backyard — nor is it near a busy roadway or used as a pit stop for pets — which makes good grounds for gathering edible, wild plants. Late winter and early spring are the perfect time to harvesting the early arrivals. One of my favorites is chickweed, and my unkempt yard is a paradise for it.

Chickweed (Stellaria media) is a dainty, small-leafed plant that tends to grow in clumps and masses. It is so common, as to be almost and is ubiquitous in the landscape. Despite it’s unassuming demeanor, it’s a nutritional powerhouse, rich in vitamins A, C and D, as well as folic acid, riboflavin, niacin, thiamine, calcium, magnesium, potassium, manganese, zinc, iron, phosphorus and copper.

Another common yard weed this time of year is the dandelion, which emerges in late fall and winter, then disappears with hot weather. Earlier generations cultivated dandelions in their gardens, fertilizing heavily to grow healthy greens for winter. All parts of the dandelion are edible, including the flowers, which can be eaten raw or even breaded and fried up into fritters. The dandelion also has a long history as a medicinal plant with many positive health benefits. Studies suggest that it may detoxify the liver and gall bladder, lower bad cholesterol and triglycerides while improving HDL (good) cholesterol, help digestion, improve kidney function and bolster the immune system. 

Another of my favorites is wild lettuce — a somewhat large weed in my yard that I only discovered last year. Because it’s collected as-needed, there’s no concern about shelf life in the refrigerator. This plant also has a long history as a medicinal, which is an interesting area to research. When eaten as a food, should only be eaten in smaller quantities. I use mine on tacos, sandwiches, or mixed in with other greens in a salad. Pick a few leaves off of each plant, and they continue to grow from early spring to late summer — just like weeds! 

Here, I must insert a caveat, which is also the reason I’ve not included photos for identification. Some wild plants can sicken or kill you. It takes time, research and experience to become a knowledgeable forager. I’ve been doing this for many years. When I began, there were only a few that I could positively identify, and that was exciting. Others, I learned over time, sometimes taking a few years to thoroughly familiarize myself with their growth habits, timing, flower forms, etc. to make a positive identification. Once that was accomplished, there was the matter of experimentation. Should I cook, or not? What cooking method/recipe works best? Is this a taste I enjoy? Collecting and utilizing wild plants is a learning process that I have found to be satisfying and fun to do. There are so many online resources to assist in this process. 

I’ve mentioned just a few plants, but the yard will soon be carpeted with more arrivals throughout spring and into summer. With just a short walk, I can collect a diversity of edible plants — henbit, shepherd’s purse, storksbill, sow thistle, cleaver, lambsquarters, violets, clover, storksbill, smilax, wild onions, garlic…. The list goes on.

Yard weed, survival food, or epicurean delight?

Some plants are all three and, in addition to being less fussy, they are often more nutritious than their domesticated counterparts. As more foragers and gardeners discover this, more of these wild plants are being offered on the market for purchase, propagation, and intentional planting in gardens and landscapes. Me, I’m among the avant-garde, still picking my weeds for free.

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Contributor Burt Glover became an accidental naturalist during his earliest childhood days exploring the dirt roads, backyards, polo field and barns of the Magnolia-Knox-Mead neighborhood of 1950s Aiken. Birds are his first love, and he can identify an impressive range by song alone. He asserts that he is an observer, not an expert, on the topics of his writings, which range from birds, box turtles, frogs and foraging, to wasps, weeds, weather and beyond