These Healthy Edible Weeds Are in Your Backyard Right Now

Do you have a backyard or a park near by? There’s a good chance these tasty greens are growing right by you and you didn’t even know!

garden-handsNo need to go to the grocer for these foods, they come straight from the Earth for you to eat!

That is how we are naturally suppose to exist with the planet; to take what we need from its abundance and leave out the need for money. The planets foliage is there for us to enjoy and thrive off of, so what are you waiting for!?

There’s a few specific plants that are perfect for salads, a small snack or garnishing a plate of food with. These weeds are high in phytonutrients which are natural chemicals occurring on plants to keep them protected from germs and are filled with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

This chemical can have a sightly bitter taste, which is actually perfect when you combine sweet dressings or lighter tasting foods with it.

Be careful when foraging for these plants, there are always poisonous lookalikes bound to be around!

These plants are perfect for cooking just like you would spinach, and adding in egg dishes, salads, stir fries, green smoothies, or even just to eat alone!

Dandelion – Taraxacum officinale

shutterstock_175319606This is one of the most abundant and popular leaves you can find almost anywhere in the world.

You can recognize it by its tooth, almost sharp looking leaves growing in a circle or spiral shape out of the ground. It is usually close to the ground but as many of us know, these weeds can get extremely large.

And in this case, the larger the better! Don’t throw these weeds away while you clean up your garden. Collect them as you go and then by the end of the day you’ll have a plethora of deliciousness!

Sometimes this plant can be confused with Flatweed which is also edible but more bitter tasting.

Purslane – Portulaca oleracea

This beautiful succulent was widely used in the past in East Mediterranean countries. It’s little round leaves are high in Omega 3 fatty acids and are packed with vitamins and minerals to boost up your health!

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It also has oxalate in it, which is a combination of minerals and salts. It can be overeaten and produce some undesirable effects if you eat too much of it.

Enjoy this cooked mostly, unless you already only eat raw. If you eat it raw, just don’t eat  too much of it.

Many people put it in yogurt to reduce the oxalate content or enjoy it with some tzatziki.

Scurvy Weed – Commelina cyanea

This isn’t actually a weed, it’s a plant! But it’s still equally as edible and delicious. It was eaten by non-indigenous colonists to actually alleviate scurvy back in the days, that’s where it gets it’s name from! This plant can be easily identified by its 3 petaled beautiful blue flowers. The leaves growing around it are what you want to be eating. 6a00e55397a5c28834017d41152ffb970c

Through this yummy plant in a salad to refresh your stomach and ensure you’re eating well!

The more we can get our food straight from the ground, the more we are aligning ourselves with the natural way to live from this planet.

Earth has more than enough food on it for everyone to enjoy, it’s now time to create the structures so we can live harmoniously from it. Be careful when picking these plants to make sure they haven’t been sprayed with anything or have any kind of harmful chemicals on or around them.

Thoroughly wash and dry all these plants before consuming them. Be safe, and happy foraging!

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