Free Food, Right in Your Own Backyard!

Hi this is Leslie Harris, and a few years ago, I became friends with a woman who told me she was frying up dandelion flowers for her son. Weirder than that? Her five-year-old son actually liked them!

There are plenty of weeds growing right in our yards that are edible. The first thing you want to do is to find a green area that hasn’t been sprayed with herbicides. My neighbors probably hate me, but in the 21 years I’ve lived in my home, I have never used chemicals on my lawn, so I’ve got lots of weeds to eat!

Not only can you eat the dandelion flowers, but the greens are tasty in a salad or sauteed, and the roots are a beneficial blood in liver cleanser.

You know those short round leaves that you see growing through the cracks of sidewalks? Those are plantains, and if you’re not sure what I’m talking about, look them up. You have definitely seen them. They’re also good to eat raw or cooked, and the crushed leaves are good for relieving bee stings.

You can eat the greens of garlic mustard, the leaves and bulbs of wild garlic are pretty tasty, and Lamb’s quarters is a good substitute for spinach. You can also eat the seeds. I also put several of these leaves into my smoothies, since they’re all high in nutritional value, and it’s an easy way to get more greens into my diet.

Have you ever tried eating weeds from your neighborhood? Let me know in the comments