A feast of weeds

Young shoots of Japanese knotweed (Fallopia) are a favored vegetable in Asia, where they are steamed and served with rice. Or they can be used in fruit pies for their tartness. They contain Resveratrol, which has been shown to help prevent heart attacks.

Leaves of Ground Ivy (Glechoma) have a woodsy mint aroma, and slightly bitter taste. Use them in salads or in sauces. Until the 17th century when hops became popular to flavor beer, this plant was used.

Leaves of plantain (Plantago) can be eaten raw when young, cooked when older. Steam them as greens, or use in soups. Young flowering spikes can be sauteed in butter.

Leaves and stems of chickweed (Stellaria) are popular in Japan, traditionally eaten in spring with rice. Harvest this plant, or purslane (Portulaca), before flowering and use fresh in salads. The latter has a sweet-sour flavor.

Chicory (Cichorium) has been enjoyed as a vegetable in Belgium, the cooked roots in Arabia, and as wild greens in Greece and Italy. Young leaves are the least bitter. The blue flowers can be eaten and add color to salads. Chicory roots have been used as a coffee substitute. Grow them in a dark cellar, or hill up earth around the roots, to yield white, tender leaves lacking in bitterness.

The next time you "harvest" any of these or other weeds from your garden, consider supplementing your meals with them. In general, don't make weeds a regular or large part of your diet. Doing so may interfere with your body's chemical balance, or may cause other side effects such as being a laxative. Be positive you know what weed you are eating, and that it is edible without unknown consequences! Doctors and herbal practitioners are a good source of such information.

Dr. Leonard Perry is Extension Professor, Department of Plant and Soil Science at the University of Vermont. Visit his website at http://www.uvm.edu/~pass/perry/index.html