Edible weeds in the garden: the top 5 for the plate
Created: 05/12/2022, 16:00
By: Ines Alms
Weeds often get their names wrong.
Whether goutweed or dandelion: We introduce you to the five most underestimated edible wild herbs from the garden.
Munich – When the ground elder grows rampant in the garden again or the dandelions stubbornly dig into the lawn, you want to throw your hands up in horror.
A better idea: pick and eat.
Because the supposed weeds are an enrichment in the kitchen as edible wild herbs.
Edible Weed #1: Ground Goutweed
The goutweed, recognizable by its triply pinnate leaf blade and triangular leaf stalk, grows rampant like a champion.
The more the plate fills up.
It tastes just as spicy as parsley and can be prepared like spinach, especially the older leaves when cooked, as a vegetable, for example in a goutweed and sheep's cheese quiche.
The flowers and young leaves are suitable for salads, in dips or for smoothies.
Edible weed #2: Frenchweed
The hairy buttonwort or hairy French herb (Galinsoga ciliata) gives salad a nice freshness.
(Iconic image) © imagebroker/Imago
The French herb or button herb is a bit inconspicuous with its small, delicate flowers, but unbeatable as a spicy salad ingredient.
Anything visible above ground is edible.
Prefer the younger shoots, however, as older ones are often woody.
It is a good substitute for spinach, tastes good in soups or spreads.
Edible weed #3: The dandelion
Its pleasantly sweet flowers are an eye-catcher in any salad, but you can also use them to simmer a syrup or pickle the buds like capers.
The slightly hot, bitter leaves can be used in a similar way to radicchio, for example in risotto or in a wild herb soup.
Since the older leaves contain more oxalic acid, young leaves are preferable.
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Edible weed #4: The garlic mustard
The garlic mustard with its white flowers, which grows up to 90 centimeters high, is easy to recognize by its garlic-like smell, which unfolds when you rub the leaves between your fingers.
It can be used in the kitchen like wild garlic, but has a milder taste.
You should process them raw if you want to preserve the aroma.
All parts of the plant, from the flower to the root, can be used, for example for pesto or as a salad ingredient.
Edible weed #5: The stinging nettle
With its high iron and vitamin C content, nettle is a real superfood.
The leaves taste great raw in smoothies and dips or cooked as a vegetable such as spinach, e.g.
B. in a gratin or casserole.
And you can also take bold action with these wild herbs:
Garden cuckoo: like chives on bread, in salads, omelettes
Chickweed: for salads, herb butter, as a vegetable side dish, in soups
Gundermann: for herb butter or quark, in omelettes or soups
Wild garlic: for pesto, with pasta dishes
Sorrel: in salads, for soups and stews
If you collect herbs for the kitchen and are not a garden expert, you should always make sure that you actually harvest the right herb and not a potentially poisonous double.
Therefore, make sure you are well informed beforehand.
