When is a weed not a weed? When you harvest it and bring it to your dinner table!
Every gardener loves to harvest their crop, but hates the back breaking task of weeding their gardens. Our fruits and vegetables require so much care and attention to grow healthy and strong, but those pesky weeds need no encouragement to sprout and grow profusely, so wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could use them. In fact Mother Nature has been kind enough to do so.
There are many weeds that are edible and make delicious dishes and garnishes. These edible weeds are full of nutrition and flavour even though they can grow in the most infertile of soils and even in any nooks and crannies. There is a wide variety that can be found in any of the different climates around India and the world.
Below are a few of the many weeds that are edible.
Common Mallow (Gurchanti)
This is an important famine crop. Almost all the parts of this weed…
Pineapple Weed (Wild Chamomile)
The finely dissected leaves of this plant exude a sweet pineapple- like odour…
Garlic Mustard ( Alliaria Petiolata)
This plant can be found in the Himalayas and around Europe, where it…
Bengal Day Flower ( Kana)
The Bengal day Flower grows similar to money plant in that roots grow…
Wood Sorrel ( Amrul, Changeri)
Wood Sorrel ( Amrul, Changeri) The leaves and shoots of wood sorrel can…
Purslane ( Portulaca oleracea)
This weed with thick teardrop shaped leaves is a cross between spinach and…
Chickweed (Buch- Bucha)
Chickweed grows in a unique intertwined manner. It has small white star shaped…
Lamb’s Quarters (Bathua)
This has dusty looking leaves with a white powdery coating. It can be…
Wild Amaranth (Jungli Cholai, Pigweed)
This is a weed that is very much like spinach in taste and…
A word of warning
If you have any doubt as to the identity of the plant, DO NOT EAT, as there are some plants that are similar in appearance but are toxic and therefore NOT edible.