# Foraging for edible plants and weeds, etc.



## Snip 13 (Oct 31, 2012)

Couldn't find a thread about foraging so if I've searched like my behind then I apologise in advance 

I've been planting, foraging and cooking with edible weeds for a few years now. Love the idea of finding your own food.

I'm no expert so I've been somewhat limited for choice.
If anyone gathers wild plants, herbs, weeds, fruits or anything else for that matter kindly post the names and pics (if you have) here. Would love to extend my knowledge.

I often gather purslane, chickweed, dandelions, amaranth, crab apples, nasturtiums and oxalis.

Recipes for how you use them would be appreciated too


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## vitauta (Oct 31, 2012)

i think oxalis is another word for sorrel, which i like for making sorrel soup.  hard to find around here, though.  it has this bright/fresh/sour flavor and can be added to a simple vegetable soup.  a sorrel soup with barley and leeks is nice and needs no meat to shine....


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## Dawgluver (Oct 31, 2012)

Oxalis (aka wood sorrel) is shamrock-like: 
It's a weed around here and spreads like crazy.  It does have a nice, sour taste, but has oxalic acid, which can be poisonous in quantities.



Another sorrel looks more like lettuce:
Again, oxalic acid, so not too much!



Nettles are OK, you boil the heck out of them, and they taste somewhat like spinach.  Wear gloves, they sting!

I love Hen of the Woods mushroom, which comes out in the fall, and grows at the bottom of oak and elm trees.


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## taxlady (Oct 31, 2012)

When I lived in the country, I started foraging:
Wild strawberries (the absolute best) the plant looks like a regular strawberry plant, just smaller:



Alpine strawberries by tiny banquet committee, on Flickr

Dewberries, very nice berry which is obviously related to raspberries and black berries:






Morels, the best tasting mushroom I have ever eaten:





Milkweed, the buds were very tasty, so were the pods. I have read that you can eat other parts too
Plant and buds:





The flowers, but all the ones I ever saw had white flowers:





And the milkweed pods:





Wild mustard greens, the nicest tasting wild "greens" I found.





Choke cherries - weirdly astringent, but kinda nice. Bears eat a lot of them. They have a pit like a regular cherry and they grow on trees:


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## taxlady (Oct 31, 2012)

More stuff I foraged:

Wild carrots (daucus carota), also called Queen Anne's Lace, not exciting, but not bad:






We tried roasting chickory root to add to coffee, but it wasn't nice:





We also collected some tasty 'shrooms that our Yugoslavian neighbours showed us. I have no idea what they are called. My neighbours called them "foxes". I don't even know what language they spoke.
I found other wild 'shrooms, but I never found any that were edible.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Oct 31, 2012)

Asparagus, it's the only thing I know on sight and trust to eat.


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## vitauta (Oct 31, 2012)

tl, your pictures of berries and talk of berries bring to mind summers of wild berry picking-and-eating of m childhood:  sweet berries, sour berries, bitter ones too--all stealthily gathered and greedily gobbled.  small strawberries bursting with sweetness, and dusky, golden-colored raspberries, were the indisputable headliners from a roster of big-time winning ones--in the magnificent berry kingdom of yore....


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## vitauta (Oct 31, 2012)

watercress, delightfully peppery watercress, growing along the beds of meandering streams....


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## Dawgluver (Oct 31, 2012)

We have lots of elderberries and mulberries around here.  People do stuff with the blossoms and the berries, including fizzes and wine.  Don't know if you get them where you are, Snip.  Mucho milkweed pods.  Burdock makes good tea, according to my SIL.


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## forty_caliber (Oct 31, 2012)

Lambsquarter is a common spinach like wild green that grows all over North America.  

I remember my grandmother gathering poke salad but never understood exactly when to harvest as it can be toxic at a certain point.

.40


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## PrincessFiona60 (Oct 31, 2012)

forty_caliber said:


> Lambsquarter is a common spinach like wild green that grows all over North America.
> 
> I remember my grandmother gathering poke salad but never understood exactly when to harvest as it can be toxic at a certain point.
> 
> .40



Same here, my Grandmother did all the foraging, but I was too young and she had no interest in teaching.  I know how to cook it once i have it, but do not know what it looks like in the wild.  I'd be scared of poisoning someone.


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## taxlady (Oct 31, 2012)

I just looked up lambsquarters. According to Chenopodium berlandieri - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, was a fully domesticated pseudocereal crop in Eastern North America in prehistoric times. It's related to quinoa.


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## Snip 13 (Nov 1, 2012)

Dawgluver said:


> We have lots of elderberries and mulberries around here. People do stuff with the blossoms and the berries, including fizzes and wine. Don't know if you get them where you are, Snip. Mucho milkweed pods. Burdock makes good tea, according to my SIL.


 
Thank you for the info 
We have mulberries and wild strawberries here. I'd forgotten they they can be foraged too  They sell them at nurseries. I love making mulberry jam and my kids are always stained purple when mulberries are in season


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## Snip 13 (Nov 1, 2012)

Plants that contain oxalic acid can be cooked to remove most of it and eaten in slightly larger quantities.
Thank you all for the great info!


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## Snip 13 (Nov 1, 2012)

*



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I love purslane, my favourite edible weed so far. It's full of nutrients and is easy to identify.
Our favourite way to eat it is in Purslane omelettes. Fry a cup of chopped leaves and stems with a bit of chopped onion and seasoning. Whisk 6 eggs and pour over. Cook till set. Portion and serve with nice tomato salad. I add some grated cheddar or gouda as well.
Purslane is low growing and has smooth shiny leaves. If you're worried that what you find is not purslane, the easiest way to check is by breaking a stem open. If it doesn't have a milky sap inside the stem you're good to go. Purslane doesn't have a hairy coating either but there are similar looking plants that do. Avoid these.


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## taxlady (Nov 1, 2012)

Snip 13 said:


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I had no idea that was purslane. I'm pretty sure that's the weed in my backyard that's growing in a pot I never got around to planting. I never pulled out of the pot because I was deciding whether or not I wanted to keep it. It's kind neat looking.


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## Snip 13 (Nov 1, 2012)

taxlady said:


> I had no idea that was purslane. I'm pretty sure that's the weed in my backyard that's growing in a pot I never got around to planting. I never pulled out of the pot because I was deciding whether or not I wanted to keep it. It's kind neat looking.


 
The leaves and young stems are delicious raw in salads, they taste a bit like cucumber. They go well cooked with eggs, cheese, garlic or butter 
Or even all 4


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## Snip 13 (Nov 1, 2012)

Mallow, another delicious weed. It tastes very mild and the young leaves are good in salad. The flowers are also edible. Mallow can be eaten cooked and it's a good thickener in soups and stew. It leaches a jelly like sap when cooked kind of like okra.


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## Snip 13 (Nov 1, 2012)

Amost forgot to mention the 2 most popular wild foods in South Africa 
I forget they're wild sometimes lol!









The leaves from the moringa trea are eaten raw in salads and cooked like spinach. They taste lovely and have numerous health benefits.

Marula fruits from the marula trea are healthy and delicious and ofcourse used for making the popular Amarula


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## larry_stewart (Nov 1, 2012)

There is a guy up here in the New York area that has weekend walks in some of the local parks ( including Central Park in NYC).  who helps identify everything.  He has a website

Foraging With the "Wildman"

He even has a cookbook, identification DVD and other things that he sells.
His website has a lot of info too.

We went on one of his walks, Things that come to mind for me are  : Black walnuts, Hen of the Woods mushrooms, Autumn Olive Berries, sassafras leaves for tea, purslane, sumac, cat tails, sorrel .  There were many others, i just forgot them, as it was several years ago.


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## larry_stewart (Nov 1, 2012)

also went on a mushroom walk with a local " Mycological club", but it seemed like there were too many uncertainties about which you can eat or cant eat, and trouble identifying them %100, so ill stick to store bought mushrooms ( or the occasional mushroom logs that i buy to grow my own)


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## Snip 13 (Nov 1, 2012)

larry_stewart said:


> There is a guy up here in the New York area that has weekend walks in some of the local parks ( including Central Park in NYC). who helps identify everything. He has a website
> 
> Foraging With the "Wildman"
> 
> ...


 
Thank you for the link  Wish I could find someone like that here!


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## larry_stewart (Nov 1, 2012)

The walk was very interesting.  The guy is a little off-beat, but in a fun and good way.  It was educational, and for someone who likes to cook, eat and garden, for me it was great.  What is great is that you can go to the same park in different seasons and find totally different things to eat.    And being a vegetarian, im always looking for new/ different things to eat.


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## pacanis (Nov 1, 2012)

Snip 13 said:


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OMG, that stuff is edible? That is my nemesis throughout the summer even more than crabgrass  It sprouts everywhere that grass does not have a good foothold. And with several large gravel areas I am constantly spraying and hoeing it. The way it lays there flat to the ground with its red stems and sprawling outward... well, I just think it's pretty ugly  Even now that I know it tastes like cucumbers I don't think I could bring myself to eat it unless there was an emergency.

I didn't realize that Queen's Lace plants were the tops of a carrot either. That one I might try eating.
I've got just about every plant shown here somewhere or another on my property.


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## taxlady (Nov 1, 2012)

larry_stewart said:


> also went on a mushroom walk with a local " Mycological club", but it seemed like there were too many uncertainties about which you can eat or cant eat, and trouble identifying them %100, so ill stick to store bought mushrooms ( or the occasional mushroom logs that i buy to grow my own)


I "forage" elderberries and the flowers, juniper berries, and gout weed (ground elder) around the condo grounds, but those were all intentionally planted. I have never eaten day lilies, but some species are edible.

You need a good, up-do-date mushroom identifying book to trust mushrooms that you find that you haven't been specifically taught. A good mushroom book will have pix and tell you what else looks like a specific mushroom and ways to be sure which is which, e.g., gill colour and shape, spore colour, etc.

I wrote up-to-date because I used one in the early '80s and it said that the brain mushroom/false morel was safe to eat if it was dried or heated thoroughly. They were really yummy. Research in the '90s has determined that there is a toxin that isn't completely destroyed that way and it is cumulative.


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## Steve Kroll (Nov 1, 2012)

taxlady said:


> I had no idea that was purslane. I'm pretty sure that's the weed in my backyard that's growing in a pot I never got around to planting. I never pulled out of the pot because I was deciding whether or not I wanted to keep it. It's kind neat looking.


We eat purslane, too. Most people (around here anyway) treat it like a weed, but it's quite good for you. Very high in omega-3s.


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## Claire (Nov 1, 2012)

I have done some mushroom foraging over the years, but only with someone who is very experienced.  As one friend says, "there are old mushroomers, and there are bold mushroomers.  But there are NO old, bold mushroomers.  

THAT is purslane?  I, too, have thrown it away for years!


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## larry_stewart (Nov 1, 2012)

I saw someone use Purslane on the food channel once, looked it up ( since i had never heard of it) and like most of you,discovered it was something ive been weeding out of the garden for years.  Its a little tangy, and has a little bit of that okra slime to it.


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## Snip 13 (Nov 1, 2012)

Steve Kroll said:


> We eat purslane, too. Most people (around here anyway) treat it like a weed, but it's quite good for you. Very high in omega-3s.


 
I love the stuff! Young leaves in salads, leaves and chopped stalks in omelettes and stir fry and the slight okra like sap makes it a good thickener in soups and stew. My kids like dipping it in mayo 

I've heard that if you boil purslane the water can be used as an egg substitute in baking. Haven't tried it yet though.


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## Addie (Nov 1, 2012)

The nemesis of every one who want a perfect lawn. Dandelion greens. For years the Italians in this area used to go out to the highways and dig them up from the median strips in the middle of the roads. Too many folks getting hit by cars, so they put a stop to it. Now they stick to lawns. If they see that you have a lot of them on your lawn, they will knock on your door and ask if they can dig them up. 

Another one is Fiddleheads. They grow along the banks of streams. Again the Italians will go into the woods and harvest them. Get enough and they sell them to the supermarkets. Very pricey.


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## Snip 13 (Nov 1, 2012)

Addie said:


> The nemesis of every one who want a perfect lawn. Dandelion greens. For years the Italians in this area used to go out to the highways and dig them up from the median strips in the middle of the roads. Too many folks getting hit by cars, so they put a stop to it. Now they stick to lawns. If they see that you have a lot of them on your lawn, they will knock on your door and ask if they can dig them up.
> 
> Another one is Fiddleheads. They grow along the banks of streams. Again the Italians will go into the woods and harvest them. Get enough and they sell them to the supermarkets. Very pricey.


 
I use dandelions often. Leaves and flowers for salads, greens for soups, steaming etc. Roasted roots make a nice coffee substitute and I love making dandelion wine.
It's a precious herb 

What are fiddleheads?


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## Addie (Nov 1, 2012)

Snip 13 said:


> I use dandelions often. Leaves and flowers for salads, greens for soups, steaming etc. Roasted roots make a nice coffee substitute and I love making dandelion wine.
> It's a precious herb
> 
> What are fiddleheads?


 
Fiddleheads are when ferns first poke their heads through the soil before they unfurl. You have to be there early in the morning to get them As the day wears on, they open up real quick. 

Fiddlehead fern - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## larry_stewart (Nov 1, 2012)

I remember as a kid, my friend ( who happened to be Greek) was embarrassed, because the school bus would pass his house, and out on the front lawn was his grandmother sitting on a lawn chair, in the front yard, picking and cleaning the dandelion leaves. His law was the worst one in the neighborhood.


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## Snip 13 (Nov 2, 2012)

larry_stewart said:


> I remember as a kid, my friend ( who happened to be Greek) was embarrassed, because the school bus would pass his house, and out on the front lawn was his grandmother sitting on a lawn chair, in the front yard, picking and cleaning the dandelion leaves. His law was the worst one in the neighborhood.


 

Luckily my kids do that kind of thing with me, they enjoy it, wouldn't want to be an embarrasment


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## Snip 13 (Nov 2, 2012)

Hi all! Found some Dutch clover today. There's plenty growing in a spot where I can safely pick it. I know you can make a tea from the flowers and I've eaten a few leaves before. Any ideas how it can be used?


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## 4meandthem (Nov 2, 2012)

forty_caliber said:


> Lambsquarter is a common spinach like wild green that grows all over North America.
> 
> I remember my grandmother gathering poke salad but never understood exactly when to harvest as it can be toxic at a certain point.
> 
> .40


 
I remember going out to the empty lot behind my Grandparents and picking Lambsquarter and my Grandmother cooking it up for us.I miss her and that taste.


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## 4meandthem (Nov 2, 2012)

We used to pick miners lettuce that we found growing along streams on our backpack trips. We would usually take 1 head of iceburg to mix it with and a couple of tomatoes so we had fresh salad for a couple of days.By the end of the trip everything was in cans that we buried along the way into the Sierras (horses/mules in-walk out).Grandpa used to pack a little 151 and Tang for a pre-dinner cocktail.We ate alot of trout that we caught and even smoked some for the return trips. He would also chew a little tree sap sometimes like chewing gum.


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## Snip 13 (Nov 3, 2012)

Thank you all for the replies


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## Addie (Nov 3, 2012)

4meandthem said:


> I remember going out to the empty lot behind my Grandparents and picking Lambsquarter and my Grandmother cooking it up for us.I miss her and that taste.


 
I haven't heard the words Lambsquarters and poke salad since i was a kid.


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## GrillingFool (Nov 3, 2012)

Jerusalem Artichoke, aka sunchokes. They flower in the fall, grow
quite tall, and once they have died back, the tuberous roots are
edible.
Easy to identify when flowering. because the flowers smell somewhat
like chocolate!


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## Snip 13 (Nov 3, 2012)

GrillingFool said:


> Jerusalem Artichoke, aka sunchokes. They flower in the fall, grow
> quite tall, and once they have died back, the tuberous roots are
> edible.
> Easy to identify when flowering. because the flowers smell somewhat
> like chocolate!


 
Thanks  The plant looks familiar, never seen them flower before but I'll be sure to look now!


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## PhilinYuma (Nov 4, 2012)

Twice a year, I scavenge all kinds of citrus fruit, grapefruit, oranges tangerines, lemons, from branches that overhang the sidewalk and alleys. Does that count? 
Also, right now, I can gather "fake" pomegranates. I have given these to The Kid (I didn't want to try them myself in case they were poisonous! :p) and she says that they taste much like the real thing, but the flesh is white instead of red and the tree beats fruit twice a year (I understand that real pomegranates are univoltine), like just about everything else around here.


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## Snip 13 (Nov 4, 2012)

PhilinYuma said:


> Twice a year, I scavenge all kinds of citrus fruit, grapefruit, oranges tangerines, lemons, from branches that overhang the sidewalk and alleys. Does that count?
> Also, right now, I can gather "fake" pomegranates. I have given these to The Kid (I didn't want to try them myself in case they were poisonous! :p) and she says that they taste much like the real thing, but the flesh is white instead of red and the tree beats fruit twice a year (I understand that real pomegranates are univoltine), like just about everything else around here.


 
Don't think you can call it foraging but you made me laugh 
Never heard of fake pomegranates, must google it. Sounds interresting.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Nov 4, 2012)

I'm going foraging later today...in the produce department.  Much of what I need does not grow around here unless in a garden and that season is over.  I also have an allergy to buckshot which is what I would get if I started foraging in gardens...


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## Snip 13 (Nov 4, 2012)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> I'm going foraging later today...in the produce department. Much of what I need does not grow around here unless in a garden and that season is over. I also have an allergy to buckshot which is what I would get if I started foraging in gardens...


 
 Oh my soul, you're so funny sometimes! I would smuggle you some weeds but I'm allergic to latex gloves in my backside


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## PrincessFiona60 (Nov 4, 2012)

Snip 13 said:


> Oh my soul, you're so funny sometimes! I would smuggle you some weeds but I'm allergic to latex gloves in my backside


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## Snip 13 (Nov 4, 2012)

PrincessFiona60 said:


>


 
You made my night PF! Haven't laughed this much in a long time


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## forty_caliber (Nov 4, 2012)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> I'm going foraging later today...in the produce department.  Much of what I need does not grow around here unless in a garden and that season is over.  I also have an allergy to buckshot which is what I would get if I started foraging in gardens...



Funny but wrong...silly ogress.

.40


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## PrincessFiona60 (Nov 4, 2012)

forty_caliber said:


> Funny but wrong...silly ogress.
> 
> .40



Why wrong?


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## forty_caliber (Nov 4, 2012)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Why wrong?



They aren't shooting because your are foraging in the garden.  They are shooting because an ogress is in the garden. 

.40


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## PrincessFiona60 (Nov 4, 2012)

forty_caliber said:


> They aren't shooting because your are foraging in the garden.  They are shooting because an ogress is in the garden.
> 
> .40



Hmmm...I didn't think of that!  Better wait till day time.


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## chopper (Nov 4, 2012)

PrincessFiona60 said:
			
		

> Hmmm...I didn't think of that!  Better wait till day time.



LOL.


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## Dawgluver (Nov 4, 2012)

PrincessFiona60 said:
			
		

> I'm going foraging later today...in the produce department.  Much of what I need does not grow around here unless in a garden and that season is over.  I also have an allergy to buckshot which is what I would get if I started foraging in gardens...


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## Snip 13 (Jan 17, 2013)

I found burdock!!!! Lots of it. Think I'll try and plant some of the seeds too so that I can have them growing at home. I must find some recipes and uses for it. Anyone here ever use burdock leaves or flowers? I know the root is used often but I'm not sure how to use the rest of the plant.


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## Kathleen (Mar 20, 2021)

I was looking at my garden plots today and this "weed" was covering most of the ground.  I believe it is chickweed.  It checks off all of the identifiers.  I'm thinking of trying to make a chickweed pesto tomorrow.  Does anyone have other recipes for it?


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