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Wednesday, June 2

Weed soup.

I've been reading alot about using edible weeds lately and using herbs and weeds for healing. It's such an interesting subject and it has totally changed how I look at some plants.
Before if I came across a weed I'd automatically pull it out. Now I'll go and check out what it can be used for.
I also love it because heaps of the edible weeds are really high in nutrition, especially trace elements and minerals. And since most westerners diets are so limited by what's for sale at the green grocers it's great to be able to source these delicious plants for free.

So here are some of the lovely weeds we've been eating.

Comfrey (not a weed but it's not eaten often)


Swamp Dock


Mulberry leaves (not technically a weed but I've never used the leaves before)



Dandelion

Sow Thistle



Chickweed


Although the kids weren't that impressed with the idea when I told them we were having weed soup for dinner!
Actually I'd been sneaking weeds into our meals for weeks :)
So my soup did contain a couple of potatoes and some carrots but also heaps of weed. And in the end te kids agreed that eating weeds wasn't that bad after all.

10 comments:

majikfaerie said...

oh yum, that sounds awesome!

Louise said...

we have been eating weeds for years- my boys ask for dock and feta pie.

Ariad said...

yum Louise, I'll have to try that.

Kel said...

Would you recommend any books in particular Ariad? I've been thinking a lot about this lately ... I'm sure my front 'lawn' salad waiting to be made LOL!!

Ariad said...

Kel, an awesome book I just read is "Self sufficincy and Survival Foods" by Isabel Shippard. She lives up here on the Sunny Coast and has the most amazing garden.

Another good one is "Australian Weeds" by Gai Stern...it's pretty old so I don't know if it's still in print.

Also Tim Lowe has some great books that include weeds as well as bush tucker and books by Cribb (sorry can't remember his first name)

Anne said...

Wow!
What does it taste like?
Does the weeds have a strong flavour?

karisma said...

I remember my mother in law trying to make us eat weeds when we were younger and we all thought she was nuts. She harvested a bumper crop of dandelions from our lawn in Sydney and ate the lot while we all gawped at her. LOL The past few years have seen me take a turn around as I have learned more about herbs and turned the tables. We eat them all the time.

I also love Isabella Shippard. I will have to buy that book. I have her Healing Herbs book and its absolutely AWESOME!!! I would love to go visit her some time and check out her garden. :-)

Kel said...

Thanks Ariad, I will check them out :)

Kelly said...

It's incredible just how many weeds and wild plants are edible. We love our wild eating too. Your soup looks delicious!

Amber said...

Oh how fantastic, something i belive and love so much healing with the plants that grow wild around us...beautiful. Just as she planned it..xxx

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