Foraging for Free Food  

Local, Seasonal, Organic – the mantra of celebrated chefs and foodies around the world. Increasingly, these concepts are finding favour with ordinary people who care about the state of the planet, the state of their bodies, and the horrors of industrial agriculture.  How much more local, seasonal and organic can one get than eating the weeds growing on our doorstep?  

During the Covid-19 season we all focussed attention on our immediate environments, so came to appreciate the undervalued beauty of blackjacks, for example.  The interest in foraging for food boomed as we tried out new foods including easily accessible wild and weedy edibles.  

Free food is everywhere – right under our feet. Along the path, in the supermarket parking lot, on your verge, and all over your garden.  

Weeds are plants particularly well-adapted to disturbed places.  They thrive where the earth has been disturbed and are part of the healing process, trying to return the bare soil to good condition.  It seems daft that gardeners spend so much time trying to get rid of them. If you are pulling up chickweed so your lettuces can grow unrestricted, shouldn’t you eat the chickweed? 

Across the globe, communities seek out the new growth of wild greens in spring and summer – this is a delicacy long awaited through the colder months in Europe. In South Africa imifino/marog add micro-nutrients, variety and flavour to simple diets. Many of the weeds have a natural bitterness, something we often avoid in Western diets, but which is highly valued in other cultures.  The bitter taste prompts your body to produce hydrochloric acid, which aids digestion and ensures we absorb all the nutrients from the food. Grandmothers who hide bitter greens in their family’s supper are smarter than one might think.  

Foraging connects you to the season and to where you live.  Once your interest is awakened, you will be walking around your neighbourhood with eyes peeled for wild edibles. The best way to learn is to explore and take samples home to do some research. Find out the botanical name, as common names can be confusing, and many plants have the same or similar names for completely different species.   Social media is a great place to learn about edible weeds, but even better, seek out someone doing foraging walks in your region to set you on the right path.  

Climate Change is transforming the way we eat. We need to get over preferences to foods that take a lot of effort, water or energy to grow. It makes sense to transition now to plants that thrive in challenging conditions. Which of these nutrient-rich treats are lurking in a forgotten corner of your garden?

Chickweed, Stellaria media

You will find this plant growing in damp and shady places. Chickweed is anti-inflammatory and soothes digestion, a good source of boron and calcium, so brilliant to add to a smoothie.  Perfect for salads, or delicate and sweet pesto, although you might prefer to just nibble fresh leaves as you potter about the garden. Surprisingly, the leaves and stems taste like baby corn. It is often fed to chickens to make the yolks of their eggs bright yellow.  Chickweed contains soothing saponins so is a perfect addition to a salve for itchy or dry skin.

Ribwort, Plantago lanceolata and Broad leaf Plantain, Plantago major

Little flower buds are delicious fried in butter and have an interesting mushroom-like flavour.  Small, young leaves are tasty raw, rich in calcium and vitamins A and K.  Broad leaf plantain is great crisped like kale chips.  The seeds are rich in starch, so add them to biscuits and bread.

The leaves are useful for scratches and blisters – a natural plaster.  Traditionally, Plantago has been used as a poultice for bee stings, cuts, burns, and to reduce inflammation.  

Blackjack, Bidens pilosa, uqadolo, umhlabangulo

Young leaves are less bitter than older ones, so pick the light green top few leaves. They taste a whole lot nicer once cooked.  Blackjack is a good source of fibre, sterols, beta-carotene, iron, iodine, zinc, calcium, vitamins A and E. It is used as a medicinal plant in many regions of Africa and Asia – reported to possess antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties and be helpful in treating many ailments such as arthritis, abdominal trouble, headache and diarrhoea. Black jacks are often the first plant to cover disturbed, exposed soil – acting as a kind of bandage – Nature is not keen on bare earth.  

Lambs Quarters, Fat hen, Chenopodium album, imbililikicane

This plant is rampant in summer and grows to shoulder height. Gather in early summer when fresh leaves are tender, sometimes with a pinkish tinge. The leaves are nutrient dense, contain Vitamin B, lots of Vitamin A and protein. Stir fry the leaves with onion, tomato and chillies for a very satisfying addition to maizemeal, pasta or sugar beans. Steamed young flowers taste like a combination of broccoli and asparagus.  It is part of the amaranth and quinoa family, so the seeds are rich in protein. These can be ground into flour to make porridge, crushed into biscuits, or sprouted for salads. Both leaves and seeds can be dried for later use.

Why do we turn up our noses at fresh, free, nutrient-dense food? Amaranthus leaves are packed with protein; gallant soldier is full of iron, and purslane contains more omega-3 than fish oils. All of these should be added to your daily smoothie, tossed into salads, soups and stews.

Happy weeding gardeners!