Wild Edibles/ Medicinals Growing on my Farm
Comfrey has several medicinal actions. it is known as a vulnerary and as an astringent. These properties make it useful in the healing of minor wounds, both internal and external. Comfrey can be used for minor injuries of the skin, where it will work to increase cell production, causing wounds to heal over rapidly.
Stinging nettle is a large perennial. This plant has sharp hairs that break easily and can irritate or sting when touched. However, it is a vitamin-rich food source as well as a remedy for various medical conditons.
I was taking a class on Wild Edibles and Medicinals many years ago. As the teacher was discussing the benefits of stinging nettles, it filled 4 pages of my notebook. This is a plant that my body needs was my conclusion. When I got home from the class, my neighbor Greta was waiting in the driveway with a trunk full of plants for me - Stinging nettles. My conclusion? - God knew I needed them!
In early Anglo-Saxon and European folk medicine, stinging nettle was used to treat rheumatism, influenza and gastrointestinal and urinary tract disorders. In some cases, the plant would be used to make a medicinal tonic. And the leaves and stems were applied to the skin to treat muscle or joint pain.
Lambs Quarters
Lamb’s quarters can be eaten both raw and cooked (but see our note in “Nutrition,” below, about oxalic acid and saponins in the raw plant). Give the leaves a good rinse before eating to get rid of the (normal) white, powdery bloom on them. If cooking, the veggie fares better when it is quickly sautéed or steamed; its delicate leaves tend to disintegrate if cooked for a long period of time. Like spinach, it pairs well with alliums (think onions and garlic), with cream (as in this cream of lamb’s quarters soup) with cheese (especially hard cheeses like Parmesan) and with citrus (think lemon and orange). Here is a nice recipe roundup of ideas on how to cook lamb’s quarters, including a green smoothie, lamb’s quarters salad and lamb’s quarters with beans.
Lamb’s quarters is common in Indian cuisine (especially North Indian dishes) and is used much like other greens in raitas and daals. Its Hindi name is bathua. The green is also eaten in Korea and China, wild harvested as one of the “mountain vegetables” so prized in Korean cuisine and a popular “wild green” in China. Here’s a yummy recipe for a Korean lamb’s quarters side dish with chiles and sesame, and a similar Chinese dish using chiles, soy sauce and black vinegar.
Yellow dock (curly dock) Yellow dock is an herb. The young leaf stalks are used in salads, and the more mature leaves are used for cooked greens. The root and fruits are used as medicine. Yellow dock is used for pain and swelling (inflammation) of nasal passages and the respiratory tract, and as a laxative and tonic. It is also used to treat bacterial infections and sexually transmitted diseases.
Garlic Mustard - Edible Parts
Leaves in any season can be eaten but once the weather gets hot, the leaves will taste bitter. Flowers can be chopped and tossed into salads. ... Garlic mustard roots taste very spicy somewhat like horseradish.
Print 