Urban weed foraging

On a beautiful Saturday morning, REQ member Madeleine (Maddie) and I attended the Urban Foraging class at Perth City Farm where we learnt a whole new world about the weeds growing wild all around us. The 1-off class was led by Annie Raser-Rowland, co-author of the bestselling Weed Forager’s Handbook who was teaching us which of the wild weeds around Perth can be eaten and what recipes they can be used in.

It was really eye-opening, and a great way to live more sustainably. I will definitely be putting this knowledge to good use.

Pellitory (asthma weed) is mildly toxic, causes skin irritation

First, we learnt the top safety tips!

Always identify the plant beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Beware of pollution that may be taken up by the wild plants e.g., ground contamination from old industrial areas, car fumes near major highways, or herbicide and pesticides used by councils.
To help remove surface pollution, wash with water and a splash of white vinegar.
Don’t pick wild plants from places where they are walked on a lot.
Wear gardening gloves to protect against stings.
Watch out for dangerous plants e.g., Caster Oil plant and Hemlock etc.

Domesticated and farmed herbs and vegetables are less nutritious because they have been selected for the most palettes and for long storage. Which means the sweetest and most watery plants get selected to suit the tastes of the most amount of people, even though there are plenty of people who would enjoy plants that taste stronger.

Weeds are by definition; plants which grow prolifically where people don’t necessarily want them to grow. These are plants which have followed civilisation and flourished due to the disturbance that humans create in the natural ecosystem. Annie also speculates that weeds have also evolved alongside humans to be tasty to us which then helps them spread.

Weeds have more flavour, stronger in taste and in a greater variety than what can be found in stores. Weeds can taste bitter, spicy, sour, earthy and so much more.

Stinging Nettles are twice as high in iron than spinach when eaten raw. High in antihistamine and can be whipped on joints to help with arthritis. The plant has tiny silica hairs along the stems that sting you, so it’s best to pick only the top 10cm of young leaves. You don’t want to pick too much stem because it is too strong and fibrous.

The hairs can be neutralized by blanching or frying. The leaves can be dried to make tea. For a good soup, purée nettles with onions and stock, then serve with sour cream on top. Bloody Nettles has an earthy and slightly marine flavour, kind of like seaweed.

Sow Thistle is bitter but not as much as dandelion, and it has a similar looking yellow flower which turns into a puff ball. You can tell the difference because unlike dandelions, Show Thistle has a big upward stark.

The flowers can be put in salad. The stark can be marinated with either lemon and olive oil or chilli and garlic, then stir fried. The leaves are good in omelette, salad, and soup. A good way to bring the bitterness down is to add salt when blanching or seasoning, but this will remove some nutrients. Or use sweet balsamic vinegar to tone done the bitterness of the salad overall.

Chickweed is very soft and high in iron. This plant has tiny hairs only along 1 side of the stem and has an inner core with an elastic string especially near the bottom. Take only the top 10cm. The taste is kind of grassy, but very mild.

Eat raw in quinoa salads (with toasted almonds or pine nuts) or put in a juice. Chickweed is a key ingredient in Japanese 7 herbs spring porridge.

Can be made into an ointment to treat itching. Be cautious, there is often petty spurge growing next to it, which is more bluey green and has a white sap when picked which causes blisters.

Mallow is a good beginner weed with a very mild flavour. Don’t pick leaves with spots, that means the plant is diseased which is not dangerous but also not tasty. The plant is not very soft, so it is good for cooking with. Mallow seed is called Mallow cheese because it kind of looks like cheese wheels, they are edible.

The leaves are a bit slimy to eat, like buckwheat or okra. It’s slimier the older the plant is. Mallow is common in middle eastern cooking, like this Molokhia soup. It gives body to soup, which can be cooked with heaps of mallow, coriander, onion, stock, garlic, lemon vest, and olive oil. This plant has a very distinct smell, grows up to your waist and can be found in vacant lots.

Consuming mallow is good for sore throats and digestion. Mallow is in the same family of plants as the hibiscus bushes. But while mallow plants with flowers (like hibiscus) aren’t toxic, they are also not tasty.

Greater Plantain has long seed stems and are same plant family as psyllium husk. The leaves have a mushroom-like flavour. The wild ones aren’t as big as the ones we saw at Perth City Farm, because they won’t typically have as favourable conditions to grow in.

It has parallel lines on the leaves that are a bit tough, so cut it horizontally. This plant as anti-itch, anti-bacterial and antihistamine properties. Good for smoothies and salads.

Oxalis also known as sour sop of wood sorrel (or what I call toy flowers) has leaves that look like clovers. Used to make classic French sorrel sauce, used on meat or fish dishes. Children like to chew on the end of the flower stems for a pleasant sour taste. The yellow flowers can be used in salad. The whole plant has a pungent lemony flavour, which is good in salad. Trim only the leaves.

Oxalis is high in oxalic acid (like spinach), so it’s not good for people with gout or arthritis. The oxalic acid can be greatly reduced by blanching. Makes a good cream sauce for fish and is also good in tzatziki dip. Usually, recipes with Oxalis will incorporate a calcium source (diary), the acid binds to the calcium so it’s easier for the kidney’s to clear it.

Nasturtium has round leaves that kind of look like lily pads, and also has beautiful orange flowers. It is a very hardy plant that is very easy to grow and doesn’t need watering, so people sometimes plant them in gardens.

The leaves taste kind of peppery and are good in salad, they can also be used to make dolmades.

The seeds are very big and can be pickled, pick the seeds while they are still pale green then use the pickled seeds as caper substitutes.

The same can be done with the young buds. Stuff the flowers with ricotta to serve as fancy Hors D’oeuvres.

Blackberry Nightshade is a commonly misunderstood plant with small star-shaped white flowers, and often mixed up with deadly nightshade which doesn’t grow in Australia.

The berries can be made into pies, they taste like a cross between gooseberry and elderberry. Don’t pick the berries while green because they have too many alkaloids while they are green, like raw potato.

Annie speculated that the leaves were used in the stews she ate when she visited Tanzania.

The last plant we looked at for the Wild Sweet Potato vines which can be found winding their way up fences. Pick the top leaves and use them to make gnocchi. You can also dig up tubers, but these will usually be too small to eat.

But the last plant we talked about was Purslane which has the highest amount of omega 3 fatty acids out of all land plants. It grows in summer and has a slightly sour and salty taste. Used in many types of recipes.

Unfortunately there weren’t any Purslane plants growing at Perth City Farm for Annie to show us, but it certainly sounds like a useful plant!

I’m looking forward to foraging some of these plants, and hosting a dinner party with our club members.