Edible non-native greens in my backyard
This year I've expanded my foraging from mushrooms to the wild world of backyard greens. For years now it's been impossible to grow a decent lawn in my townhome backyard. We've tried seed, sod, killing off all the weeds first, everything. Certain species invade the grass every time, coming back stronger each year. Finally, I took to researching the weeds, and it turns out many are non-native species brought to North America as garden plants from Europe or Asia. A few were used as ornamentals, but all of the ones I'm highlighting here were used for food as far back as medieval times. With my foraging instincts and geeky curiosity activated by last year's mushroom hunting, I decided to try these backyard greens in salads, soups, pestos, and sautes. And do you know what? They're delicious!
Here's a list of the non-native greens I've tried so far. For certain identification, I checked various sources online and had each species verified by other experienced naturalists at iNaturalist.com. Needless to say, this is an essential step for anyone who tries this at home. (If you like this kind of thing, you may want to try iNatrualist's phone app). My descriptions here are borrowed from Wikipedia. I've added my own description of the taste for each one.
Dandelion (Taxicarum officionale) -- Dandelions have been used by humans for food for much of recorded history. "They were well known to ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, and have been used in Chinese traditional medicine for over a thousand years. Dandelions probably arrived in North America on the Mayflower – not as stowaways, but brought on purpose for their medicinal benefits," according to the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. Taste: Much like Romaine lettuce, especially when young, and good for mixing with any salad green; more bitter, and therefore best cooked, as the plant ages. The stalks are crispy and juicy like celery. Many foragers enjoy the yellow flowers, but I don't think they're worth the effort.
Chickweed (Stellaria media) -- Native to Europe, but naturalized in many parts of North America, it is used as a cooling herbal remedy, and grown as a vegetable crop and ground cover for both human consumption and poultry. Taste: This stuff is delicious! It's sweet and oh so tender. Eat it piled on a sandwich like sprouts, tossed in soup, or in a pot of beans right before serving.
Ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea) -- Also known as creeping jenny, it has numerous medicinal uses and is a salad green in many countries. European settlers carried it around the world, and it has become a well-established introduced and naturalized plant in a wide variety of localities. Taste: This is one I haven't tried yet.
Plantain (Plantago major) -- Native to most of Europe and northern and central Asia, this plant has widely naturalized elsewhere in the world. Plantago major is one of the most abundant and widely distributed medicinal crops in the world. A poultice of the leaves can be applied to wounds, stings, and sores in order to facilitate healing. Broadleaf plantain is also a highly nutritious wild edible that is high in calcium and vitamins A, C, and K. The young, tender leaves can be eaten raw and the older, stringier leaves can be boiled in stews. Taste: Delicious in soups or cooked any way spinach is cooked. It even looks like young spinach. It has the slightest hint of peppery taste.
Ground Elder (Aegopodium podagraria) -- Also known as goutweed or bishop's weed (because it's often found in the ruins of old monasteries), this is a perennial plant in the carrot family (Apiaceae) that grows in shady places. It is native to Eurasia and has been introduced as an ornamental plant around the world, where it is sometimes categorized as an invasive exotic plant. The tender leaves were used in antiquity and throughout the Middle Ages as a spring leaf vegetable or pot herb. Taste: I ate some of this right before I killed as much of it as I could. It's terribly invasive in my moist garden because it propagates by rhizomes. I'm glad I tried it, though, because the young leaves are broad and tender but taste like young parsley. Great raw in gazpacho.
Stringy stonecrop (Sedum sarmentosum) -- Also known as graveyard moss, this sedum is native to East and Southeast Asia. In Korea, the plant is called dolnamul and eaten fresh as a vegetable with sweet and sour sauce. It is also a common ingredient in bibimbap, as well as Korean-style western food such as fruit salads with yuja dressing. At first I mistook this plant for purslane (Portulaca olereacea), which has a similar look but rounder leaves and red stems. Taste: Delicious sprinkled on salads, especially with tomatoes. It mildly sour and has a particularly appealing texture. It's also a lovely plant to look at in a strawberry pot and not difficult to contain.
