“Nature is orderly. That which appears to be chaotic in nature is only a more complex kind of order.”
-Gary Snyder
The Spring is such an exciting time, and perhaps more so for the herbalists and gardeners among us. Suddenly the world has gone from a restful, dormant state to a riot of life all around. I find myself anxious to get into my garden and return to the tasks of cultivating food and medicine to use throughout the coming year. There is a simple and deeply sustaining pleasure in this undertaking, and I find a particular sense of fulfillment in the fact that I am merely a conduit for the plant life I cultivate, merely coaxing it along as it fulfills its inherent purpose.
As I wait for this life I am coaxing from my garden to mature into the foods and medicines I rely on, I am equally enamored with the wild edible and medicinal plants popping up for a limited time in the wild spaces around me. While many will dismiss these plants as “weeds”, the definition of a weed as offered by Webster’s Dictionary is merely, “ a plant that is not valued where it is growing and is usually of vigorous growth”. Now, as a gardener and farmer, I have my fair share of disdain for the invasive wild plants that choke out the plants I am cultivating, but the wild edibles and medicinals I refer to here are mostly fleeting, minimally invasive, and quite useful. Here is a roundup of a few of my favorites:
*Note: as with any wild-harvesting of plants, be sure that you have correctly identified the plant you intend to consume, and that you are harvesting in a safe location- one that is free from polluted water runoff, spraying of herbicides, likelihood of dog urination, etc.
Chickweed (Stellaria media)
This delicate Spring green has opposite, pointed leaves and small white flowers. A defining characteristic is its “mohawk”- a single line of small hairs along its stem, which is otherwise hairless. There is a multitude of uses for this little plant, from eating it (see the Spring Wild Pesto recipe below), to drinking it as a tea, to infusing oils for salve-making. Eaten or taken as a tea, chickweed is demulcent, meaning that it is soothing and moistening to tissues, and calms irritations of the digestive and respiratory tracts. It is also quite nutritious and tasty as a spring green. Used topically, as a salve, oil, or poultice, chickweed soothes irritations of the skin, including bites, stings, itching, and simple dryness. Chickweed is best harvested prior to flowering.
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
One of the most complained of “weeds” for its propensity for growing in lawns, dandelion is abundant and very useful. The leaves of dandelion are great for gentle spring cleaning of the body. As a diuretic, the leaves encourage the kidneys to process more fluid, therefore clearing more wastes. As an added bonus, dandelion leaf contains potassium, which is lost in the process of diuresis, and is also a source of a wide range of other vitamins and minerals. While more bitter than chickweed, dandelion greens can be eaten raw or cooked. My favorite ways to prepare dandelion greens is to include a small handful of them with sautéed kale, chard, and other (less bitter) greens, along with sweet onions, or to include a small amount in pesto, or in my Mineral-Rich Vinegar (see recipe below).
Each Spring, I collect a whole lot of dandelion greens and dry them for use in teas for the rest of the year, I include the leaves in tea blends for aiding the work of the kidneys, for gentle cleansing, for the skin, and for increasing mineral intake.
The root of the dandelion plant can be collected in the Spring or Fall, and also has numerous health benefits. Though I do not eat the root as food, I do dry and powder it, and include the powder in formulas that I may mix in with foods, such as soups, nut butter, etc. I dry the root, wash it well, and cut it up before drying it on a rack. Once dry, I store the root in a jar for use in tea blends, tinctures, etc. I also make some tincture each year out of the fresh root. The root is somewhat bitter, and stimulates digestion and encourages the work of the liver. It also contains a carbohydrate called inulin, a type of fiber that acts as a prebiotic in the body: feeding the healthy bacteria in the gut.
*Note: pay special attention when identifying this one. There are a lot of dandelion lookalikes. To begin to learn the plant’s defining characteristics, note in the picture below the particular shape of the leaves. There is a single flower per stem, the stem has no leaves, and it arises from the center of the plant.
Cleavers (Galium aparine)
Another foe to some gardeners, this plant likes to attach itself to weeding arms, scratching them, and then break off at ground level, depriving the weeder of the satisfying rip of the roots leaving the ground. As with many of the Spring “weeds”, though, cleavers is fleeting, and will not return from the left roots again until the following Spring. Meanwhile, this distinctive climbing plant, with its tiered whorls of rounded leaves, and “sticky” texture, has many uses. Joining its many Spring plant companions in helping the human body to begin to lighten up and gently “cleanse” coming out of the Winter, cleavers is a great lymph helper. The lymph is an important fluid that circulates throughout the body, clearing excess fluids from the tissues, circulating immune cells, and aiding in the digestion of fats and proteins. Cleavers helps to keep that fluid flowing freely and cleanly, a great service as we come out of a season in which most of us are less active and eat heavier food.
The entire above-ground part of the cleavers plant is used. It can be taken in the form of tea, especially useful when made from the fresh plant, or by juicing the fresh plant and drinking it (in small quantities) or freezing it in ice cube trays for future use. I also make a fresh cleavers tincture annually to preserve the potent lymphatic action for later use.
Plantain (Plantago spp.)
No, not like the banana =). This low-lying plant, growing in a rosette just about everywhere you look, is sometimes called “white man’s footprint” because it was brought by settlers from Europe. Plantain is a tenacious plant and, though I prefer to harvest it in the spring before it has flowered, it persists throughout the hot months even in the Sacramento valley. The leaves can be harvested and used as a poultice, crushed and applied directly to bee stings, cuts, scrapes and other irritations. It is soothing and demulcent like chickweed, and has the ability to draw substances from the skin, such as bee venom and splinters. It also increases the rate of tissue repair. For this reason, it is often used as a first-aid plant, and it is often found alongside chickweed in salves for itching, irritations, dryness, etc.
Used internally (generally as a tea), plantain has a healing effect on internal tissue as well. It is often used, for example, for people with digestive tract damage in the form of an ulcer, leaky gut, etc. This is another nutritious Spring green, which can be consumed in small amounts as juice, or as part of the Spring Weed Pesto.
Milky Oats (Avena spp)
Wild milky oats are one of the many Spring grasses that take advantage of the cooler, wetter conditions this time of year. This year, even in the valley, the oats have been slow to mature and are still yet to flower in most places. The flower is typical of a grass…not showy, and not at all what one thinks of when they think of flowers. These flowers, or “milky oat tops” are best harvested when mature, but before the seed inside has formed. You can identify this stage by the white milky fluid that exudes from the flower when pressed. At this stage, you may harvest the whole plant, and make fresh tea, tinctures, and green oat “milk” (see below) from the flowers, while drying the stalks (the “oat straw”) for later use in tea, etc.
Milky oats are wonderful for regenerating the nervous system, helping to calm and nourish an exhausted, depleted person. Oats are full of minerals, trace minerals, and vitamins and have a pleasant flavor. They are gentle and can be used on a regular basis.
Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)
This herb begins to appear on trailsides this time of year, often in places where there is some moisture. This is another nutritious herb of the Spring, loaded with vitamins, minerals, and iron, and is also known to build and purify the blood. Other properties that are helpful for the Springtime include its gentle diuretic properties, which aid in gentle cleansing, and its blocking of the histamine response, which can help mellow seasonal allergies.
How to use this prickly plant? The “stingers” are stiff little hairs which inject an irritating substance into the skin and cause pain and itching. With cooking, these hairs are softened and no longer sting, So, you can eat nettle in soups, sauces, even nettle spanakopita. To make nettle tea, pour hot water over fresh or dry nettle and allow it to sit for about 15 minutes before straining and drinking. Also try it in the Mineral-Rich Vinegar recipe below.
Spring “Weed” Recipes
Spring “Weed” Pesto
2 cups wild spring herbs (chickweed, cleavers, dandelion, miner’s lettuce, plantain)
1 cup parsley
1/2 cup rosemary and oregano (optional)
1 large garlic clove
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds, toasted and cooled
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste
Blend all herbs, garlic, and lemon juice in a food processor. Add olive oil, salt, and seeds and blend well, scraping sides as needed. Adjust salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste.
Mineral-Rich Vinegar
1/2 cup chopped fresh or 4 Tbs. dry nettle leaf
1/2 cup chopped fresh or 4 Tbs. dry dandelion leaf
4 Tbs. fresh chopped parsley leaf
2 Tbs. chopped fresh or 2 tsp. dry chives
1-2 garlic cloves, chopped
Place all ingredients in a pint jar. Cover with apple cider vinegar and mix well. Place parchment paper under lid to avoid corrosion if using a metal lid. Close tightly and let rest out of direct light for 2 weeks to a month. Shake occasionally. Strain and take by the spoonful, in water, or as the vinegar component of a salad dressing.
Green Oat “Milk”
Fill your blender with a handful or 2 of fresh milky oat tops. Press down to pack them into the blender, and pour water to cover the oats by about 2 inches. Add a date or 2, or some honey or maple syrup if you’d like a little sweetness. Blend for about a minute, and then strain very well*. Enjoy alone or as the liquid for a tea.
*It is crucial to strain thoroughly because there are stiff bristles (called “awns”) on the tips of the oat flower that can get stuck in your throat!
Learn More!
Excited about the renewal of Spring and want to learn more about wild and cultivated medicinal plants? I have several classes and events scheduled that highlight these seasonal opportunities for harvesting and utilizing the plants of the season. Check out my Coast Herb Walk and my Herbal First Aid class in April, my Homegrown Herbalism course in May, and my Herbal CSA that allows you to follow me though my harvesting season, and receive monthly herbal products.