Homestead Ecology

Mushroom Warning!

Edible Mushrooms

Consider the common dandelion. Despised as an invasive weed in lawns and fields throughout America, it was originally brought here by Italian immigrants, who cooked its leaves for greens, or as a potherb, and made wine from the flowers. Why so many homeowners poison their lawns with herbicides to eradicate this beautiful, nutritious edible plant is almost beyond comprehension!

Burdock, that pesky plant with brown, fuzzy balls that stick to your clothes like velcro, is a "weed" that pops up in waste places everywhere. It is also a prized edible. The first year roots, known by the Japanese as "gobo" are extremely nutritious, and the second year seed stalk when about one foot tall and still fleshy, can be peeled and eaten raw like celery, or boiled, then simmered with onions and butter to taste like summer squash.

Sour clover, also known as Oxalis, growing with Plantain. Both make good additions to salads when young and Plantain can be boiled as greens. The seed spike that grows from the center of plantain is the source of Psyllium sold as a fiber supplement.

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