Thread: Eat the Weed!
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Bjørn Steensrud Bjørn Steensrud is offline
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Default Eat the Weed!

Billy wrote:

> In article >,
> Bj�rn Steensrud > wrote:
>
>> Billy wrote:
>>
>> > In article >,
>> > bigwheel > wrote:
>> >
>> >> Todd;1839892 Wrote:
>> >> > Hi All,
>> >> >
>> >> > My favorite weed: Purslane.
>> >> >
>> >> > Great for us.
>> >> > Cooked: 1 cup, 4 grams carb
>> >> > Raw (my favorite): 1 cup, 1 gram carb
>> >> >
>> >> > According to tis proponents, it is the single most
>> >> > nutritious plant on the face of this earth. More
>> >> > Omega 3 that even fish oil.
>> >> >
>> >> > 'Purslane Recipes from Prairieland Community Supported Agriculture,
>> >> > Prairieland CSA, PCSA, Champaign, Illinois'
>> >> > (http://www.prairielandcsa.org/recipes/purslane.html)
>> >> >
>> >> > Mark Sisson (Mark's Daily Blog) has a nice write
>> >> > up and picture too:
>> >> >
>> >> > 'Why Does the FDA Call This Omega-3-Rich Green a Weed? | Mark's
>> >> > Daily Apple' (http://www.marksdailyapple.com/purslane/)
>> >> >
>> >> > The stuff grows in my rocks all around my house.
>> >> > I don't water it. I step on it. No TLC whatsoever.
>> >> >
>> >> > Love to eat it raw. In salads, on burgers, just
>> >> > by itself. Tastes a little bit like watercress.
>> >> > And, I always feel better when I eat this weed.
>> >> > My Wife's eyes sparkle when I pick and wash her
>> >> > up a hand full. It doesn't last more than a few
>> >> > minutes in the house.
>> >> >
>> >> > Okay, for those of you who haven't gone through
>> >> > an Economic Botany course in college, a weed it not
>> >> > what you think it is:
>> >> >
>> >> > 1) It must be a previous agricultural "discard"
>> >> > (Dandelions, plantain are other good examples).
>> >> >
>> >> > 2) its seeds must be very small or mimic those
>> >> > of other seeds. (Purslane's are really small.)
>> >> >
>> >> > 3) it must grow on "disturbed" soil, like were I
>> >> > walk. (Ever notice that Dandelions grow in cow
>> >> > pastures but not on wild land?)
>> >> >
>> >> > So, EAT THE WEED! (I will control myself, eventually.)
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > One person's weed, is another persons delicacy!
>> >>
>> >> Wow never even heard of that stuff. Swear hanging out on here is a
>> >> little going to night school at college. Sorry to hear about the weed
>> >> definition. Im thinking of one which aint never been an aggie
>> >> discard..got nice sized seeds and dont like having its soil messed
>> >> with too much. Somebody will need to rename Wacky Weed..hmmm
>> >
>> > "A weed is but an unloved flower."
>> > - Ella Wilcox
>> >
>> > "What is a weed? A weed is a plant whose virtues have not yet been
>> > discovered."
>> > - Ralph Waldo Emerson

>>
>> A grandchild invited herself and her sister to grandma's nettle soup. A
>> little late in the season, but grandpa went out to pick the raw
>> materials, grandma made spinach soup with stinging nettle instead of
>> spinach, with delicious result. Also with more vitamins and other good
>> stuff. Try it next spring - pick the tips before they sprout flowers!
>> Nettle was also used as a source of textile fiber - in the fall, so don't
>> wait too long to try.

>
> Late in the season?! My god, did they have to do a tonguectomy? I
> thought that once nettles became painful, all you could do was make tea
> with them. It's not that bad. Stinging Nettle is also supposed to be
> very good as a companion plant for bringing out the flavors of culinary
> herbs.


:-)
Thanks for the tea tip!

To prepare for soup, just dip in boiling water until soft - a few seconds -
then chop, or run in blender, also a few seconds. Then proceed as with
spinach. "Late in the season" means that the lower part of the stems are
developing fibers, similar to linen fibers. Cloth is made from nettles in
much the same way as linen, but much softer,
closer to cotton in feel. Has probably been used that way for about 4000
years ...