By Mark Czarnota
University of
Georgia

Many of the weeds gardeners despise can provide interesting
dining. Some are very common in Georgia gardens and
landscapes.

One common fall weed is wild
garlic (Allium vineale). This plant begins to come
alive when things start cooling off. During the fall, many people
see it emerging in their lawns and gardens.

Wild garlic has been used much the same as the domesticated
garlic. Minced cloves flavor meats and soups, and the greens and
flower heads (before they open) are eaten fresh.

Be careful not to confuse this with the poisonous
star-of-Bethlehem. If it doesn’t smell of garlic or onion, don’t
eat it.

One of the world’s worst weeds, yellow
nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus), can give us a food
considered a delicacy in the Middle East. The species name,
esculentus, actually means eatable.

Also known as chufa, yellow nutsedge (or nut grass) produces
tubers that can be eaten fresh or roasted. Roasted tubers can be
ground and soaked in hot water, too, to make a coffee-like drink
known as horchata.

Game birds find this plant a delicacy, too. Many people are
beginning to plant chufa on game reserves as a source of food for
wildlife.

Kudzu (Pueraria lobata) is
almost entirely edible.

The leaves are a preferred forage by grazing wildlife. We can
enjoy them, too, battered and fried. Young leaves and shoots can
be eaten raw, boiled, fried, sauteed or pickled.

Kudzu flowers are good boiled or pickled. They produce a
wonderful nectar, too, that bees turn into a delectable honey.

Probably the most-used parts of the plant are the large tubers.
These can be eaten steamed or boiled but are probably most used
for their starch.

Ground, fresh tubers release a flour when boiled, and this flour
(starch) is harvested from the liquid and dried. This kudzu flour
can then be used in many aspects of cooking. May the vine taking
over the South be turned into a marketable crop?

The well-known dandelion
(Taraxacum officinale) can provide many dining delights.
All parts of the plant can be eaten, although some might not be
so palatable. The taproots can be boiled or pickled, and some
consider them the plant’s best part.

The leaves are eaten fresh, but some can be very bitter if not
doctored up with salad dressing. Young tender leaves, however,
may not be so bitter if harvested from unstressed plants.

The flowers can be used to make a delicious wine, a process my
great-grandfather lovingly performed.

Common blue violet (Viola
papilionacea), if you don’t want it, can be very hard to
control in the landscape. However, like most other violets, many
parts of the plant are edible.

You can eat the flowers fresh in salads and use them to flavor
jellies and vinegars. I’ve been to parties where the flowers have
been frozen in ice cubes.

The foliage can be cooked and served like spinach. It’s reported
to contain high amounts of salicylic acid (aspirin) and
beta-carotene (vitamin B).

The list of edible weeds goes on and on. But be forewarned: many
people have food allergies and should avoid certain plants. For
example, if you’re allergic to onions, you wouldn’t want to eat
wild garlic.

If you’re sensitive to many allergens, you probably don’t want to
sample wild vegetation at all. Plants produce many secondary
products that can cause somebody, somewhere, to have a fatal
allergic reaction.

If you decide to sample edible weeds, try small samples to test
your reactions. Sample at your own risk!

If you’re interested in edible plants, many books are available
on the topic. Here are a few:

• Handbook of Edible Weeds, by J. A. Duke.
• Field Guide to Edible Plants, by B. Angier.
• Cornucopia – A Source Book of Edible Plants, by S.
  Facciola.

• Eat the Weeds, by B. C. Harris.