HERB CORNER Urban Foraging For Beginners - It’s Easier Than You Think! BY CANDISE JORDAN
Like lemons, wood sorrel is also packed with vitamin C and was historically used to treat scurvy. It is full of immune-supporting an- tioxidants, helps to lower fevers, soothes digestive upset, and reduces inflammation of the gums. This lemony punch comes from its high oxalic acid content, so those with kidney problems or gout should limit consumption. Wood sorrel is commonly mistaken for clovers due to its trifoliate leaves and similar growth pattern. Two key differences to help you distinguish between the two are that wood sorrel’s leaves are heart shaped unlike clovers, which are oval or round. Wood sorrel also has a five-petaled yellow flower unlike the white or pink composite flower of clovers.
Here in the DMV, you are surrounded by food as soon as you step out of the door. Whether it’s an edible weed growing in your yard, or edible flowers hanging from the trees, we have plenty of food outside. Unfortunately, most people don’t know about these wild foods; and for the many who do know, there’s concern they’re not safe to eat. Community Food Forests are a great place to begin your foraging journey. The soil is tested, and many of the plants are labeled, which helps you learn identification and the ones they want you to harvest there. DC’s Urban Forestry Department (https://trees.dc.gov/) in partnership with Forested LLC (www.forested.us) have created sev - eral publicly accessible food forests around the city including Langley and Lederer Food Forests both in Northeast, DC. Many also offer free tours. Tours, foraging classes and plant walks with local experts pro- vide hands on learning you can’t get from books and videos. Some other safe spaces to forage are community gardens and urban farms. If you volunteer to help them “weed,” you can take those tasty edible weeds home to eat. Here are three tasty beginner friendly weeds you can find right now that are packed with nutrition and are surprisingly delicious.
Purslane ( Portulaca oleracea ) Purslane can be found every- where from your garden bed to the sidewalk cracks. This resil- ient plant loves disturbed areas making it a common site here in the city. It is a sprawling plant with smooth succulent leaves, reddish stems and pretty yel- low flowers. It has a toxic look alike, Spurge, which grows in
Lambs quarter aka Wild Spinach ( Chenopodium album / Chenopodium berlandieri ) Lambs quarter is a member of the Amaranth Family along with its cous - in spinach. It has tender green leaves shaped like a goosefoot (which is its other nickname) and have a white coating on the back that wipes off when rubbed. The stems are stout, erect and ribbed with reddish striations. It is called “Wild Spinach” because of its similar taste profile. It can be used interchangeably in recipes, but most who have eaten it prefer the taste of Lambs Quarter hands down. The taste isn’t the only place Lambs Quarter
the same places and has a similar growth pattern; but Spurge is not succulent, and if you break the stem, there will be a milky sap letting you know that it is not purslane. Once you have positively identified Purslane, you are in for a treat! Purslane is a highly nutritious and delicious wild green full of antiox- idants, vitamins, minerals, and is one of the highest vegetable sources of omega-3 fatty acids. The leaves, stems and flowers can be eaten raw or cooked. They are refreshingly juicy when eaten raw, and mucilagi- nous when cooked making them a great thickener for soups. Its mucilaginous quality also makes it helpful for soothing burns, bites and other skin irritations similarly to aloe vera. It has antibac- terial, wound healing, diuretic, and immune strengthening properties as well. Fortunately, with good sense and a little caution you can forage an abundance safely even in urban environments. Here are a few simple tips to get you started: ● Identification matters! The first and more important rule is to never eat anything unless you are 100% sure of identi - fication. Apps such as INaturalist and PictureThis are great, but can often be incorrect. Be sure to use at least 3 sources to identify a plant/fungus before consuming. Local field guides and a knowledgeable forager are excellent options. ● Location matters! Avoid harvesting from areas with heavy dog traffic, next to busy roads, railroad tracks, and manicured areas where it’s certain that pesticides have been sprayed. ● Always wash your harvest. Contaminated dust carrying lead and other toxic elements are more common in the city; washing your food dramatically reduces your risk of intake.
dominates its popular cousin. It is also far more nutritious. In fact, it is one of the most nutrient-dense greens ever tested, beating out cabbage, broccoli, and kale to name a few other “super” greens. It is packed with protein, iron, calcium, fiber, vitamin C, vitamin A, potas - sium and other essential nutrients. Lambs Quarter seeds are also edible. An even closer relative to Lambs Quarter is Quinoa which is in the same genus Chenopodium . Lambs Quarter seeds are 1/3 the size of Quinoa, but with a little pro - cessing they can still be used as a grain or turned into a nutty flour. Wood sorrel ( Oxalis spp. )
Wood sorrel is one of the most surprisingly tasty greens you’ll ever have. It is a favorite amongst children and adults alike, often called nature’s sour patch candy. It has a bright lem- ony punch that makes it an ex- cellent raw snack, addition to salads, or as a lemon substitute in dishes; I like pairing it with fish.
34—PATHWAYS—Summer 26
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