As we approach “low mow March,” I’ve started thinking about all the benefits of freedom lawns. Sure, the forbs for pollinators are a great reason to go low-mow and turfgrass free, but what about benefits to homeowners? Less time spent mowing and less money spent on irrigation and chemicals are the big ones. But how about the ability to forage for food right in your own backyard? Just this week I found three kinds of weeds in my backyard to munch on. Maybe you have one of these too.
Spanish needles
Spanish needles, Bidens alba, has small white flowers that bees will swarm. The seeds are what this plant is most known for. They are long and flat with two hooks on the end that gets them dispersed all over your yard. You pick them up on your clothes and pets carry them on their fur. The plant gets its name Bidens from Bi – meaning two, and dens– meaning teeth, referring to these seeds. I keep a small patch of Spanish needles in my backyard for the bees. If you let a Bidens stay in your yard, know that it aggressively reseeds and will take over if left unchecked. You can eat both the leaves and the flowers of this plant. The flowers don’t have much taste but look pretty on top of a salad. The small, young leaves are like a slightly bitter version of parsley, and they can go right in the salad bowl. You could eat the older leaves too, but they are bitter and would be tastier if boiled first and then added to an egg scramble.
Wood sorrel
Wood sorrel, Oxalis sp., is a surprisingly tasty weed. I absolutely hated Oxalis until I tasted it. My hatred came from constant weeding trying to keep my flower beds clear of it. Sorrel has small underground tubers that keep re-sprouting unless you get it all. There are three common species you might find in less manicured lawns. The native one has yellow flowers. Then there are two species that are not native and have pinkish purple flowers. All are edible. Many people like these plants because their leaves look like shamrocks. You can still find Oxalis for sale in nurseries as an ornamental plant, especially around St. Patrick’s Day. That’s how the pink flowered ones ended up in our yards. They were sold in nurseries starting in the 1930s and escaped cultivation, due to the tubers. If you have a patch of Oxalis in your yard, go pick some leaves to wash and taste as soon as you finish reading this blog. They are quite good and taste grape flavored. This comes from oxalic acid which has a pleasantly sour taste. You can eat the flowers too.
Sword fern
The most surprising thing I foraged is the invasive sword fern. When I moved into my house, I found a large patch of sword fern in the backyard. Luckily, they are very easy to pull and I have been ridding them from my landscape. However, they too have underground root tubers that make them difficult to eliminate. I can almost always find one popping back up. Interestingly, that underground tuber is the part that can be eaten. Just pull up the entire plant and remove the tubers. Wash them off and take your finger and rub off the fine hairs that cover them. Pop one in your mouth and eat it like a grape. They are very juicy, with a slight crunch. Not bad at all! This fern is another invasive that we got after it escaped cultivation as a nursery plant. It looks almost identical to our native Boston fern, except the native one doesn’t get the root tubers. You can find sword fern growing in moist, shaded landscapes and in the boots of palm trees. However, they tend to only make tubers if they are growing in the ground. Feel free to pull up as many as you like! They are a category I invasive plant and detrimental to our native ecosystem. The more you munch, the better.
Hopefully, you will see weeds as more than just a nuisance. Even Oxalis has a redeeming quality. But, before you eat your foraged salad, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, be certain you can correctly identify the plant you are about to eat. Florida has many naturally occurring plants that can make you sick, or worse, if you eat them. Next, make sure you gather them from an area that has not been treated with any chemicals. And finally, while these weeds love to spring up in disturbed areas like roadsides, you should not pick them from there. They may have come into contact with pollutants from cars. So, if your id skills are good, go on a flavor adventure in your yard!
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