So, if you had access to a free green that has more nutrition than Spinach, was prolific to the point of being considered by most as an irremovable garden weed, has the taste of a mild nutty version of Spinach, and produces a seed related to Quinoa, would you be interested? If so…read on and learn of Chenopodium album or, Lamb’s Quarters.
Lamb’s Quarters (or Lambsquarters) is a naturally growing edible weed that can be used in a delicious Salad, cooked as a Pot Herb, used as a vegetable for sauteing, an excellent plant for green smoothies, and a fodder plant for livestock (it is, however, toxic to horses). It is packed with nutrition. It is also called pig-weed, goose-foot, (Chenopodium means goose-foot in Latin) or wild spinach depending on where you are located. It has a mild chlorophyll flavor like our domestic greens. Lambsquarters is related to beets as well as Swiss chard.
Molly chilling at the Lambsquarter patch
It is amazingly productive and needs no real care to grow. Doing a Google search will reveal as many articles regarding how to get rid of Lambsquarters as how to benefit from it! Lambsquarters is apparently a problem for factory farms as it survives Glyphosate (the herbicide Roundup they spray on your GMO corn) in dry conditions. Lambsquarters can be discovered all over U.S. and in many different habitats from fertile farm soils to vacant lots in desert towns. It prefers disturbed soils, near humans instead of remote places. It is probable that you can locate Lambsquarters in the nearest garden. But wait, there’s more! Lambsquarters has a very long edible season. It starts to be a tender eating size around June, being a late spring arrival, and its tasty leaves are available for the rest of the growing season. The photo with our dog Molly was taken mid July and the plants have not yet gone to seed.
When harvesting, take care not to harvest it where it may absorb toxic chemicals from toxic runoff etc.
Nutritionally, Lambsquarters are hard to beat. Vitamin K anyone? Check it out (serving size is 1 Cup, chopped) :
On a juicing kick? Grab it up and stuff the whole plant in the juicer! We also love it fried up with scrambled eggs for that added special flavor and nutrient kick!
Holly chopping Lambsquarters
Our nutrient dense breakfast…
Fresh Lambsquarter smoothie!
A search of recipes provides this partial list:
Lambsquarters and tomato salad
Lambsquarters and peach smoothie
Lambsquarters and beans
Lambsquarters saute with onions and sesame seeds
Lambsquarter spread, quiche, soup, etc.
If you can find someone with a garden that will happily let you have their share of Lambsquarters, you can harvest the seed heads with a paperbag tied over the seed head and shaken. The quinoa like seeds can be used like quinoa, fed to chickens, or…scattered someplace you’d like a patch of your own. Lambsquarters is not truly perennial, but is so effective at reseeding itself it may as well be looked at that way.
Get yourself a bit of food independence. Add Lambsquarters!
Leave A Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.