Lamb's Quarters

I recently decided I wanted to get into foraging. Call me a hippie if you want, for me it is partially because I know that some of the weeds in my yard are better for me than whats in the fridge, but I also love the idea of being able to fend for myself if I ever had to (hello, my dream desert island companion is Bear Grylls). Anyway, great idea, but you can get really sick (even die!) if you don't know what you're doing. So far, I've only eaten a few things out of the yard that I didn't plant. Lamb's quarters were one of the first, and are probably one of the best weeds for you.

This is a baby lamb's quarter, looks pretty much the same as the more mature plant below, with a smoother leaf. But you can eat this whole.










I would try to avoid eating any of the half-eaten or discolored leaves.

This is a more mature plant. Be more on the lookout for bugs on the larger leaves. Pinch or use shears to snip off the leaves, and either eat raw or use in place of spinach. When the plant gets even bigger, you can find black seeds inside the stem. These can be eaten as well. Cook them like quinoa.





Lamb's quarters are a lot like spinach, both in flavor and in nutrients, but way better for you. We tested and found that they are actually heavier than water. Really! They are full of water and tons of nutrients. The leaves are rich in vitamins A, B, C, K, iron, calcium and potassium (great for any other non-meat eaters!) The seeds are high in protein, calcium, phosphorus and potassium.

Like spinach, you can eat them raw, but the larger they get, the better they taste cooked. It may be hard to find a lot in the yard, I try to let them grow freely in the garden if they aren't in the way of the plants, so, a great idea is to mix lamb's quarters into spinach you buy at the store. Or, my favorite idea? Add them to an egg white omelet. You don't need a lot for an omelet.