Don't Cut the Lawn I Haven't made the Salad!
Step 1:
Simply get out there and take a look around and see what’s growing already. Get your eyes accustomed to seeing more than just a blanket of green. If you are not chemically treating your lawn (which we highly recommend you don’t) there is likely a plethora of edibles waiting for you just outside your door!
Step 2: Get to picking!
One of the most common plants out there to commence your journey is of course the dandelion. Both the flowers and leaves are edible and can be used in a salad and/or you may choose to add the leaves to a morning juice. Either way these are loaded full of wild nutrition and extremely easy to spot! Once you move beyond the well-known dandelion you will likely also notice that what from the window looks like just a lawn is far more. Upon further inspection you may find things like wood sorrel, violets, sheep sorrel, ox-eye daisy leaves Sunflower petals (1) Rose petals Nectar and more.
Step 3: Make a Salad!
All of the above make for great starters to a wild salad which you can choose to eat as a standalone or add in your other garden grown or organically produced vegetables and make an incredibly robust meal.
We know how busy life can be and that we are all often short on time but it only takes a little effort to step out the door into your own yard and see what nature is providing for you already. You may just find some other helpful remedy plants while you are looking around. Some common and abundant plants that come to mind here in the Northeast are
Plaintain A great poultice can be made with this very common plant for bug bites.
Comfrey: Once this takes root you will find it everywhere. An oil infusion of this plant has been used traditionally massaged into the skin as a treatment for sciatica. This is one of its many uses.
St John’s Wort: The lovely yellow flowers of this plant are well known for their anti-depressant properties and a tincture of them will also work well on bee stings and the like. The aerial parts can be made into an oil infusion that has been used for things like stings, bruises and muscle pain. Be aware that St John’s Wort has been documented to cause sun sensitivity so as with any plant it is always imperative that you do your research first.
Guidelines and Tips for successful Yard Foraging:
Grab a plant identification book that is suitable for your geographic location.
Plan a day trip with a knowledgeable forager in your area.
Try to avoid foraging and harvesting roadside as to eliminate concerns about contamination of plants via the exhausts etc. of passing cars.
Get outside and start taking notice that not everything that is green is grass!
Look in areas along the edge of your property line and under trees where the soil is nice and fertile and perhaps a bit less groomed.
Be certain not to forage in a yard treated with chemicals of any kind.
Grow don’t mow: leave a few wild patches in your lawn to see what happens or leave areas where you know you will have, say, a great patch of dandelions to last the whole season.
Don’t take the roots unless you are harvesting specifically for a root like Burdock or Dandelion and practice mindfulness so the plants continue to flourish year after year.
Involve your family and learn together.
Some great books to get you started:
Ancestral Plants by Arthur Haines
Have fun and enjoy the bounty of your harvest!
Tags:
Forager
Foraging
yard
mowing
lawn
outdoors
dandelions
to
table
Simply get out there and take a look around and see what’s growing already. Get your eyes accustomed to seeing more than just a blanket of green. If you are not chemically treating your lawn (which we highly recommend you don’t) there is likely a plethora of edibles waiting for you just outside your door!
Step 2: Get to picking!
One of the most common plants out there to commence your journey is of course the dandelion. Both the flowers and leaves are edible and can be used in a salad and/or you may choose to add the leaves to a morning juice. Either way these are loaded full of wild nutrition and extremely easy to spot! Once you move beyond the well-known dandelion you will likely also notice that what from the window looks like just a lawn is far more. Upon further inspection you may find things like wood sorrel, violets, sheep sorrel, ox-eye daisy leaves Sunflower petals (1) Rose petals Nectar and more.
Step 3: Make a Salad!
All of the above make for great starters to a wild salad which you can choose to eat as a standalone or add in your other garden grown or organically produced vegetables and make an incredibly robust meal.
We know how busy life can be and that we are all often short on time but it only takes a little effort to step out the door into your own yard and see what nature is providing for you already. You may just find some other helpful remedy plants while you are looking around. Some common and abundant plants that come to mind here in the Northeast are
Plaintain A great poultice can be made with this very common plant for bug bites.
Comfrey: Once this takes root you will find it everywhere. An oil infusion of this plant has been used traditionally massaged into the skin as a treatment for sciatica. This is one of its many uses.
St John’s Wort: The lovely yellow flowers of this plant are well known for their anti-depressant properties and a tincture of them will also work well on bee stings and the like. The aerial parts can be made into an oil infusion that has been used for things like stings, bruises and muscle pain. Be aware that St John’s Wort has been documented to cause sun sensitivity so as with any plant it is always imperative that you do your research first.
Guidelines and Tips for successful Yard Foraging:
Grab a plant identification book that is suitable for your geographic location.
Plan a day trip with a knowledgeable forager in your area.
Try to avoid foraging and harvesting roadside as to eliminate concerns about contamination of plants via the exhausts etc. of passing cars.
Get outside and start taking notice that not everything that is green is grass!
Look in areas along the edge of your property line and under trees where the soil is nice and fertile and perhaps a bit less groomed.
Be certain not to forage in a yard treated with chemicals of any kind.
Grow don’t mow: leave a few wild patches in your lawn to see what happens or leave areas where you know you will have, say, a great patch of dandelions to last the whole season.
Don’t take the roots unless you are harvesting specifically for a root like Burdock or Dandelion and practice mindfulness so the plants continue to flourish year after year.
Involve your family and learn together.
Some great books to get you started:
Ancestral Plants by Arthur Haines
Have fun and enjoy the bounty of your harvest!
Tags:
Forager
Foraging
yard
mowing
lawn
outdoors
dandelions
to
table
