Weeds

Objective: Students will identify and scout for common and edible weed pests in the garden

Weed definition and impacts Weed refers to any

unwanted plant in your garden area.

There are approximately 250,000 species of plants in the world. Around 200 species are considered to be major weeds.

Impacts of weeds

1. Lowers crop yields and quality.

2. Less efficient use of land.

3. Higher cost of insect and plant disease control. e.g. Onion thrips live on ragweed and mustard and later infest onions.

What is an ideal weed? Germination requirements fulfilled in

many environments. Rapid growth from vegetative to

flowering stage. Very high seed output in favorable

environmental conditions e.g. the redroot pigweed produces 117,400 seeds/plantCommon purslane produces 52,300 seeds/plant.

What is an ideal weed?

Great longevity of seeds e.g. After 40 years, 38% of velvetleaf and 7% of lambsquarters germinated.

Adaptations for short-distance and long-distance dispersal e.g. weeds may spread through wind, water, humans or machinery and may have many special adaptations that may help them spread. Many weed seeds have hooks or spines that cling to fur or fleece of animals or to people’s clothing.

Lambsquarter Emerges after mustard

but before pigweed Harvest only the young

shoots soon after they unfold

Discard older leaves and tough stems

Boil leaves and flavor with bacon drippings

Can add washed leaves to salads

Can substitute for spinach in recipe

Burdock Cooked leaf stalks look similar to celery but better taste

Lignan compounds may have anticancer properties

Pick tender stalks in spring to early summer

Harvest one year old roots from late summer to winter

Pokeweed Use to be favorite wild

pot herb among rural peoples

Harvest tender young shoots in spring

Boil for 10 minutes then throw water out and cook w/ butter, salt, and some water for 30 minutes

Can make breaded and fried poke

Older plants, roots, fruit & seed poisonous

Amaranth and pigweed Includes numerous species

in genus Amaranthus Leaves and seeds are

edible Harvest when plant is

young= only a few inches high

Mild flavor Boil and mix with bacon fat Seed can be roasted and

ground Make pancakes, muffins,

biscuits by mixing with wheat flour

prostrate pigweed redroot pigweed

Wild mustard Many mustard species, all

are safe to eat Lower leaves are edible

while the leaves on flowerstalk are very bitter

Mustard greens must be picked early in spring

Mustard green should be boiled for 30 minutes

Season with butter and vinegar and chopped onion

Excellent source of vitamins

Jerusalem artichoke

Looks similar to wild sunflowers but lighter yellow and lack edible seed

Produces small tubers that are edible

Can peel and slice the raw tubers in a salad

Sliced raw tuber has a sweet, nutty flavor

Can peel and roast tubers or can boil and mashed

Wild sunflower Relative of the cultivated

sunflower Seeds are edible – similar

to the cultivated sunflower

Can parch the seed and grind into a flour

Can use flour in cookies, pancakes, muffins, or as a thickener for soups

Purslane Succulent plant,

common garden weed Stems, leaves, and

flower buds are edible Has mild acidic taste Has mucilaginous

characteristic, so good for thickening soup and stew

Can grind up the seed to make a flour

Milkweed Young shoots up to 6 inches can

be served like asparagus Newly opened leaves can be

served like spinach Unopened flowers buds can be

eaten like broccoli Yung pods can be cooked like

okra Have bitter, milky sap Cover with boiling water, after 1

minute drain, cover with fresh boiling water and return to heat, repeat at least 3 times more