It’s a fact that whatever humans set about eating soon becomes depleted unless farmed.  So if your dandelions, thistles, onion weed, nettles, oxalis, fennel, lemon balm and burdock are driving you bonkers, why not go harvest them? 

Dandelion root can be made into dandelion coffee, it’s leaves put into salads and your liver will thank you.  Thistles are used as a liver tonic and nettle tea is used in detoxing your pancreas so it can do its job better.  Nettle in particular is a very high source of vitamin C and put into water, even better when left in a tub of urine, it has been found to help form one of the most potent forms of liquid fertiser!  Onion weed is used just like spring onions so why are you buying any if your garden is full of onion weed.  Oxalis is used as salad and burdock is used as a drink flavoring.  Fennel is a stomach tonic and good for getting the bowels going.   Can’t sleep?  That lemony mint in your garden is probably lemon balm… a muscle relaxant used to treat insomnia.

Not all your weeds will be edible and ensure they have been growing in healthy soil and are of the edible kind.  But do go look them up online and a good herbalists book may help you.

And what you can’t eat can have other uses.  Chickens will eat most types of weeds and some types of grasses can be gathered as chicken bedding.  Many types of weeds can be composted over a long term and once completely broken down returned to enrich the soil.

Happy exploring.

Donna Williams

http://www.donnawilliams.net