Yes, free for the pickin'!  I am talking about eating weeds!  Did you know that 80% of what we call weeds today were actually brought over in the form of seeds on the ships with our ancestors for medicinal purposes!?

I have long known that purslane is edible, but until just the other day I was afraid to try it.  My cousin and his wife came out and we walked through the garden.  She picked a piece and popped it in her mouth, giving me the courage to do the same.  It has a slightly tart flavor and she said it's loaded with omega 3s.  Her husband, my cousin Bill, loves it on BLTs instead of the lettuce!

She also showed me lamb's quarters.  She called it pig weed, but the pig weed I know is different and I have LOTS of it, so I showed her what I call pig weed.  She didn't know if it was edible, but the lamb's quarters tastes a lot like spinach.  It's also called goose foot, because of the shape of the leaf.  It's one of the best sources of beta-carotene, calcium, potassium, and iron in the world; also a great source of trace minerals, B-complex vitamins, vitamin C, and fiber.  It's a European relative of spinach and beets.

The last one I am going to write about is pig weed.  This one is red root pig weed.  I discovered that pigweed is a common name given to any plant that was used as pig fodder.  We have LOTS of pig weed here.  You can eat the tender, young leaves or wait and harvest the seeds to use in like poppy seeds.

The thing that is amazing is the nutrition in these weeds.  I would caution you not to pick from road-sides.  Often times that is sprayed and/or very dusty if it's a dirt road.  I am told the exhaust fumes collect there too, but I would think it would have to be a very busy road.

Here's a link to an interesting site I discovered while searching for edible weeds.  He has great pics and descriptions as well as nutritional values and recipes.  http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Plants.html

Enjoy!