We Are the Weed

Eating the Backyard Fantastic

by Peter Barrett and photographs by Jennifer May, June 30, 2009

In Second Nature, his 1991 book on gardening, Michael Pollan titles a chapter “Nature Abhors a Garden.” Those of us who grow food know how much labor is involved in preparing the soil and nurturing the plants we ensconce there. Much of the work comes in the form of weeding; without our regular exertions, many of our crops would be muscled out in short order by sturdier, wild species. Even if our vegetable and flower gardens are immaculately tended, we all still have areas on our property that are unkempt, where weeds encroach on the order we struggle to maintain. And if you don’t spray your lawn with chemicals (which, because you read Chronogram, you obviously do not) then it’s actually a tapestry of grass mixed with dandelion, clover, plantain, and a dozen other plants that may or may not offend your aesthetic sensibilities (notwithstanding the far greater offense of brutal toxic interventions).

But what if we changed our relationship to these interlopers? What if we learned that many of them, in addition to being highly nutritious and therapeutic, were also delicacies, often requiring little preparation and—due to their extraordinary tenacity—a minimum of care? All of a sudden the first flush of dandelions would be an announcement that tangy leaves, tender buds, and easy wine are on the menu. The stinging nettles we curse for zapping us when we’re trying to pick something else would become the first dark greens of the season, providing velvety soups and purées. The burly burdock that resists all attempts to remove it from that spot by the garage instead becomes a welcome guest, furnishing us with nutty, toothsome roots for braising—and giving our liver a major assist in detoxifying our bodies. If we know how many of these normally unwanted plants make for healthy, excellent eating, we can expand our notion of garden to all those areas that fall outside of our cultivated beds—and the world becomes, if not our oyster, then at least our salad bar.

Herbalist Susun Weed is an author, a teacher, and founder of the Wise Woman Center in Saugerties. She is a passionate expert on the medicinal and culinary uses of plants, and encourages everyone to learn about wild edibles. Beyond the pleasure involved, many of the common plants in our area are highly beneficial to our bodies, and her practice is to integrate the two aspects into a holistic approach: “Knowing how wild plants effect health is part of knowing how to cook,” she says, noting that “you don’t need a prescription to eat dinner.” In addition to making them a regular part of their diet, she and her students prepare a huge range of tinctures, decoctions, teas, and vinegars from the plants that grow on her property so that they can enjoy their benefits throughout the year.