EatTheWeeds: Episode 12: Chickweed, Stellaria

[123JumpingJacks]

Sorry for my ignorance but what is a latchkey kid?

[123JumpingJacks]

HAve you spent extensive time in the woods? If so under what circumstances? Camping?

[EatTheWeeds]

@123JumpingJacks I was a latchkey kid and spent most of my time in the woods growing up.

[zholyrebel]

i have tons of this in my yard

[auggiedoggy]

When cooking chickweed do you chop up the stems and cook them also or is it just the leaves? I think I have this plant growing between the patio stones in my yard. Are small ferns edible? I noticed some small fern plants bordering the patio area as well.

[EatTheWeeds]

@auggiedoggy All of the chickweed above ground is edible. As for ferns... it depends on what fern it might be. Some are edible, many are not.

[auggiedoggy]

@EatTheWeeds : Ok, I'll leave the ferns alone. Thanks.

[ohiofarmboy77]

I just wanted to say you are putting out some GREAT videos!! I have really enjoyed watching them. Also... the birds singing on your intro drive my cats NUTS! I have to turn the volume down for that part because if they hear it they are all over my laptop!

[EatTheWeeds]

@ohiofarmboy77 Thanks... at video 101 I changed the format and dropped the bird call at the beginning.

[Teoroy]

thank you so much!!!!!

[u159411]

Your video was incredibly helpful. I really like the itemized approach. I just went to your website - very informational. Thank you for the list of foraging teachers. I have found one in my area from your website and am going to sign up for some classes! Thanks again!

[Cyborus]

Great Videos!

I just discovered chickweed and I must say...it's a new favorite.

Amazing what people call weeds!

A 1000 thankx!!!

[scotchheather]

Fabulous id checklist, thank you. How do you get down to species level? Here in CA we have several genus, Stellaria and Cerastium. Oh and one silly thing called Psuedostellaria. I can't find a key for this area, so how do I tell the diff?

[PhuqueU]

You said one plant was edable ..."but the grass isn't"  You should clarify that (some) grass is edable, (much of it in fact) i meanin the same video, yes there are people too dumb to figure it out.

[gwynedd1]

I just found some of this. It does have a nice herbal quality evident by just how it smells and is quite succulent. The hair lines and the pull test are very useful in identity and reassuring. It seems like a nice foundation green for a salad but this one has a succulent flavor than say a violet green. Very nice. Thank you again for reacquainting us with our old friends. Speaking of nettles I wish I could find wood nettles which sounds worth risking a sting.

[EatTheWeeds]

Thanks....remember, raw it does kind of taste like corn silk... as for nettles, they often find you!

[etnojardines]

very very interesting. thanks a lot for your videos

[EatTheWeeds]

Your welcome... chickweed and usnea are I think the only two edibles with a stretchy white core.

[EatTheWeeds]

The state of Florida say knotweed and stinging nettle grow in this state but I've never seen them. It is too warm for minors' lettuce though I can get some to grow in a spring garden. Dandelions are here and there but not anywhere near as common as they are in northern climes.

[arrow2589]

i eat this stuff along with miners lettuce,dandlion,japanese knotweeds,and stinging nettle

[EatTheWeeds]

With such enthusiastic comments I just might have to...thank you...

[avaleila]

You are absolutely fascinating. I am reading alot about Aboriginal Bush Tucker. So interesting. Please come to Australia and do a show about Australian indigenous herbs!!

[EatTheWeeds]

Actually we eat a lot of grasses, or at least their grain: rice, wheat, rye, corn, oats, barley, millet and sorghum. Sugar cane is a grass and bamboo. While there's only a couple of toxic grasses for humans, we just don't have the stomach to digest them, and the flavor tends to not be palatable. We can eat clover when young or boiled when older, but the flavor is not great.

[avaleila]

why cant you eat grass. Not that I have ever tried ... I was just wondering out of curiosity. Why can cows, etc eat it, yet humans can't?

[bornasiatic1]

Cows have 4 chambers within it's stomach for the difficult task of breaking down grass. In fact cows regurgitate there cud to chew it twice. Humans don't have the capability to do this.