EatTheWeeds: Episode 11: Bull Thistle I

http://www.eattheweeds.com/thistle-touch-me-not-but-add-butter-2/

Learn from Green Deane how to identify and prepare thistles, spring time greens and wild food around the world.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Foraging
• wild
• food
• edible
• plants
• Thistle
• raw
• herbs
• survival
• medicine
• bushcraft
• permaculture
• Cirsium
• wildcrafting
• garden
• green
• camping
• flower
• fishing
• gun
• gardening
• outdoors

[EatTheWeeds]

The videt Bull Thistle II is about that

[heyitsryanb]

Hey Deane. We have a few different types of thistle here in CA. One in particular looks very similar to the bull thistle, but my grandparents called it Italian thistle. We always hack it down and it seems to me that it had white sap. Am I confused on this? I would like to give it a try.

[EatTheWeeds]

@heyitsryanb If your "Italian Thistle" is Carduus pycnocephalus it is edible. All carduus are... but not all palatable

[JRNY1605]

I was curious if you boil the thistle leaves will the cellulose break down in the spikes and make them edible? (similar to stinging nettle)

[EatTheWeeds]

@JRNY1605 No... the are formidable.... I don't know if a good blender would chop them up. I doubt it.

[RonRay]

Deane, I take Milk Thistle capsules every day. Is this the very same plant that provides the active ingredient in those capsules? If so, would eating the plant be beneficial for the same reasons?

Thank you for providing not only the best quality education on edible plants that I've found anywhere, but also better entertainment than on the Discovery Channel (and that's the best channel going.).

[EatTheWeeds]

@RonRay Generally said yes. Whether your local plant or the capsules is better would be a matter of testing. That could go either way, but the ingredients should be similar.

[2962nicktucker]

Im in lawn care and kill these all the time with atrazine and basagran. I will try to eat it next one I see of course in the wild not in a lawn lol

[HappyBirthdaySANTA]

dude your are a legend............

[GiantPetRat]

I've been liking thistles more lately. I used to find them kind of useless- however, Canada Thistle in particular is a helpful survival plant, I think. Find them growing in the shade, and you can strip off the leaves and chew its stem, which is full of water and thus good for quenching thirst.

Also, thistle is good for juicing because, though kind of flavorless, it isn't bitter, and it's loaded with vitamin C.

[JRNY1605]

@EatTheWeeds Thanks for the response, and good to know!