AMARANTH

Where Found
Youll find this ubiquitous friend in dry fields, cultivated fields, foothills, vacant lots, orchards, front lawns, vegetable gardens, and even sidewalk cracks.

Size
Amaranth is an annual herb reaching one foot to three feet tall.

Stalks
The root and lower part of the stalk is red.

Leaves
The underside of the young, lower leaves is purple. The oval-shaped leaves are alternately arranged on the stems, are pinnately (feathered) veined, have wavy margins, and are glossy green.

Flowers
The small, green, inconspicuous flowers are in bristly dense spikes. When dead, they give the plant an unkempt, weedy appearance. Numerous small black seeds develop after the flower matures.

Edible Properties
The leaves and tender stems can be eaten raw in salads (the flavor is pleasant and mild) or lightly cooked. The seeds can also be used for food. Gather them when the plant is fully mature. The whole seeds can be added to bread

products or ground and used as flower. The leaves are best gathered in the spring. The seeds are harvested in late summer and autumn.

Medicinal Uses
Many nutritionists and herbalists recognize this plant for its value as a nutritional supplement and nutritive tonic. The leaves are recognized as an astringent.

BURDOCK

Where Found
These plants are common weeds of disturbed ground, often abundant in old fields, barnyards, roadsides, along footpaths, railroad tracks, in vacant urban lots, gardens, yards, fencerows, and other such places.

Shape and Size

The first-year plant produces a rosette of rhubarb-type leaves, in ideal soil the second-year plant produces a stalk from six to nine feet tall.

Leaves
The leaves are velvety smooth when young, becoming coarse with maturity. They are heart-shaped and resemble rhubarb. The leaves are conspicuously veined. The first-year leaves are large and up to two feet in length. In the second year, the plant sends up a flower stalk with similar, but smaller leaves.

Flowers
The purple to white flowers, compressed in burlike heads, bloom in July and August. In late summer and early fall, they dry and their tiny fruits become hitchhiker burs that stick to animals and clothing

Root
Burdocks pithy root looks like an elongated carrot, except that it is white inside with a brownish-gray skin that is peeled away (or keep on) just before cleaning and eating.

Edible Properties
The first-year roots are edible. They are usually cut diagonally then simmered in water (just enough to cover bottom of pan) until tender, and can be cooked with other vegetables. Leaves can be eaten once boiled; in some cases, two boilings are necessary, depending on your taste. Peeled leaf stems can be eaten raw or cooked.

Medicinal Uses
The roots are a great blood purifier, good for kidney diseases, skin disorders, rheumatism, and boils. The roots contain a high insulin content. In an emergency the burs can be used to help keep wounds closed to promote healing, while the leaves (lightly crushed) laid over the wound promote healing and eliminate airborne particles

CHICKWEED

Where Found
Moist meadows, ravines, gardens, and disturbed areas. It prefers secluded areas that are shady and moist. There are look-alikes but the distinguishing factor is chickweeds one-sided stem hair characteristic.

Size
It appears as bright green patches with the weak steam barely able to support the plant more than six inches or so off the ground

Stems
Has a stem up to a foot in length. With close observation, you can see a single line of tiny, fine white hairs that runs along one side of the main stem.

Flowers
The tiny flowers are white and have five petals. The flowers occur singly in the axils of the upper leaves.

Edible Properties
The entire visible plant is edible raw. Chickweed can also be lightly cooked and prepared like spinach. A simple oil and vinegar dressing with a bit of avocado creates a wonderful chickweed salad. Especially sweet when it grows in shade.

Medicinal Uses
Chickweed has a long standing reputation as a safe and reliable emollient, demulcent, and diuretic medicine. Chickweed is one of the best bronchial decongestants. It helps reduce inflammation of the lungs, bronchials, bowels, and stomach. Which makes it a good choice for ones looking to loose weight.

CHICORY

Where Found
Common to roadsides, fields, pastures, waste areas, gardens, vacant lots, front yards, and other disturbed areas. Prefers full sun.

Size
The plant grows from one foot to six feet tall, is highly branched, and the main stalk is usually erect.

Stalk
The stalk, which is covered with minute, stiff white hairs, exudes a milky white sap when cut.

Leaves
The leaves are covered with small coarse hairs. The leaves that cluster around the base are shaped like dandelion leaves. The upper leaves are smaller and they clasp the stem.

Flowers
The heads of chicorys brilliant sky-blue flowers blossom from June to October. The heads are clustered in the upper axils of the plant.

Root
Chicory has a deep, fleshy, dandelion-like taproot, which is generally thick and forked.

Edible Properties
The leaves are good in salad when young, or steamed. Older leaves become
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Bitter and may need up to two boilings. The roots can be boiled, steamed, cooked in stews, or roasted. The flowers may be used as a garnish.

Medicinal Uses
It has diuretic, laxative, and mild liver-stimulant qualities, and is sometimes used to treat water retention and rheumatoid conditions.

DANDELION

.Where Found
Dandelion can be found on virtually any lawn, field, or similar area that has fairly consistent moisture.

Size
A ground-hugging basal rosette of leaves often reaching up to nine inches in diameter.

Stalk
A single, succulent stalk emerges from the center of the rosette and rapidly grows three to nine inches. The flower stalks exude a milky juice when cut.

Leaves
Dandelion translates to lions tooth. This refers to the configuration of the jagged-edged leaves, which are pinnately divided into sharp lobes. The leaves exude a milky juice when cut.

Flowers
When the stalk has reached its full length, a bullet-shaped bud forms at the top, which burst into a globe of yellow flowers. After a week or so these flowers change into a light-gray ball of fuzzy seeds.

Root
The brown taproot resembles a small, knotty carrot, generally from three to five inches in length.

Edible Properties
The young-to-early mature leaves are edible raw in salads or sandwiches. The older leaves become increasingly bitter and need to be cooked and prepared in much the same way one handles greens. The crown (the oneinch section between the lower leaves and the upper root section) can be eaten as a separate hot vegetable or added to mixed vegetable dishes. It should be steamed or boiled if too bitter. The cleaned roots can also be cooked (steamed or boiled if older and bitter) and eaten (something like parsnips). The flowers can also be eaten.

Medicinal Uses
A cure for liver diseases, a tonic, a way to dissolve kidney stones, a skin Cleanser, a high blood pressure preventive measure, help with bowl
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functioning, a prevention or cure for anemia, and help controlling diabetes. A poor mans ginseng. The leaves eaten fresh purge the uric acid from the blood. The fresh leaves are used by herbalist for skin diseases, diabetes, pancreas and spleen problems, and fever. The root is a tonic, mild laxative, and diuretic.

LAMBS QUARTER

Where Found
It can be found in most vacant lots, parks, hills, and in virtually everyones garden

Stems
Characteristic vertical red markings are often observed on the plants mature main stem.

Leaves
The alternate roughly toothed leaves are either ovoid or somewhat triangular in shape about two to four inches long. The whole plant (and the leaf undersides in particular) is covered with a white meal-like powder, which gives the plant a sparkly appearance and causes raindrops to bead up on leaves.

Flowers
The tiny, light-green, inconspicuous flowers are clustered at the top of the plant in spikes. As the flowers mature, numerous small black seeds develop.

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Edible Properties
The leaves and tender tips can be briefly steamed or cooked with onions or garlic and lightly seasoned. May be added raw to salads. The seed clusters of late summer can be ground, winnowed, and added to pancakes and breads, or used alone, replacing flour in baked products. It is best gathered from midwinter to summer when the leaves are young and large, the smaller leaves that appear as the plant goes to seed can also be used.

Medicinal Uses
The leaves are used to prevent scurvy and to treat stomachaches. A Very nutritious plant.

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