Many call them weeds, while we call them wild herbs: goutweed & co. You can put these to good use. We have some tips for you.
Most gardeners destroy all weeds in their garden areas, although many varieties can still be used in the kitchen and sometimes even with powerful healing properties. One reason why some of these weed plants are even referred to as wild herbs, wild vegetables or medicinal herbs in professional circles. In principle, almost everything can still be used sensibly today. Even green waste can be used sensibly.
The usable and sometimes even edible weed plants in our gardens and along the wayside include the young stinging nettle, dandelion, plantain, sorrel, daisy, shepherd’s purse, chickweed, buckhorn and the goutweed Many of the plants listed also contain a very high vitamin content and numerous minerals, which is why we would like to give you a better understanding of the care and harvest as well as the usability of these varieties.
Cultivation and care of wild herbs
➥ Cultivation of wild herbs:
In many wildflower meadows, most of the plants just mentioned grow almost by themselves. That's why you usually don't have to plant all of these wild herbs in the first place. However, if you are missing a very special plant in your wildflower meadow, you can track it down in the wild in late summer and/or autumn, harvest its seeds and then plant them in your own meadow. You can start harvesting these varieties the following year.
➥ Caring for wild herbs:
You should take care of your meadow by not mowing it for a long period of time so that the wild herbs can develop their full bloom. Fertilizing the meadow is usually not necessary either, which makes harvesting the plants even more valuable!
How to use nettle, goutweed & Co.
Stinging nettle:
Young nettles have an extremely high vitamin C content, but also vitamin B, iron, calcium and many other minerals, which is whythis wild plant is also used as a medicinal plant, for example for inflammation of the joints.
On the other hand, fresh nettle spinach or home-made nettle cheese tastes delicious.
» Reading tip: 5 delicious nettle recipes presented.
You can also use stinging nettles as an ideal organic fertilizer for all garden plants by making a stinging nettle broth or nettle manure that you water your plants with.
Dandelions:
The particularly iron-rich dandelion has numerous vitamins, minerals and trace elements. In folk medicine, it is considered to stimulate the appetite and promote digestion. A special 4- to 6-week dandelion cure also stimulates the entire human metabolism.
In the kitchen, dandelion is often used in salads (young leaves), processed as dandelion syrup or jelly, in quark dishes and as an aromatic refinement of pasta dough, for example.
Plantain:
You can quickly treat an insect bite with a crushed plantain leaf. Furthermore, the dried leaves are suitable as a marjoram-like spice and they can also be used to make herbal teas.
Fresh leaves and buds also refine every salad. Just try it out and convince yourself of the great taste.
Sorrel:
In our neighboring countries France and Belgium, the creamy sorrel soup is quite popular, while the iron-rich sorrel is increasingly processed in the form of spinach. However, you can also add its young leaves to various salads. However, the sorrel can also give an omelette a very special touch when cut into small pieces.
Daisies:
The still half-open flowers of the daisy are extremely decorative in any fresh salad and have a delicious, nut-like taste. However, it is important that you only pluck off half-open flowers, because the fully open flowers could cause a slightly bitter taste in the salad.
Shepherd's Purse:
The shepherd's purse grows thin and inconspicuous along roadsides and is therefore often hardly noticed. It is also one of the plants rich in vitamin C and is therefore often used to prepare herbal teas. You can use it fresh or driedCondition brew with hot water. Simply chop the dried shepherd's purse.
White-flowered Chickweed:
Chickweed has an extremely high vitamin C content, which is why you should only eat it in small amounts in salads. However, if you brew it as a tea, you can use the white flowering chickweed to prevent colds. In both cases, always pluck off the chickweed in portions.
Plantain:
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Ribwort plantain is one of the herb plants and is therefore usually harvested as a whole plant, dried and cut into small pieces so that it can then be enjoyed as a healing tea all year round. It helps a lot with stubborn colds with mucus formation.If, on the other hand, you process the fresh plantain with sugar and honey into syrup, you can also preserve it all year round. In this form, plantain is also recommended for external use, for example for rubbing in insect bites and for mild neurodermatitis.
Goutweed:
Ground elder, which is also very rich in vitamin C, can be used in salads (use the young leaves), as a soup spice and as a vegetable (similar to spinach but cook without the stalks), whereby its taste is reminiscent of a mixture of conventional spinach and parsley.
Goutweed also contains potassium, iron and carotene, which can have a positive detoxifying effect on the human body.