Edible wild greens

[Geoff Dann]

I'd be interested in seeing people's personal rankings for different sorts of edible greens they have tried. Here are mine, on a scale of 1-5. I've only included those that rank at least a 3.

5:

Marsh samphire
Alexanders
Fat Hen
Ramsons
Wild Fennel
Sea Kale
Sorrel
Wood Sorrel
Lamb's Lettuce

4:

Hogweed
Sea purslane
Chickweed
Spear-leaved orache
Wild cabbage
Stinging Nettle
Japanese knotweed

3:

Salad burnet
Mallow
Greater plantain
Ribwort plantain
Ground elder
Ivy-leaved toadflax
Cleavers

What deserves to be included on this list? Or do you disagree with the rankings I've given them?

 

[shaggystu]

what are you ranking things on? just taste?

 

[santaman2000]

The only one I've ever tried is Poke salad

 

[Geoff Dann]

what are you ranking things on? just taste?

How desirable they are as a food in terms of taste, texture, etc... I'm not interested in how common they are, how easy to find and identify or what their nutrient content is.

 

[Geoff Dann]

The only one I've ever tried is Poke salad

That's not much use to me given that there are no Phytolacca species native to Europe...

 

[Hairy Steve]

I'd add the edible seaweeds - proper crispy seaweed or fresh greens sushi are both excellent. and I'd have nettles in the 5 star list

 

[Iona]

I'd have vetch in as a 5, and hops shoots and sea beet... and ground elder and hogweed shoots as 4s... Hawthorn leaves are a 3 for me... Off the top of my head without giving it much thought, no doubt some that I've missed will pop up later!

 

[santaman2000]

That's not much use to me given that there are no Phytolacca species native to Europe...

LOL. 4 out of 7 continents ain't bad though.

 

[Geoff Dann]

I'd add the edible seaweeds - proper crispy seaweed or fresh greens sushi are both excellent. and I'd have nettles in the 5 star list

Yeah, I wasn't sure whether or not to include seaweeds, because they are so different to normal plants. I haven't experimented much with nettles...I'll have to give them another shot.

 

[Geoff Dann]

I'd have vetch in as a 5,

Seeds, I presume?

and hops shoots

Is it too late in the year for those?

and sea beet...

Oh yes, forgot that one. Loads of it around, too...

 

[The Big Lebowski]

Well... The things I like (and eat) the most due to out and out flavor are~

Sea beet-4
Hogweed-4
Sea asters-5
Frosted orache-4
Pennyworts-3
Spoon leaf scurvy grass-3
Young ground elder (now well developed here)- 5
Three corner garlic-5
Ramson stems-4
Fennel (flavoring)-5
Wild carrot (flavoring)-4
Wild onion-4
Sheep sorrel-4

There's other stuff I'll eat from time to time but it would make a very large list. Above are personal faves.
I eat hogweed and sea spinach pretty much every weekend. I had both today

 

[Harvestman]

Tender young beech leaves - 5 (6 if in alcohol!)
Lime leaves - 4
Wild thyme - 4
Water mint - 3

 

[Iona]

Seeds, I presume?



Is it too late in the year for those?


Vetch shoots and flowers, pretty in a salad or on a cake and delightfully pea tasting, and hops shoots still about around here...

 

[mrcharly]

Ground elder - picked from a garden that was completely overrun with it.

erm, what's the name of that one that smells like garlic and tastes like a mix of mild garlic and mustard?

 

[Geoff Dann]

Ground elder - picked from a garden that was completely overrun with it.

erm, what's the name of that one that smells like garlic and tastes like a mix of mild garlic and mustard?

Garlic mustard?