GMG's Friday Find: Eat Your Weeds, They're Good For You!

Everything is greening up here on the east coast, and yards and gardens are popping with, well, weeds!  Before you go mow or spray and snuff them out for good, maybe you'll consider harvesting some of those annoying, yet edible weeds for a tasty spring salad.  There are many weeds that are packed with vitamins and also taste good; however, before you pop something in your mouth check to see what you've picked is truly good for you. Wild Edibles is a great app to get you started identifying, and then munching nature's free produce.

Dandelions - These yellow yummies are sprinkling most lawns right now and they'll return with gusto in late summer.  Pick them while they're young in early spring for a nutritious treat.  With more beta-carotene than carrots, you can add the leaves and flowers to a salad or saute them lightly and add to pasta. You can even brew the roots for a coffee substitute.

 Purslane - Found almost everywhere, this weed is becoming very popular in the edible landscape community, and with good reason. Purslane has 5 times the amount of Omega-3 fatty acid than spinach has, and its stems are high in Vitamin C. This succulent weeds' stem is round and smooth and trails along the ground like a vine. It has small, oblong green juicy leaves and it's best harvested in early morning or early evening. You can use purslane raw in a salad or saute for an interesting peppery flavor -- and don't be surprised if you see it on the menu of an upscale restaurant!

Japanese Knotweed - Early spring is the best time to harvest this weed, which is sometimes confused with bamboo. Pull this weed when it's 6-8 inches tall, before it gets to woody, and steam or simmer it for a rhubarb-like flavor. And keep pulling, this weed is very invasive.

Lamb's Quarters - This weed is sometimes called wild spinach, and with good reason.  It starts emerging right after the spring spinach is on its way out.  Loaded with vitamin A, K and C, this weed can be delicious sauteed in olive oil with garlic, salt, pepper and a splash of lemon.  As with all the weeds mentioned, rinsing the leaves thoroughly is recommended.

Watercress - Spring beckons the opening of trout season in local streams, and also the emergence of watercress around these streams and riverbanks.  Demanding a high dollar at grocery stores, you can pick a bunch for free and enjoy it raw in your salad, maybe alongside that trout!

Kudzu - This crazy southern weed is referred to as the weed that ate the South covering over 7 million acres!  This means there is an over-abundant supply available to be eaten.  You can make jams and jellies but if you're a first-timer it's best to steam or boil the roots until tender.  Adding soy sauce or miso gives this weed a lovely Asian cuisine flair.  Kudzu has been used in Chinese medicine for centuries for treating allergies, colds, fevers and also as a digestive aid. Chop a cup of leaves and brew for 30 minutes for a healing tea.

Red Clover - You see this weed all over and it has been commonly known as a folk remedy for cancer, containing photoestrogen genistein. Sprinkle red clover flowers over rice or with soy sauce, adding a punch of protein along with beneficial health aids. You can eat white clover too, but it's not as flavorful.

You can find many of these weeds in your backyard or growing along sidewalks and crevices from suburbia to urban streets.  So don't be shy and grab a handful of weeds for a tasty, nutritious alternative to your salads and sauces.  Happy foraging!

~Peggy
Garden Media Group

Garden Media Reveals its 2013-14 Garden Trends Report: Finding "Bliss" by Channeling the Forces of Nature

Look around. In this day and age of smart phones, apps and texting, people have become dependent upon a “wired” lifestyle for everything from news to socializing and keeping current, but there is an easier way to be happy, according to the 2013 Garden Trends Report.

In its 12th annual Garden Trends Report, Garden Media Group spots a positive trend revealing that growing numbers of people are searching for ways to be happy. They’re re-evaluating values and priorities, re-defining “happiness”, and re-considering how gardening and caring for Mother Nature bring joy and satisfaction.

“People today want to find bliss in everyday life. Being in nature – either in a garden or park or filling your home with indoor plants - adds immeasurable happiness and wellness to our lives. Connecting with nature is a necessity, not a luxury,” says garden trendspotter Susan McCoy, president of Garden Media.

Global trends expert Li Edelkoort, agrees. When looking at the future of fashion and home décor, she explains the ‘Year of Bliss’ takes its cue from nature, finding expression in bright colors, nature inspired products and tactile experiences. She notes as a society we’re slowing down, seeking authenticity and well being, and tuning into “now”.

“A shift is happening,” explains McCoy. “People are voting with their wallets, and the brands who are winning are enhancing our lives and giving back to communities.”

Eric Liskey, Deputy Garden Editor of Better Homes and Gardens, says people are using a more modest, down-to-earth aesthetic in their landscape and gardens. “People are being more thoughtful in their purchases and are buying higher quality plants and garden products that perform and last.”

Looking Ahead. Garden Media sees 12 influences or “forces of nature” shaping choices in home, garden and landscape design: Lifestyle, Wellness, eCono, Color, Natural, Ground, Air, Aqua, Light, Inner, Micro and Shared Forces.

From re-suburbia and collaborative living to foraging in backyards with easy pickins’, people want better health and wellness, colors that brighten their lives, practical ways to reduce their “waterprint”, and the simple pleasure that growing plants for food brings.

McCoy says anyone can channel the forces of nature to find happiness in the garden. She suggests turning gardening tasks, like weeding and watering, into a Zen experience, creating a backyard retreat that offers a place of serenity and bliss, and filling the home and office with live plants. “Nature has given us the tools to find happiness in ordinary living things.”

Garden Media will flesh out these 12 trends in a thought provoking three part series in the upcoming months. For the curious, you can view the complete Garden Media trends report, at www.gardenmediagroup.com.

Lynne
Garden Media Group
Photos: APLD residential design; Joyce Williams, Journey Garden
Fall Creek Farm & Nursery; BrazelBerries: Peach Sorbet

GMG's Friday Find: Mums the Word for Healing Tea

It's that time of year when summer blooms give way to autumn's famous flower, the chrysanthemum, affectionately referred to as 'mums'.

There are many varieties of mums, some hardy, some not, but one thing they have in common is the healing benefit of the petals when steeped for tea.  Chrysanthemum tea has many medicinal uses and has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries.  This tea is used as a relaxant,  helps to relieve head congestion and strengthen the lungs.When drunk with meals, especially greasy food, it helps to aid digestion. It can help relieve certain types of headaches, dizziness and blurred vision, with recent studies suggesting it can have a beneficial effect on high blood pressure. It can help increase calcium and even reduce cholesterol. This tea has got some clout!

Now you can easily browse online for pre-packaged Chrysanthemum tea, but I'm thinking of just foraging my neighbors yard.  Pick some petals, heat some water and viola! A tea that sooths, comforts and heals. And if that's not enough, according to feng shui, this flower is believed to bring happiness and laughter to the home, so I intend to make gallons!

So don't just watch your mum bloom and fade, put it to good use.  Drink it!  Bottoms up!



~Peggy
Garden Media Group