Wild & Weedy Wednesday: Edible weeds

I'm joining Cathy of Words and Herbs for her 'Wild and Weedy Wednesday' meme again this week.  I've got three plants that are bona fide weeds in my garden, two of which are edible and one which definitely is not.

The first edible weed is mint (Mentha sp.), possibly spearmint.  It came with the garden.  I noticed it blanketing one of the raised planters in what's now my cutting garden during our pre-purchase home inspection.  As I recall, I asked the seller about it and he commented something to the effect that it'd done so well there, he'd planted more.  The first thing I did in the garden once we moved in twelve years ago was to go to work removing the mint, or trying to anyway.  I worked on it off and on for a good month.  Over the years, it popped up now and then in the bed but I haven't seen it show up there for two to three years; however, I think it must be embedded in the wood of the raised planter itself or directly underneath its base because it's continued to appear around the planter's base on one side.

The wood of the raised planter is almost completely hidden behind the mint growing up its side.  I pulled most of it up in June but it's made a comeback.  Although (if you ignore the unusual tropical storm we experienced last weekend) this is our dry season, the raised planters are well watered to support the dahlias and zinnias growing there, which of course keeps the mint growing.

The mint isn't growing just along the raised planter but also within the small succulent bed at its base and between the gravel.  Thankfully, to date it hasn't managed to crawl under the concrete brick pathway to the bed on the other side.

 

The second edible weed may be less widely known, although ornamental varieties are often found in garden centers.  It's botanical name is Portulaca oleracea, commonly known as purslane.  Other names for it are pigweed and little hogweed.  It's said to be a good source of minerals and Omega-3 fatty acids, which can protect people from cardiovascular disease and cancer, among other things.

Portulaca is an annual, popping up in the summer months.  After I pulled several Aeoniums scorched by intense sun and heat exposure, I noticed it in this spot earlier this month.  I'd already pulled out tiny plantlets spread throughout one of my raised planters but, with nothing I wanted to plant in the bare spot here at summer's height, I decided to leave it alone for the time being.

Here it is 3 weeks later

The closeup on the left suggests it's preparing to bloom.  The photo on the right shows that it's seeded itself in the gravel too.  Luckily, it's one of the easiest weeds to pull out.  I tasted it.  It has a slightly crunchy consistency.  Sources online suggest using it as you would use spinach or watercress.

 

The last plant is Helichrysum petiolare, commonly known as licorice plant because the foliage smells faintly of licorice.  It has soft felt-like grayish leaves and, like Portulaca, it's often sold in local garden centers, albeit most frequently in the form of one of its fancier cultivars.  It's classified as a weed in the San Francisco Bay area but it's not generally regarded as such by the State of California.  In my own garden, it shows up periodically in the driest areas, sometimes inconveniently wedged between succulents.  It's useful as a low, trailing groundcover in dry areas.  It shouldn't be confused with the plant used to make licorice candy.  It's considered toxic to humans and animals, although it's reportedly been used for medicinal purposes in some cultures.

The patch shown here is situated at the rear of my back border next to the dirt path used only by the gardeners, coyotes and me.  I occasionally use the foliage in flower arrangements

 

For more wild plants - and weeds - visit Cathy at Words and Herbs.

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