Our First Steamed Milkweed Greens of the Year (like Spinach and Green Beans)
What "weed" feeds Monarchs, bees and you?
What is a weed? When I was living in Scotland years ago a very savvy gardener told me weeds are simply good plants growing in the wrong place. Of course the “wrong place” tends to be defined according to our goals, like food production, landscape beauty and pristine lawns.
Over time I have had to change my understanding of what’s a weed. One chore I had growing up was plucking Dandelions from our lawn (my father would not use herbicides). After marrying a wild foods forager I needed to reassess Dandelions as they are now our first steamed greens in spring, plus Lynette uses Dandelion root as one of 20 wild-crafted ingredients to make the most effective anti-cold and anti-flu remedy I know.
In the past decade I also learned to view common Milkweed differently. Lynette loves Milkweed and it is allowed to thrive in our front garden amidst perennial ornamentals like lilies, peonies, grasses, balloon flowers and shrubs. Unlike these cultivated garden plants our Milkweed is a “weed” in that it grows and reproduces aggressively, and can dominate a planted area. It has become 10-20% of our garden plants.