The Importance of Wild Edibles

Yummy...wild edibles with raw sweets! :)

Have you heard of eating the wild greens right out of your garden? Next time you go through the wild plants in your garden, don’t throw them away. Some may be just the right thing you need – and this growing "gold" in your garden and everywhere in nature is free.

In case you're wondering why I'm stressing wild greens so much, let me take you by your hand and guide you into the land of wild greens. What we usually find outside – often believed in to be just “weeds” -- are dandelion, chickweed, clover, thistle, lamb's quarters, sorrel, garlic mustard, cress, stinging needles, plantain, and grass -- just mention the most common ones. There are bushes, such as hawthorn and roses with delicious leaves and fruits. There are trees, such as the linden tree, lime or basswood with young leaves so tender and full of nutrients. Or the needle trees with their young spots. And it all grows for you! Best of all, you just have to pick and eat it! No cooking required. Plus, cooking would damage all of this goodness.

So, what else is good about these wild edibles besides they're being free (free in nature and free of charge)? Well, if you think about a normal head of lettuce compared to wild edibles, you’d have to eat a lot of lettuce in order to get the same amount of nutrients you put in your system with just one handful. On average, wild edibles have three to seven times more iron, 20 to 30 times more Vitamin C and 20 to 50 times more Vitamin A than cultivated plants. Those are rough numbers, but you get an idea! If you wanted to get enough Vitamin C, for example, you’d have to eat 600g of Boston lettuce or 1000g if it is one day old, but you could just eat 40g of garlic mustard and have enough for the day!

These wild edibles are super foods. Always remember, God made everything for us. This perfection that you find in wild edibles (not generated, created or somehow influenced by man) is the wonder of nature. All the energy in our universe is found in those strong little plants. They are magic. They are so strong that they even grow through asphalt. They come back every year, again and again, even though some get sprayed with the worst chemicals. But to the surprise of everybody…bling…their head keeps peaking out again…and again…and again…as if they wanted to remind you: I am here. I am here for you! I fight until you realize me! Pick me and eat me and you will be as strong as I am! Watch the animals. They know it, too. Even the pets do.

Studies have found that plants in contact with us even have the ability to produce what our bodies need! They can attract just the right substances through their roots and the air in order to prepare the best mix of nutrients for each personal case! Wow! Imagine that! You really have everything growing around you -- everything you need in order to heal and thrive. But you have to get out and use it. Be thankful and take care of it. Give them your love and they are so happy to give it back many times.

Nutrients
Stinging nettles, for example, are known for their complex pack of ingredients. Even pharmacists know the positive effects. They know there is a lot more iron in them then in most other plants. Iron, our body needs! Not from animals but from those plants that you better know how to pick or you get stung. But what gets done with them? For consumer reasons, they are put in bottles with chemicals added, processed and sold for a lot of money! The same goes for red clover and many other plants. Why don’t we just use it the way God made it for us? Don’t we believe in it anymore? We have to come back to our knowledge and our birth right – to live a happy life in abundance!

Chlorophyll
With plants, think all green, very green, dark green, and bursting full of chlorophyll - another most important substance! Chlorophyll is the juice that is the closest match to our blood. It contains all the energy from the sun. It delivers the light right in our body. Through photosynthesis, the plants perform miracles. Not even our scientists understand this totally. But do we have to? Let’s be in awe and be grateful for them!

Now, that you know how good they are, here are some tips on how to eat them.

You can just put of the edible greens in your mouth and chew well. That’s another good thing about wild edibles -- you have to chew! Chewing is important. Our food needs to be liquid by the time we swallow it. When it comes to stinging nettles, for example, I always wet my finger tips, crab the top part of the nettle (the softest leaves), twist them in my fingers so that the little hairs break off and don’t sting you anymore, and stick those rolls in my mouth. The seeds of nettles are also delicious. They taste a little bit like nuts.

The longer you keep the greens in your mouth, the better your body remembers them and will ask for them more and more often. It’s like waking up; you wake up those old memories of where to get good nutrients from. And the longer you do it, the better they taste.

Oh, you think dandelion is too bitter? But that’s what your system needs from time to time. Your liver will thank you! Or pick a few sour clovers and you will be so refreshed on a hot summer day! Pick some leaves when you take a walk through the woods and you are good to go. Try it! It is very energizing.

You can also pick a bunch of different plants and make delicious sauces from them, such as a green sauce or a yummy green roll.

Green Sauce:
~ One bunch parsley
~ One bunch cilantro
~ A few big leaves of sorrel
~ A little bit of cress
~ An avocado
~ Himalayan salt or sea salt (if desired)
~ A little bit lemon juice

Blend it all together and enjoy over your salad. Be fit and full of energy for the whole day!

Green Roll:
~ A few big leaves, such as chard or romaine lettuce
~ Carrot, shredded
~ Corn kernels
~ Cucumber pieces
~ Sprouts
~ Avocado
~ Tomato slices
~ Wild edibles

Fill the leaves with all the yummy things, roll them up and enjoy!

Another trick to eat more wild ones – bring a banana or an apple on your hike and enjoy it with the greens. It will taste a lot better – especially if you just start with it. One bite banana, one bite chickweed, one bite banana, one bite dandelion and so forth. Before you know it, you will have eaten a handful and will be happy. It does something else for you, too; it connects you on a cellular level. It connects you with nature again. It’s like being newly coded again. You feel so balanced and happy after it - very satisfied from the inside out. Those little plants are just full of life that they love to share with you! And if you don’t want to eat them right away (which is surely best) then bring a bag along and pick some for later. Sprinkle them over your salad and enjoy the flavor.

If you look at their bio-energetic radiation, you will see that they are a lot stronger than our grown lettuces we buy from the stores! And if you are one of the people that can’t get full when you eat raw – try wild edibles! They will fill you up. Just a handful! You have to try for yourself.

Happy picking!