How to Know What Greens are Edible | Foraging in the Spring

Spring is bursting with new blooms of chickweed, miner’s lettuce, dandelions, fiddleheads, and more. The act of foraging (finding, identifying, and harvesting) connects us to the earth and its ever-shifting seasons. Plucking food directly off the vine, plant, or tree makes it more delicious because its nutrients are at its peak.

Wild foraging for edible spring greens is a fun, easy, and free way to spend quality time with our loved ones exploring the outdoors; a delicious and nutritious scavenger hunt. Foraging helps us slow down to reconnect to the seasons, the environment, and loved ones.

A few of our favorites are Miner’s Lettuce, Dandelions, and Wild Nettle. Keep reading for more information on where they grow, nutritional value, and the best ways to enjoy these spring greens.

 

Miner’s Lettuce

Where it grows: Lightly-shaded forests at the base of larger trees

Edible Parts: Flowers, leaves, and roots

Taste Profile: Mild taste, similar to spinach with a refreshing crunch

Best Uses: Salads, sandwiches or on its own

Health Benefits: Two cups of miners lettuce has 33% of the daily recommended of vitamin C, 22% of vitamin A, and 10% iron per serving

Other Names: Winter Purslane

Must try recipe:  Miner's lettuce salad

 

Dandelions

Where it grows: Most common weed in most lawns. Found in virtually every kind of grassy area, from urban lawns to forest and coastal settings.

Edible parts: Yellow flower, leaves, and roots

Taste Profile: The leaves are bitter, with intensity increasing over the summer

Best Uses: Everything from sauteed leaves to mixed greens for salads, or creating homemade bitters

Why Eat Dandelions: They are packed with vitamin A, E, K, B6, B2, B1, and C. Dandelions are also an antioxidant and have anti-inflammatory properties

Other Names: Lion's tooth

Must try recipe: Homemade Dandelion Bitters

Wild Nettle

Where it grows: Nettle grows in moist woodlands, along shaded trails, coastal and river shoreline. Be cautious when harvesting nettle, the leaves will sting, causing a burning sensation. If stung, look for the nearby dock plant to rub the sting with its leaves.

Edible parts: Leaves, stems, and roots.

Taste profile: A cross between spinach and an artichoke

Best uses: It’s a great substitute for spinach

How to eat: Always cook nettle.

Why Eat Nettle: It’s an excellent blood purifier, a mild laxative, and extremely high in vitamin C.

Other Names: Stinging Nettle

Must try recipe: Wild Nettle Spanakopita

Wild Nettle featured here on the right

Keep Spring Greens Alive

Keep spring greens fresh long after they’re picked by wrapping them in Abeego. Abeego beeswax wraps shields the light, keeps in the natural moisture, and lets spring greens breathe, keeping their crunch.

Looking for more tips on spring greens?
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Keep your foraged foods fresh and shop abeego