In agricultural societies, fall is harvest time, but for people eating wild plants, spring is the time to gather the most succulent greens and dig nourishing roots.
The leaves of wild edibles are at their most tender in spring, when they are freshly sprouted and often plump with spring rain. Garlic mustard, chickweed, shepherd’s purse, dandelion, yellow dock, sheep sorrel, cinquefoil--these are just some of the wild edibles that may make their way into your spring salad once you learn to identify them. A good field guide, such Peterson’s Guide to Wild Edibles or Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide will help you get to know the wild species. Until you get familiar with the characteristics of each species, reliable identification requires that the plant be in flower, and most of these plants flower in spring.
Eating wild greens in spring is also a good way to help your body adjust to the change of seasons. As the weather warms, our blood has to thin and mucus has to change consistency, and these adjustments require extra work of the liver and kidneys. Wild greens contain the nutrients our bodies need to adapt, since we evolved in tandem with the wild plants.
Many of the species listed above grow right in your lawn. If you haven’t put pesticides or synthetic fertilizers on your grass, and you’re in an area that isn’t highly polluted, you can graze on your own lawn. On sunny spring days, I like to take my bowl of soup or rice and beans, sit in my lawn, and pop wild greens right into the bowl. There is nothing fresher or more vital than a just-picked dandelion or sheep sorrel leaf, and sitting on the earth adds its own energetic thrill. And it’s cheap and easy!
