Wild chickweed is amazingly nutritious! Learn how to identify this mild-tasting green and how to harvest it and use it as food and medicine.
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Wild chickweed: how to identify, harvest and use it in food and medicine
One of the most amazing things about weeds is how many of them contain more nutrients than the vegetables we grow in our garden! And wild chickweed (star media) – found almost anywhere in the world, and it contains more iron, zinc and potassium than traditional garden vegetables – is no exception.
where to find chickweed
Chickweed is a sweet little plant that loves cool, moist weather. It can be found in every U.S. state and most of the world, even growing north of the Arctic Circle.
Where I live, in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, you can find chickweed in early spring and often reappear in fall.
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The further north you go, the more it stretches into summer. Further south, it leans more towards winter.
It can grow year-round if you have the right climate (or microclimate). If you have cool, pleasant weather, you almost certainly have chickweed.
Chickweed tends to appear on the edge of yards, gardens, pastures, and paths. It likes rich, moist soil and doesn’t seem to be very particular about sunlight.
It must also love people because it grows a lot around us. You’ll also occasionally find large patches growing entirely in the “wrong” place, because plants never read botanical books.
7 characteristics of wild chickweed [Video]
In the video below – excerpted from my presentation at the 2018 Grow Network Fall Family Medicine Summit, “5 Wild Foods with Super Nutrition: How to Identify and Prepare” – I discuss the 7 characteristics of wild chickweed, how Harvest and use this mild-tasting green food and medicine. . .
. . . and how to make one of my favorite recipes using wild chickweed!
Why eat chickweed?
When you’re looking for edible weeds, this is the first great plant to learn to identify.
First, it was delicious. Some people compare the flavor to lettuce or shredded corn, although I prefer to describe it as peas.
It is also very nutritious. Chickpea is a good source of beta-carotene, ascorbic acid, magnesium, niacin, calcium, riboflavin, selenium, thiamine, copper, and gamma-linolenic acid. It also contains more iron, zinc and potassium than any garden vegetable. It can be used in salads, soups, fritters, and pretty much anywhere you want greens. My own preference for homemade weed pizza.
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Do yourself a favor. Mix some freshly rinsed chickpeas with flour, salt and pepper. Make it into patties and fry in coconut oil. The resulting crunchy goodness is then dipped into honey mustard or BBQ sauce. delicious!
Identify chickweed
By this time, I’m sure you’re actually salivating over some chickweed. Who can blame you? So let’s move on to the identification.
Note that I am focusing on the common wild chickweed (star media). There are other varieties of chickweed, such as rat-eared chickweed, that will meet some but not all of these criteria. For more information on other types of chickweed, you really should check out a more thorough guide or talk to a local botanical expert.
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Common chickweed is a thin-stemmed plant with small (1/to 1/2 inch) opposite leaves. The leaves are slightly different in shape, but are usually oval and always have a small point at the tip.
She is usually a small plant but can grow stems over a foot long in the right conditions.
The sap is not milky. If you pick a stalk and find white sap, you’re looking for the wrong weed.
The flowers are white with 5 deeply notched petals that look like 10.
It also has two dead giveaways. One is a single line of hair that grows along the stem. The line will switch sides after each pair of leaves.
The hairs are so small that you may need to place them in a light or use a magnifying glass to see them.
Another obvious sign is the kernel. It takes a little practice, but you can bend the stem back and forth and twist it a little to separate the outer stem to reveal the slightly springy inner stem.
All aerial parts are edible. On younger plants, the entire stem is tender. The lower stems become tough and filamentous with age. You can chop them up if you’re desperate. But I prefer to cut off the last 2 or 3 inches at the growing tip.
Medicinal value of chickweed
In medicine, chickweed is not listless either. Its main claim to fame is skin care.
Due to its wound healing, soothing and cooling properties, chickweed is an obvious choice for a variety of skin irritations.
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It can be used in plasters, sprays and creams – both as a beauty aid and to treat rashes, bites, burns and blemishes.
It’s also a digestive aid that helps relieve excess gas in the gut.
What do you think?
I hope I’ve got you interested in trying at least some chickweed. In the meantime, please let me know in the comments section: What’s your favorite way to use chickweed?
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This is an updated version of an article originally published on October 6, 2018. Authors may not be able to respond to comments at this time, but we encourage our community members to join in to share their experiences and answer questions!
Shhh! Our attorneys want you to read this big, bad medical disclaimer –> The content in this article is provided through The Grow Network (TGN) for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice; it is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you have any questions about a medical condition, always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider. If you think you may have any medical condition, you should seek medical attention immediately. You should not delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice, or stop medical treatment because of information provided by TGN. Reliance on any information provided herein is at your own risk. And, of course, never eat wild plants without first consulting a local expert.
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