Stop hating weeds and start eating them
Foraging for wild food in your own backyard, parks or beaches could provide a bounty of new greens, berries and fruit for your palate. Rather than being infuriated by the never-ending task of weeding, gardeners could be enjoying a bumper, and best of all free, crop.
Taking a leaf out of foraging guru Rene Redzepi’s book, top Australian chefs including Matt Stone are urging people to reconsider weeds as a delicacy rather than a nuisance. NOMA’s Redzepi shot to prominence for repurposing wild growing Natives into an award-winning concept restaurant.
Wild natives including native violet and edible weeds such as chickweed could go from being trampled on to gracing café and restaurant menus. This largely untapped food source is ecologically sound, and uber fresh, travelling minimal food miles from footpath to dinner plate.
Courses for sourcing, identifying and cooking with weeds are sprouting everywhere. Alternatively, look to Mother nature for recipe ideas, as weeds tend to compliment the flavour of plants that they grow beside.
So, will you be plucking some weeds for your dinner tonight?
