<Alt Text 1 of 2> (Photo Note: the two specimens in today's post look different because they are different ages and emerged at different times in winter/spring.) Today’s wild plant of the week is one that that you most likely have seen but disregarded as ‘just a weed’. In my copy of ‘Weeds of Southern Turfgrasses’ which was required reading in the Horticulture program at Fayetteville Tech Community College this plant is called Spiny Sowthistle (Sonchus asper). Other sources call this plant Prickly Sowthistle, Rough Milk Thistle, Sharp-Fringed Sow Thistle or Spiny-leaved Sow-thistle but despite all common names this plant is not a true Thistle. While it is true that Spiny Sowthistle is in the Aster family just like true thistle, unlike true thistles it, it is in the Chicory grouping (Chichorieae). In general Spiny Sowthistle is considered a winter annual or a winter biennial herb depending on where it is found and the conditions under which its seeds germinated. In an urban environment these plants do not get all that tall however they can be up to six and a half feet tall under the right conditions. Spiny Sowthistle is native to North Africa, Europe and Western Asia, and if intentionally cultivated one should take care to not allow it to go to seed as it can become a problem and due to this it is considered a noxious invasive weed in a few places. The name ‘Sowthistle’ comes from the plant being used at one point or another as feed for pigs. The botanical Latin word ‘Sonchus’ comes from the Greek name for the plant and roughly translates as ‘hollow’ which has to do with the plant’s hollow stems. The specific epithet ‘asper’ means ‘rough’. Now with that said, let’s look at how this plant can be used. <Alt Text 1 of 2>

<Alt Text 2 of 2> From several sources I have found that the ethnobotany of this plant is very interesting in North America (despite this plant not being native) specifically as the Iroquois used it as a sedative and a pediatric aid for fussy babies. The Luiseno and Pima used it as a food item for its greens; while the Mohave considered it a starvation food and the tender shoots were roasted and eaten. The Navajo used it as a heart medication and the plant was smoked or taken internally to handle heart palpitations. Oddly the Navajo also considered the plant poisonous for some reason that does not seem to align with other information. For general foraging purposes, the good news is that most if not all of the Sowthistles you will encounter in North America are safe to eat, even in the case of the Spiny Sowthistle it is safe and the prickles are not actually dangerous. As a general rule you want to go for younger more tender leaves as the older ones can be bitter so it’s wise to only harvest from plants less than a foot tall. The prickly bits can be trimmed off of course with some careful paring knife work and the greens will cook down to a soft texture very easily. If you intend to store the greens in the refrigerator for a few days leave the prickly bits on. Typically I prefer to use this green in one of two soups, homemade Minestrone, or as a flavor additive to Kale-Bean soup. I also use it in a special version of Pasta e Fagioli because its flavor of these greens can take the dish to new places. <Alt Text 2 of 2>

The Wild Harvest Digest: May 2025, #2

Good Morning Neighbors,

Today’s wild plant of the week is one that that you most likely have seen but disregarded as ‘just a weed’. <See Alt Text for more!>
#Sowthistle #ForageFood

<Alt text 1 of 4> Today’s wild plant of the week is one I have alluded to covering before and, it’s one that you have undoubtedly seen in a lawn. The plant I speak of is a perennial non-native from Eurasia called Cat’s Ear Dandelion but it is also known as Flatweed, Australian Cape Weed, California Dandelion, False Dandelion, Frogbit, Gosmore, Hairy Cat’s Ear, Rough Cat’s Ear and Spotted Cat’s Ear. The aforementioned names are just the beginning, but there is no point in dwelling on a whole mess of common names because the names tell you just one thing, that this plant is very well known. Cat’s Ear Dandelion is botanically known as (Hypochaeris radicata), and it is despite the name ‘False Dandelion’ in the Aster family meaning it is related to true Dandelions (Taraxacum sp.). That name also tells us other things ‘radicata’ means ‘rooted’ which is a reference to this plant’s at-times multiple taproots while ‘hypochaeris’ by some translations means ‘for the hogs’ as pics like to dig and eat the roots. <Alt text 1 of 4>

<Alt text 2 of 4> When we examine this plant on a physical level it has a lot of the same physical features. So, it has a taproot, it also has milky latex sap, the leaves are of similar shape and it’s seeds heads from puff balls where the seeds can float away on little silky parachutes. The differences between this plant and true Dandelions are its lack of hollow stems in the flowers and that its leaves have coarse fuzz on them. Additionally Cat’s Ear Dandelions tend to grow closer to the ground and can form large rosettes but are very resilient against mowing. Personally as a horticulturist I think this plant is great because while it tends to appear in sites with disturbed soil it can appear almost anywhere and is tolerant of a wide range of soils. This plant is so resilient that it can appear in cracks in the concrete growing in the tiniest amount of soil and form a mandala shaped rosette of leaves defying attempts to subdue nature. These plants are drought resistant because of their ability to produce more than one taproot and their leaf shape and arrangement which funnels water from the morning dew or rain to the crown so the roots can suck it up. In short they are true survivors and as a plant foraging specialist and Horticulturist I have to respect these tough little asters. <Alt text 2 of 4>

<Alt text 3 of 4> But of course we have to move to how one could possibly use these plants because that’s what you’re all here for…right? Let me start on this by pointing out why most people do a hard pass on Cat’s Ear Dandelions; it’s because they have true Dandelions in abundance. In the south east of the USA however true Dandelions do not much like our heat, humidity and our soil. It takes special effort to get them to grow and realistically their closely related cousin Chicory (Chichorum intybus) is far more durable in our climate. Cat’s Ear Dandelion can be used for all the same things as its more famous cousin however these plants can be bitter when eaten raw in a forage salad. The trick there is the get newer softer leaves if you intend to eat them raw and in a forage salad try to pair the greens with a bold or robust Italian dressing. For some the fuzz on the leaves is a deal breaker and that is understandable but there are two ways to neutralize that problem and a bunch of the bitterness that comes from using older hairier leaves. Cooking will essentially melt the stuff the fuzz is made up of and will destroy a noticeable amount of bitterness which means this plant is a pretty good potherb. <Alt text 3 of 4>

<Alt text 4 of 4> You can seek out a close relative of Cat’s Ear dandelion, the Smooth Cat’s Ear Dandelion (H. glabra) which has virtually no fuzz. The extra good news here is that there are no poisonous lookalikes in the Cat’s Ear Dandelion group and really the only risk is if you have a latex allergy because of the sap. This is a plant you might want to consider cultivating as it at the very least is an easy source of blossoms for use in making dandelion wine. As a final note, this particular dandelion has all the same uses as a tonic for handling liver and gallbladder issues and can readily be cultivated if you desire to do so. It is not a hard plant to grow but remember not to use full-strength fertilizer as a slow release 10-10-10 will be more than sufficient to get good growth and tap root formation. This information may mean the difference between feat and famine for you if things keep going as they are in our current regime who seems content to tear the country apart. <Alt text 4 of 4>

The Wild Harvest Digest: March 2025, #2

Good Morning Neighbors,

Today’s wild plant of the week is one I have alluded to covering before and, it’s one that you have undoubtedly seen in a lawn. (Please look at the Alt text on the included photos for a lot of info.) #Dandelion #ForageFood

There are many plants called Saltwort but in this case I only refer to Salsola komarovii because that's the one you are most likely to find seed from credible vendors for. This plant is a good foliage plant for large pots where you can manage fertilizer and water amounts and more easily harvest. I've used this one in salads and to assist pickling along with Fennel and Dill. Oh I should mention, the picture was not taken by me, I got it off the internet and did not see an attribution. If this is your image let me know and I'll give full credit.

Mixing it up a bit, this is Saltwort or Salsola komarovii. It is a plant that tolerates salt and is compatible with growing for microgreens. Dried it can be used as "green salt" and while it isn't native to North America it is a fresh healthy leaf green. #EatTheWeeds #LeafGreens #ForageFood