Edible Grasses

Although there are many types of edible grasses in East Texas, for the purposes of this section, I will focus on two that grow abundantly in my defined Personal Space:  Danedlion, and Pigweed.

Pigweed


The majority of Pigweed grows on the western side of the property, in the sunny, open spaces between tracts of pine trees.

Pigweed can be difficult to identify, especially in the early stages of seeding growth, as many species look the same.  Once mature, identification is less difficult, but not altogether straightforward.  There are several types of Pigweed that grow in East Texas, but the one with the most abundance in my Personal Space is Smooth Pigweed.

Smooth Pigweed has very small, fine hairs throughout the plant.  It's flowering structures are highly branched, and one will find both male and female flowers on the same plant.  The branches of the flowering structure are compact, usually greater than 1.5 inches long and thinner than a pencil.  At maturity, the entire plant and flowering structure are usually green or reddish purple.  The plant grows from 3 to 10 feet tall, and all parts of the plant are edible.

The young plants and growing tips of older plants make nutritious vegetables, and can either be eaten raw, or boiled.  It is generally acceptable to do 2 water changes over a 20 minute boiling time, to help cut down on the bitterness, and remove any visible spines that may be present.

Pigweed seeds can be eaten raw, cooked into grits-like consistency, or ground into flour.



Dandelion


Dandelion grows perennially throughout the sunny meadows of the property, and all parts of the plant, including the roots can be eaten.  The good thing about eating Dandelion is that there is no poisonous look-alike plants to consider.

The defining characteristic of Dandelion is the shape of the leaf.  The tip is sharply pointed, the shape is long, and there are irregular, pointy leaves.  The leaves sprout from the base of the plant and are typically 2-18 inches long.  The flower is typically open until mid-afternoon.  If you break the stem, there should be a milky-white substance inside the hollow stem.  The tap root is deep, twisted, and brittle.  Unless the plants are removed completely, they will quickly regenerate, which is good news for food searching

All parts of the plant can be eaten raw, or simply boiled like other vegetables.  The leaves are best when they are young.  The only factor to consider is that of bitterness.  Dandelion, like most other edible wild grasses, is bitter, although not terribly so.  Most of the bitterness can be cooked out of the vegetable by boiling for approximately 20 minutes, and doing at least 2 water changes during cooking time.  The downside to this is that by changing out water, you are throwing away many of the vitamins and nutrients that cook out of the plant and into the water.