Collecting and growing Edible Weed seeds

[MysticTree]

We have wild garlic on our bit of land and I do love that. I also collected some St George's Mushrooms today but they really need to be cooked so I will be giving them to a cooked foods eater and trying very hard not to have any myself as I do like them very much!

[streetsurfer]

That's what I love about garlic mustard and other prolific weeds. Another awesome thing: Even if you somehow managed to completely eradicate all garlic mustard in your area before it seeded (impossible), it would still spring up a new crop the next year, and even if you stopped it all from producing seeds that year also then it would appear the next year too. Unlike their much weaker cousins the cultivated crops (although some cultivated crops can probably do this too), weed seeds can remain viable for years and years in the soil, remaining dormant until conditions are right to germinate and produce the next generation. Some weed seeds can remain dormant for 40 years in the soil...good luck running out of that to eat!

Another huge boon is that the more prolific a plant is, the more life energy it carries. Eat the hardiest and most rampant weeds possible for maximum health and vitality.

I understand about never eradicating it. It was a poor choice of word. Suppress or control would have been better. I am all about integrative pest management, and use cultural practices and natural products as much as possible.

As for a hardy weed, Cannabis/hemp are a fast growers, pest and disease resistant, very hardy, healing, anti inflammatory, and extremely nutritional. It's a shame it's frowned upon.

[Living Food]

As for a hardy weed, Cannabis/hemp are a fast growers, pest and disease resistant, very hardy, healing, anti inflammatory, and extremely nutritional. It's a shame it's frowned upon.

I hear hemp sprouts are one of the most powerful foods you could ever eat...no wonder it's illegal to grow in the US. I've been seriously tempted to do it anyway, but so far have resisted the impulse. Jails are some of the most toxic cesspools that you can find (horrible "food", large amounts of negative energy, little sunlight and fresh air...and we wonder that they come out worse then they went in). But I digress :)

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

My dandelion seeds haven't sprouted. Next time l will increase the soak time from 2 hours to 6 hours and see how they go. l'll keep you updated on my progress, hopefully good things happen this time around.

[MysticTree]

Dandelion seeds germinate best in full light in temperature between 10 & 20 degrees celcius

[delmar]

Dandelion seeds germinate best in full light in temperature between 10 & 20 degrees celcius

That is very interesting. Any idea what is different about the seeds, that makes them germinate better in full sun? I can see why that would be beneficial for a wind blown weed seed I guess!

[delmar]

My dandelion seeds haven't sprouted. Next time l will increase the soak time from 2 hours to 6 hours and see how they go. l'll keep you updated on my progress, hopefully good things happen this time around.

I have been thinking a lot about the properties of weed seeds and how they may be different from the seeds we are used to planting. I read for example, that garlic mustard seed can sit in the ground for up to 5 years and still germinate. I'm thinking dandelion seeds are very tough little buggers too! It might well take a bit of trial and error to come up with what works best, but I am up to a challenge if you are!
I am thinking about throwing some in the freezer for a while. Somebody suggested to me that, if there is a little moisture in the seeds this might crack them open bit and mimic what happens to them in nature.

[The Sproutarian (Mr Raw)]

I have been thinking a lot about the properties of weed seeds and how they may be different from the seeds we are used to planting. I read for example, that garlic mustard seed can sit in the ground for up to 5 years and still germinate. I'm thinking dandelion seeds are very tough little buggers too! It might well take a bit of trial and error to come up with what works best, but I am up to a challenge if you are!
I am thinking about throwing some in the freezer for a while. Somebody suggested to me that, if there is a little moisture in the seeds this might crack them open bit and mimic what happens to them in nature.

l haven't had time to really study the dandelion seeds too closely (been flat out for a week and have hardly slept), but when l cut them up after soaking the answers should be revealed. l get the feeling they are tough also, so a longer soaking time will be required. Some seeds are soft on the outside and inside (chickpeas, lentils), some are grisly (rice, alfalfa, millet), some have hard surfaces that take a bit to break through (brocolli and sesame). All seeds are different. Next week l will study the dandelion seed in detail and work out what type of seed it is, once l do that l will know how to sprout it.

l'll get back to you on the food combining also. Been far too busy to do anything lately. Not even going to bed tonight, and was lucky to get an hour last night.

[delmar]

l haven't had time to really study the dandelion seeds too closely (been flat out for a week and have hardly slept), but when l cut them up after soaking the answers should be revealed. l get the feeling they are tough also, so a longer soaking time will be required. Some seeds are soft on the outside and inside (chickpeas, lentils), some are grisly (rice, alfalfa, millet), some have hard surfaces that take a bit to break through (brocolli and sesame). All seeds are different. Next week l will study the dandelion seed in detail and work out what type of seed it is, once l do that l will know how to sprout it.

l'll get back to you on the food combining also. Been far too busy to do anything lately. Not even going to bed tonight, and was lucky to get an hour last night.

I'm not in a big hurry. I would just like to get good at dandelion sprouts before winter.

[delmar]

My 12 volt vacuum arrived today. I have a lot going on this weekend so I am not sure I when I will get around to rigging the power supply but I am really looking forward to it. We have about a 1/2 acre section of the yard that is not visible from the road so I am going to experiment with letting grass and wild clover go to seed and see if this is a good way to collect that as well. I also have plans to start a patch of red clover, specifically to collect seeds from. I really like clover sprouts.

[Mary Kay]

I am grateful to all of you for keeping us apprised as I am following this thread with interest. I haven't even gotten it together to gather any yet, and our farm is full of'em!

Mary Kay, a busy homeschooling mom, who's about to remodel our house and move out into a camper and.....you get the idea....

[Living Food]

I am grateful to all of you for keeping us apprised as I am following this thread with interest. I haven't even gotten it together to gather any yet, and our farm is full of'em!

Imagine one of the most nutritious foods you can possible eat...now imagine that you have loads of this food available for FREE, and all you have to do is spend an enjoyable afternoon in the great outdoors collecting it, which can be very relaxing in its own right...Now go do it!

Don't forget to gather the leaves too, they may not be as good as the sprouts but they're still far better then anything you'll find at the supermarket or even farmer's market.

Life is great - the most nutritious foods you can possible eat are completely free and tend to grow just about anywhere. Pick a half dozen (at first) or so different weeds that are common in your area and learn how to identify them; you'll be surprised how many you'll find.

I love foraging.

[MysticTree]

On the bit of land I live on we have dandelions, nettles, wild garlic, bitter cress, bramble, elder, chickweed, goosegrass and a few other edible plants. The wild garlic is the best of these but will soon be over.

[Living Food]

Dandelions, red clover, plantain and a little oxalis are the only ones that are on my property, but I've got much more variety in the woods just a few minutes from my house. I recently located a small patch of evening primrose and will soon collect the seeds for sprouting (even better source of GLA then spirulina, second only to mother's milk). It's a shame that they are so few.

I can recognize a few dozen different wild edibles, but I still have much to learn and I am sure that there is an even greater bounty of edible plants hiding in plain sight. I'm especially glad that I have large quantities of wild wineberries and (some) pokeberries near me, since I refuse to buy store-bought fruit and don't have any local organic fruit farms.

[delmar]

I got my battery pack hooked up to the mini vac and went out and did my first test. I went out and harvested about 30 dandelion's worth of seeds in just a few minutes. This thing is absolutely the right tool for the job. I haven't tried it with the filter out, so I am still going to need to separate the seed but this really works well!
I'm sorry the photos are so dark. I will try to get some in better light tomorrow and edit this post.