Meadowsweet Herbs

Lambs Quarters is a common garden and yard weed. It is one of my favorite wild edibles. It has a greener, earthier, more mineral rich flavor than spinach. Some describe the taste of young, lamb’s quarters as reminiscent to asparagus. It has triangular, velvety-textured, serrated leaves. The entire plant, including the stems, is edible. Small black edible seeds on the plants are most often not fully developed when lamb’s quarters is harvested and are still encased in tiny green pollen-like balls, which are also edible.

Lamb’s quarters actually contains substantially more nutrients than cultivated spinach. It is high in vitamin C and rich in riboflavin. Best used cooked, one cup of cooked lamb’s quarters provides an excellent source of vitamin A, folate, magnesium, potassium, vitamins E, B6, and thiamine.

Add lamb’s quarters to any dish you would normally cook with spinach. You can saute, steam or bake it. It is delicious added to soups, sauces, pestos, salads, dips, pastas, stir fries, and egg dishes. You can even steam it, chop and freeze lamb’s quarters for later use. There is nothing quite so satisfying as the taste of nourishing, wild leafy greens in the middle of winter!