Harvesting Edible Greens

Always be 100% sure of your plant ID—if there’s any doubt, it’s best to leave it. Pick only what you need, leaving enough for regrowth and for others, unless you're dealing with an invasive species. Avoid areas that may have been sprayed with chemicals, especially roadsides, and double-check scientific names and photos to confirm what you’ve found. Ready to get started? Here are 10 wild greens you can eat this spring.

Dandelion	Taraxacum officinale	Young tender leaves gathered before flowers emerge, can be added to salads, soups and smoothies. Flowers can be battered and fried for a tasty treat.
Chickweed	Stellaria media	Tasty young leaves can be added to salads, or top on sandwich, like you would with sprouts.
Sheep Sorrel	Rumex acetosella	Also called sour dock, young leaves look like sheep heads and have a lemony taste—perfect for salads or a quick sauté.
Stinging Nettles	Utica dioica	Don’t be scared, once the plant is cut it will lose it’s chemical sting. sauté and add as a topping to pizza, or a breakfast scramble.
Lambs Quarters	Chenopodium album	A wild green related to quinoa, leaves are scalloped and frosted, and can be used just like spinach.
Ramps	Allium tricoccum	A well known and loved wild leek, takes years to mature – and can be wiped out if not harvested properly. Consider harvesting only leaves, which can be sautéed with anything, made into Pesto, or blend dried leaves with salt for a long lasting garnish to any dish.
Garlic Mustard	Alliaria petiolate	Highly invasive on the east coast – harvest the full rooted plant to kill it, but save the leaves to add to salad, pesto and sautés. True to its name, it’s both garlicky and mustardy. The roots taste like horseradish.
Miner’s Lettuce	Claytonia perfoliata	A California native, Miner’s lettuce is considered a world-class foraging find with its crunchy, mild-tasting, large leaves, perfect for salads or to eat plain. Just be sure to leave enough for the wild animals that depend on it.

For more information on foraging and cooking methods, check out Forager Chef.