Page 105 - The Forager’s Guide to Wild Foods

Quickweed/Potato Weed, Galinsoga

parviflora (ASTERACEAE)

QUICKWEED/POTATO WEED or Gallant Soldier is an
herbaceous invasive plant found in disturbed sites and
empty fields with sandy, loamy, or clay soils. It reaches
30 inches (75cm) tall, with a spread of 20 inches (50cm).
FLOWER: Flowers bloom on pedicles emerging from
leaf axils and bearing clusters of a few small, daisy-like
flowers from October to April. Small, composite flower
discs measure 0.2-0.3 inches (5-8mm) across and have 5
tiny, white, widely spaced petals with 3 lobes.
LEAF: Pointy, lance-shaped leaves measuring 1-3 inch-
es (2.5-8cm) long and 0.5-1.5 inches (1.2-4cm) wide are green, or as a flavoring spice in soup.
toothed, simple, opposite, and rounded at the base.
QUICKWEED GREENS WITH WILD GARLIC: Steam

EDIBLE PARTS: leaves, stem, and flowering shoots
greens 10 min. Sauté quickly with olive oil, chopped
KEY MEDICINAL USES: Quickweed is used for treating wild garlic, or other strong wild green, and season to
stings, wounds, and coagulating blood. taste. Enjoy.
HOW TO HARVEST AND EAT: Quickweed is highly POISONOUS LOOK-ALIKES: Coat Buttons, Tridax
nutritious, has a mild taste, and pairs well with strong- procumbens – Their flowers are very similar. The
ly flavored greens. Harvest young shoots from fall to plants differ, as Coats Buttons plants are low grow-
spring. It can be used in salads, smoothies, steamed as a ing, and foliage is more lobed than toothed.

Ram’s Horn, Proboscidea
louisianica (MARTYNIACEAE)

RAM’S HORN, Devil’s Claw, Unicorn Plant, or Aphid Trap
is an annual herb found in pastures, along riverbanks,
cultivated fields, and feedlots. Spreading branches grow
up to 3 ft. (1m) tall and form mounding, shrubby plants.
Ram’s Horn foliage produces an oil from glandular hairs
and emits a foul, acrid odor.
FLOWER: Flowers bloom from July to September. White
to lavender, ruffled, lobed corollas measure 1.5 inches
(4cm) wide. They are composed of 5 petals that are fused
into a funnel at the base with orange, yellow nectar-guid-
ing color splotches, with or without purple spots on the
HOW TO HARVEST AND EAT: Harvest young, tender
outside. A single plant can produce up to 80 fruits, and
pods while they can be poked easily with a fork. They
gets its name from the curving, 0.5-1 inch (1-2cm) long,
can be boiled, steamed, or fried like okra; added to
horn-shaped, hooked seed pod.
soups as a thickening agent; or pickled.
LEAF: Dark green, heart-shaped, almost round leaves
FRIED RAM’S HORN PODS: Cut tips and tops off
can grow 4-12 inches (7-30cm) wide. Leaves are covered
pods, cut in half. Soak Ram’s Horn in buttermilk.
in glandular hairs that have tiny oil droplets on them.
While pods soak, mix 2 tbsp. baking soda and spices
EDIBLE PARTS: young, green fruits, roots (cooked, me- (garlic, onion powder) into 1 cup flour, and mix with
dicinally) cold water until a thick clumpy batter forms. Dip
KEY MEDICINAL USES: Roots and tubers are used for soaked pieces into batter and fry in a cast iron pan.
bruises, sprains, trauma, and muscle pain.

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