Eat Your Lawn | Identifying Edible and Medicinal Weeds in your Yard

[@k81law]

Why bother mowing the lawn when you got Andrew. Haha

[@Prodigious1One]

Well, harvest and then cut the lawn, lol. There are dandelions and violets in my lawn too. My lawn, it's all natural weeds! I don't want chemicals in the ground.

[@HannesA-my3xp]

Unfortunately I have to mow the lawn. In our neighborhood we have a corporate body who loves to hand out fines to home owners who don't keep their lawns short

[@nicoletaylor893]

On Spring Beauty: "It's really not even a weed at all--it's just a beautiful wildflower from the forest that happened to volunteer to grow in your garden for you." I love the way you talk about these flower beings ^.^

[@AdventureArchives]

Thanks so much :D It's definitely interesting to consider how we think about the slightest things, including the plants that grow in our yards. -Andrew

[@DopamineFeining]

Imagine walking out and ser your neighbor sitting there eating his lawn😂

[@justinaturnbough2465]

Yes sir I am that person

[@bridget3694]

🤣

[@MrAnderson2845]

my neighbor's grandmom does that. shes an old Chinese lady

[@nomadjesswithms2021]

Thats me!! The crazy girl picking dandelions everytime before I cut my grass! 💁‍♀️

[@boko1963]

@@nomadjesswithms2021 👍🏼I'm right ther with you

[@FlashToso]

1:15 Dandelion 2:00 Violet 3:12 Wood Sorrel 3:15 Sheep Sorrel 3:46 Purple Deadnettle 4:40 Henbit 5:20 Plantain 6:20 Ribleaf Plantain 7:00 Chickweed 7:45 Wild Chives 8:22 Spring Beauty 9:15 Bittercress 10:10 Garlic Mustard 11:18 Burdock

[@mercysi2636]

Nice!

[@sonofabear]

Please make more wild food videos! These are very high quality and informative. Dandelion and Garlic mustard are very tasty greens.

[@AdventureArchives]

Thanks so much for watching! We'll definitely be putting more videos like these out. Cheers! -Andrew

[@foothillsnztaka7210]

this video clip should be an eye-opening experience to all

[@AdventureArchives]

Thanks so much for the kind words!

[@inthewoodswithbigfoot3941]

I love to walk around my yard and pick a salad from time to time. In the summertime I can get wild onion, blackberries, muscatine, broad leaf plantain, wild strawberries, honeysuckle and sour wood leaves. My wife and daughter thought that I was crazy, but they eat some of it now as well. Thanks for sharing!

[@AdventureArchives]

Oh man, you are so lucky to have sourwood trees nearby! Those are delicious. I often use basswood and beech trees, but they're best only in part of the spring. It's really fun to make a wild salad and look at how beautiful it is with all the different colors from the wildflowers :) -Andrew

[@bibamus2799]

Here is some useful vocabulary for identifying plants! Andrew mentioned some of these words, but it is always good to have a list to get yourself started. These are the most common words that you might find in a field guide: Perennial: a plant that lives for more than two years (like the dandelion and plantain) Biennial: a plant that lives for two years (like the burdock) Annual: a plant that lives for only one year (like the chickweed) Basal leaves: leaves that sprout from the base of the plant and are not attached to the main stem (like the burdock, dandelion, and plantain) Cauline leaves: leaves that are attached to the main stem (like the garlic mustard and chickweed) Opposite leaves: leaves that are arranged opposite from each other on the stem (like the deadnettle, henbit, and chickweed) Alternate leaves: leaves that are staggered from each other on the stem (like the garlic mustard) Pubescent: this refers to a plant (or part of a plant) which is covered in tiny "hairs" (like the chickweed and deadnettle) Glabrous: this refers to a plant (or part of a plant) which is free of "hairs" (like the spring beauty and wild chives) Radial symmetry: this refers to a flower that looks the same no matter which way you rotate it, as all the petals are identically arranged (like the chickweed and dandelion) Bilateral symmetry: this refers to a flower that has a clear top and bottom or left and right; the petals are not all the same (like the violets) Monocot: a plant with one cotyledon. All you need to know is that the veins of the leaves are parallel to each other and the number of petals is always a multiple of three. The plantain and wild chives are great examples of this. Dicot: a plant with two cotyledons. The veins of the leaves are branching and the number of petals is always a multiple of 4 or 5. Most of the plants Andrew showed in this video are dicots. Also, here's a tip: if you want to forage for violets, please make sure that YOU ARE NOT MISTAKING THEM FOR BUTTERCUPS. Buttercups are very poisonous, and if you are not familiar with them then you can easily mistake them for violets (especially if the violets are yellow, which they often are). The easiest way to tell the difference is that buttercup flowers are radially symmetrical while the violet flowers are bilaterally symmetrical (they have two large petals on the top and three smaller ones on the bottom). To add onto the above, if you are just starting out with foraging, it is a good idea to stick with plants whose flowers are blooming. The flowers are often the most recognizable part of the plant, and they are the easiest to identify in most cases. Happy foraging!

[@AdventureArchives]

Thank you so much for this helpful comment! And yes, it's very important to remember not to eat any plant unless you are 110% sure that it is an edible plant.

[@michaelmares2281]

@@AdventureArchives Is there a good book or field guide you can recommend for this??

[@momdoan]

@@AdventureArchives Or perform an edibility test Most are ok to get sick a little except for the really terrible weeds like manchineel & the toxic hogweed that can cause blisters. Fortunately, have never seen these in lawns

[@susankelly5976]

thank you

[@ligayaannawi4779]

Thank you

[@MissMoontree]

I was curious about one flower in the garden. Tried googling it and found a different one that was in the garden too. It was bittercress. After trying that one I wanted to discover more. Now this is a nice rabbithole. Food and herbs are everywhere! Also, most people here buy violets to plant.

[@eiszapfenkobold]

funny how he munches trough the lawn :D

[@Vonzolicious]

I had to tell my HOA that clover is a perfectly acceptable ground cover and they could take their threats of fining me and placing a lein on my home and shove them up their @$$. 1000 thumbs up. Oh, and my HOA left me alone. It was a fairly terse 3 page letter I wrote in response. Great job Andrew!

[@AdventureArchives]

Haha, it's great to hear they left you alone. It really is frustrating trying to explain that these plants can be beneficial, and that lawn care can have an adverse effect on the environment. I really think people ought to focus on bigger problems in life, and not let themselves be bothered by a lawn that's "plagued" with beautiful, colorful wildflowers -Andrew

[@Prodigious1One]

Good that you stood up to your HOA!

[@justinaturnbough2465]

@@AdventureArchives I am 17 it really is hard to explain that these plants have benefits

[@drogonsmommy]

You could also argue that it is edible and they have no right to deny you food

[@SingleMaltSmash]

Andrew is the Lawn Ranger

[@AdventureArchives]

Haha, I like that title!

[@skylovecraft2491]

Plz do more videos like this to promote caring about nature. This is so important that we change the way people view lawns and nature!!💗✌👏

[@LastStarfighterAJ]

Awesome video. I’m really interested in wild edibles. I’m with you on how pointless lawn care is sometimes. Unfortunately my wife doesn’t see it the same way!

[@AdventureArchives]

So glad you liked the video! Make her a salad with edible wildflowers and see if you can change her mind, haha. Thanks for watching :) -Andrew

[@amae54]

I love weeds. I love clover and really need to overseed my Yard with clover seeds.

[@HaphazardHomestead]

I eat a lot of wild plants and weeds. They are real food for regular people. There are some techniques for getting the best plants -- look in the grass that's a little more tall, and look in shaded areas. Those plants have to grow fast to compete for light, and the soil has been shaded so it's more moist. Those plants are less stressed and taste a lot better, for a lot longer in the season. Out in a short-cut lawn is a tough, stressed place unless there's been a lot of rain and constant cloudiness. I like the narrowleaf plantain. When it's in good shape, it has a nice mushroom taste. But out in the direct sun like that, it's stressed and not at its best. Enjoy your weeds! They are so good! :D I'll take your challenge and show you what I have in my yard, from a walk tomorrow! One good salad, coming up! Elm leaves, black locust flowers, hawthorn leaves, spruce needles, and so much more!

[@AdventureArchives]

Good advice, great to know! And wow, I'll have to try the narrowleaf plantain if I can find one in good shape. Definitely show us what you've got growing, I'd love to check that out. And it is true, these are real food for regular people - I saw a video about Depression-era cooking, and people had to rely on foraging for mushrooms, dandelions, etc., to get by. Cheers! -Andrew

[@HaphazardHomestead]

Here's what I found in my yard -- 24 different plants that made a great wild salad! kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4PEhnWlbtt3obs

[@diamondbright265]

I love going around and collect my garden weeds and clean my garden and then boil them and make a salad put in it oil, salt and lemon and eat it with fish or chicken .YUMMY TRY IT .Im Greek and as a child my mum showed me which weeds you can eat .Once you are shown it's easy .

[@ourscooteradventures9580]

You are coool! I do the same eating edible plants in yard except people act like im nuts here. I try to explain the benifits but to no avail.

[@JonathanLovelace]

I love the information of this video and really hope you make more like it. I would like to know how to better identify what is edible in my yard as well as out in nature. Great video 👍👏🎥 keep up the great work 😁❤️

[@AdventureArchives]

Thank you so much for the comment, and thank you for watching! We'll definitely be making more videos like this in the future :) Cheers! -Andrew

[@LynnMTHA]

Fried dandelion flowers, dipped in batter and salted are SO GOOD!

[@WisconsinEric]

2+yrs ago when I first saw you guys break out a heavy glass mason jar of fermented food while backpacking I knew you were the real deal. This is another great video. Thank You.

[@AdventureArchives]

Hahah, it's been a while since we've had the fermented food on a trip... Maybe it's time for the kimchi and sauerkraut to make a return. Thanks so much for watching, and thanks for your comment :) -Andrew

[@sonjalewis3047]

Fermenting is a great way to get rid of the gas-producing sugars in the mustard family (Brassicaceae)--whose greens are so extremely healthy for us and abundant in meals around the globe. Use some liquid from a live, active batch of kimchi or sauerkraut to kickstart your own fermented brassicas!

[@sewahsewah2044]

SOUL INSPIRATIONAL!!! 💕Definitely Educational!!! 💕 Direct And Right To The Point!!! 😄👍🏽 Love The I’ve Taste Testing!!! 👀👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾Thanks For Sharing!!!😎💕🙏🏾Blessings

[@rockytopwrangler2069]

Learning never stops,,Thank You!..........With all that grazing ..how do you stay so thin ??........lol

[@tommielourogers4327]

I wish that you could talk to the city inspectors where I live. They give out $500.00 tickets if we have any of the plants that you just showed growing in our yards or if we don’t keep everything mowed very short. With the cost of food so high, I would like to eat the plants from my yard but the city is more concerned with perfect lawns than if the elderly survive this food shortage. We now live in a world where image is more important than reality. It’s ok to starve to death at home, as long as everything looks nice from the outside. To be honest, I am so disgusted with people today, I really don’t care if I starve to death . I just want to disassociate myself with the human race.

[@janelleschmidt2250]

I think I’m in love, Wanted to meet a guy like this my whole life, I wish he would come & eat my lawn, yes I mean that both ways , the flowers & the guy are eye candy, while I drink a hot dandelion tea, I picked in my front yard.☺️

[@cynthiacetrangelo2296]

You don't know why people remove them I'll tell you why. I was doing homework with my grandchildren a few years back and the public school indoctrination system sent a letter home or a flyer telling people that you should remove the dandelions from your yard at their weeds. That's why because we are misinformed by all of these trusted institutions institution should be the hint right here!! get the kids out of public school give them a chance to live free and fairly with their self-esteem intact.

[@glorybound7599]

Great video, thanks. I’ve turned my lawn into a feeding station for wildlife and we haven’t been disappointed.

[@AlexanderWulff]

This is awesome! Now I can live out my Stardew Valley fantacy in my own backyard. Are there any books where I could learn more about this?

[@AdventureArchives]

Haha, I still need to play that game, but i've heard good things about it :) For foraging, I would recommend The Forager's Harvest and Nature's Garden by Samuel Thayer. Those are great books covering wild edibles in the US (with a focus on the eastern half, I believe). Cheers! -Andrew

[@foxydancer54]

How I wish I were confident enough to be able to identify and actually consume edible weeds! I've looked at pictures in books and watched videos like this one, but I'm still very nervous about it. The only things I have actually eaten are wild chives and dandelion greens. Oh yes, I also ate a bit of purslane that happened be inside the package of my bagged salad. (It was not included in the ingredient list so I assumed it was there by accident.) I went ahead and ate it anyway. Pleasantly mild flavor. I thought after doing that I would be courageous enough to eat the ones growing in my yard, but no.

[@LeaLikesIcecream]

I was waiting for something like that from Andrew :)

[@justinaturnbough2465]

The government is mad at my lawn because a neighbor told on us I love the natural medicine in my lawn. I also grow food crops fruits but also love weeds for there natural medicine.

[@jk-vs3yq]

Im sorry im late to the game but after watching your video on pictured rock i found this video iv been really interested in wild edibles i was wondering if any of these plants have a poisonis look alike to aviod i do know most of these but only tried a few of them im definitely gonna do my homework great job with video

[@toddfagan7703]

If its invasive.its really just a hard working beneficial immigrant.

[@nl4064]

correction ribwort plantain is highly edible we chop and salad mix it every day in summer incredible nutrients we eat 40 weed sp all year in garden save hundreds of

[@caroljohnstone497]

I bought this groovy cold pressed juicer and I'm wondering if I can grab some dandelions off my (non-fertizilized) lawn and just juice 'em up. Anyone ever tried?

[@ZosKia523]

My little boy and i used to eat wild chives and dandelions in the back. It broke my heart when our new landlord forced a landscaper on us. Also, they killed my huge rosemary bush and ivy :/

[@tiaguerra7002]

Yea,but remember not alot of Americans are like us,we Asian we know wat to eat and not to eat,to the other people they think its a weed,meh

[@rodrigosays]

This information is so vital and wish it was taught more! I was born and raised in Hawaii and my father is from the northern part of Philippines. He’s Ilocano and there’s a running joke that Ilocanos are like goats because they eat any plant hahaha. There were so much amaranthus growing in our area my father use to use it in his dishes. He would wait till they flowered though and I loved eating the tips of the plant. I forget the name of it but there is somewhat of a soup with a few these “foragables” (is that a word?), especially amaranthus. He cooked it with taro stalks and root, and other veggies like squash flowers, and it would be an almost purple grayish soup. It had a nice tart too it, not sour, it was a savory flavor with a nice tart. It pairs amazingly with fried fish and of course rice! I miss these dishes and every time I visit home he cooks them!

[@thewanderingfalcon]

Man.. you know what, this was a beautiful video through and through. I wish I had half your knowledge about plants, trees and everything in between, so thank you for your constant 'updates' and reminders in the videos you guys make. I even liked the message, and I agree. I do like a really well cut lawn that is green and healthy, but I see the other side of the argument as well. I really do. Thanks again dude, you're awesome! Cheers from Norway. ^^

[@AdventureArchives]

I definitely see the appeal of a lush green lawn as well, and I think there are definitely places where that's suitable. Though I'd like to look into more environmentally friendly ways of maintaining them. I do know that in some places, people are at least looking into growing lawns that have native species of grass. Thanks so much for your comment, and thank you for watching! Cheers :) -Andrew

[@sonjalewis3047]

A thick grass-only turf is way too much like a green carpet--for indoors only! Lawn seed mixes in the 1950s and before included small clovers, to provide nitrogen--and then chemical fertilizers took over. Try to see the beauty of a lush, thick MEADOW, growing with a diversity of texture and color. The "yard weeds" Adventure Archives introduces us to mostly grow only 6" high, but can be easily mowed to half that height.

[@Nerding4Nature]

I might have some parents hating me because I keep telling their kids how amazing dandelions are and that they should keep them on their lawn :D A few years ago during a drought all the lawns were dying but my parents'. Their secret? their lawn is 90% "weeds."

[@AdventureArchives]

Haha, that's awesome! We need more people like you telling kids about edible weeds, haha -Andrew

[@azcolby40]

Excellent, please do more of these from the various areas you guys visit

[@AdventureArchives]

Will do! Thanks so much for watching :) -Andrew

[@JusuMade]

I was hoping that you would do vegetation videos!

[@AdventureArchives]

Glad you enjoy the videos! We'll definitely have more in the future as well :) -Andrew

[@springbooth3547]

Beautiful explanation. Thank you!

[@timlawson4314]

The sorrel plant with the clover like leaves, are what I was referring to that we called rabbit grass, when we were trying edibles around the campus in Nashville.

[@AdventureArchives]

Ohh, that makes sense now. It's interesting how many different common names plants can have, and how these things can differ across local cultures. Yeah, any sort of sorrel plant is really tasty. Thanks for watching, Tim! -Andrew

[@somkitthompson9559]

You are an amazing man. What an incredible inspiration. Thank you so much 🙏💚🙏

[@AdventureArchives]

Thank you so much, and thanks for watching! :)

[@magnuscarlsen8795]

Imagine how many animals pooed on these plants

[@justinaturnbough2465]

I tell people and people like at me like I am not smart

[@nisnber5760]

It was a joy watching a video on wild edible and medicinal plants and realizing that you are familiar with all of them save one. Also St. John's wort Pokeweed Joe pye weed Yarrow Shepherds purse Elderberry Boneset Goldenrod Mullein Peppergrass Evening primrose Monarda Chicory Curly dock Queen Anne's lace

[@AdventureArchives]

Thank you for watching! Out of curiosity, which one were you not familiar with? And yeah, those are also great plants for eating/medicinal use. I see a few on that list that I need to learn for myself. The ones I do recognize, I've seen growing along hedges and in meadows near civilization. Good stuff! :) -Andrew

[@nisnber5760]

I wasn't familiar with spring beauty until now. It's possible I just never saw them in bloom and mistook the seedpods for some kind of chickweed, to which they are distantly related, or maybe it just doesn't grow wild here in NYC.

[@Trinity4me]

1 min into this video and I am totally with you 100%. What a terrific and poignant video. Thank you.

[@AdventureArchives]

Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it, and thank you for watching :) -Andrew

[@Ryanhelpmeunderstand]

It’s also sad because a lot of communities HAVE to cut and maintain their lawns. The city forces it because it makes property values go up, for some reason. I agree with you though! One day when I own my own home I am going to have beautiful gardens for my yards. No grass haha just edible veggies, fruits and plants!

[@AdventureArchives]

Thanks for watching! Yeah, it is a shame how some neighborhoods/associations set rules like that. Definitely better to either let natural plants grow, or garden!

[@pamelaislam676]

How do you know squirrel didnt pee on it?

[@ZiggiWillpower]

Great informative video! Thank you for sharing your knowledge :) I'm trying to learn more about wild edible plants, since I live in an apartment and have no place to keep a garden. So far this year I've made delicious pasta dishes using both stinging nettle and ground elder - both very common around where I live.

[@AdventureArchives]

Thanks so much for watching! Ooh, I love stinging nettle. Definitely great in pasta dishes. I haven't tried ground elder yet, but I'll have to keep my eye out for that. I see that it has a triangular stem, which is really good to know. Thanks for the comment! Cheers :) -Andrew

[@drogonsmommy]

Great video thank you for sharing this, I love foraging and especially love eating what grows randomly in my back yard, so I’m excited to learn new things to look for❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️

[@DerekLieu]

Yesssssss! I don't have a lawn to eat, but I love when you explain edible/medicinal plants! 😄

[@AdventureArchives]

Haha, I guess those aren't quite as common in LA. Thanks for watching! Glad you liked the video :) -Andrew

[@brigettethomas9873]

Loved this video Andrew! I’ve always really appreciated your passion for wild plants/edibles and find it fascinating when you talk about it in your trail videos so this was great! Like you, I wish more people would allow nature into their environment. Watching this inspired me to go and hunt round my own lawn and I came in with a selection that I now need to identify (I’m in the UK), any advice on how I can do this please? Thanks

[@jamesw.t.2555]

I love when you teach us how to ID plants! I used plantain to treat a wasp sting a few years ago and it worked great. Thanks Professor Andrew :-)

[@Neptune730]

Awesome video. I have found Carolina Geranium, Cleaver, Curly Dock, Plantain (lanceolata), Sow Thistle, Bull Thistle, Wild Onion (Allium stellatum), Wood Sorrel, Clover and Black berry. I don't treat my yard. Unfortunately I have to mow it down since I live in town and I get nasty letters from the town saying I'll be fined for letting my "weeds" get to high. My Wood Sorrel and Cleaver didn't come up this season but my Plantain spread like wildfire. Though they are really small.

[@chrisjones7353]

Andrew, no offense, but you look a little creepy in the thumbnail.

[@AdventureArchives]

Haha, I was cracking up when I first watched it because he’s pretty much lying on the ground the whole video. I wouldn’t have it any other way though hahaha -Robby

[@kiinolaroshii4247]

I've learned a lot of cool stuff. Once again, great video Andrew🍃

[@AdventureArchives]

Thanks so much for watching! Glad you learned some new things :) Cheers! -Andrew

[@MelissaSummersIsOnAir]

This is an AWESOMEEEEE video. Love your information and especially your message at the end. Soooo TRUE. Thank you for this.

[@justinaturnbough2465]

Yes sure most people do not know

[@dmn3773]

The thumbnail in this video rules, so serious Andrew (not quite as serious as Thomas though).

[@AdventureArchives]

Hahah, thank you for watching :) -Andrew

[@MVU0]

You should make a camp catch and cook video if you guys are into fishing

[@AdventureArchives]

I really hope to do something like that in the future, so maybe you'll see something like that eventually in one of our episodes :) ~Bry

[@darryllawler2777]

Any suggestions for how to navigate the conversation with neighbors when you live in a development/neighborhood that is entirely manicured? The obvious potential for conflict is a very real deterrent.

[@movingnaturefilms]

Move.

[@HaphazardHomestead]

If they like vegetables, invite them over for a good salad or some wild cooked greens. They'll be asking you to identify their weeds! Or start with some of the flowers off of trees, like redbuds and black locust. Those taste so good, people make the connection that they are missing out on something special.

[@AdventureArchives]

Great idea, Haphazard Homestead! Using flowers is definitely a good way to convince someone that a few weeds aren't so bad, since they're so beautiful, and can also be really tasty in a salad.

[@AdventureArchives]

I'm latching on to Hapahzard Homestead's reply. I was going to say in general that demonstrating the value of these plants might help convince them to be more relaxed about lawns, and I think preparing a dish with wild plants in it might be a great way to make it really stick in their minds. The potential for conflict can definitely be a big obstacle. But it might also be fun trying to turn some of your lawn space into garden space with native plant species (maybe edible ones, even), or a place for growing vegetables. I've found people are accepting of mulched sections with garden flowers, so why not vegetables or native plants? Hope you can figure out broaching this with your neighbors, and thank you for watching! :) -Andrew

[@darryllawler2777]

Your suggestion is certainly effective for addressing issues with your immediate neighbors. Unfortunately, when you're in an established development, there is much more pressure to align with the visual aesthetic shared by everyone else. I'm not disagreeing with the potential benefit that could be derived from what you're suggesting, I'm just not sure if it's scaleable to the point that might be required for convincing an entire neighborhood. It's my feeling that efforts like what you are suggesting are better served when endorsed by the advertising sector. If Toro, John Deere, Husqvarna and similar companies would join in the promotion of practices like you are suggesting, there's a much broader audience who would be served by such advice. Until that buy-in is achieved, you are always going to be up against the cultural norms perpetuated by advertisers. Perhaps your (Andrew) connection with the National Park Service could provide some contacts who would potentially be interested in such a campaign?

[@esthers5876]

Absolutely! You give a great alternative to green lawns. I'd love to see more homes with natural native plants. My grandparents used dandelions in their salads. As you mentioned, gobo (burdock) is a traditional Japanese vegetable that we enjoy especially at New Year. Now I know how to identify it! Thanks, Andrew! ^_^

[@AdventureArchives]

Thanks so much for the comment! Ooh, I didn't realize Gobo was particularly significant at the New Year. It's cool to learn about those different foods that have cultural significance during certain holidays. Thank you for watching :) -Andrew

[@MarshandMellow83]

Thank You...I learned something from you...Yummy... I do not throw any poisons on my yard, I gather many dandelions, clover, plantains, ect... What I learned from you is about the different flowers you talked about...interesting...Thank You, and Be Well💙

[@TheChroniclesOfYarnia]

Andrew I appreciate this video so much, I had a wonderful experience with my grandmother who taught me all the native plants where I grew up. I have since moved to the north east and I really appreciate this lesson to share with my sons. Thank you.

[@slaughtergang518]

wow very interesting! great info! very informative ☺👍🌱🌱🌻🍁

[@AdventureArchives]

Thank you so much! And thanks for watching :) -Andrew

[@kevinp8108]

I use the dandelion leaves from my backyard in my green smoothies. The big juicy leaves are usually near sprinkler heads.

[@AdventureArchives]

Ooh, that's a good idea. I'll have to try that next time. Thanks for watching, and thanks for your comment! -Andrew

[@annuitcptis3032]

Lol....british aristocracy??? Boy aren't you full of it with your propaganda!!! Wow! You will get a fine from the city if you let your lawn go. That may have something to do with the desire of people trying to take care of their lawns!!🤣🤣

[@PaulyCon]

This video is a perfect breakdown of how to deal with, aka gaslight, a pissed off neighbor who is “fed” up with staring at your unmowed lawn and comes over to say something about it

[@goldenglowladore3842]

Loved this! I laughed when you, spit out/ away the super bitter plant after chewing it. Lol. :) I do eat from my lawn and appreciate the free densely-nutritiotious food! Thank you 😊....and thank you Creator, Lord Jesus.

[@matt.pma.kresnaputra5458]

Dope vid. I learned some botany and nutrigenics this year in my uni, but learned how to boil weeds from my neighbour. This vid makes me want to go home to mix some flowery salads, but im in Zushi now, on my way to Mt. Fuji. Any plants native to Japan maybe on Fuji that you know I can pick to bring back to eat?

[@AdventureArchives]

Hmm, I will say I've seen wild mushrooms that are edible, like Witch's Butter and Wood Ear. I'm not sure where in Japan this grows, but Japanese Knotweed is invasive in the US, and I know it's edible. I think some of these lawn weeds may grow invasive in lawns in Japan as well. Hope this helps!

[@wemuk5170]

Like this & gave it a thumbs up.👍😊 Except where he says that hairy bittercress isn’t as nearly as bitter as other plants! What are you talking about? HB isn’t bitter at all. It’s also called land’s (as opp to water) cress & it tastes peppery just like water cress. Not bitter like any dandelion leave or burdock or garlic mustard.

[@ghrohrs2020]

I'm going to take a wild guess and assume you are a democrat. Well, I'm a Catholic conservative and I agree with your findings and promotion of wild, edible yards. Lots of conservatives probably agree with us. We're all agreed that a more natural, chemical-free world is for the best. Unfortunately, many of us grew up in a society that was still reliant upon chemical fertilizers (Miraclegrow, Scotts, etc.). We are all guilty of being ignorant to the influence of the corporate agriculture industry.

[@nomadjesswithms2021]

I LOVE MY WEED YARD! I have foraged dandelions, purselane, Wood sorrel, fake "strawberries" and always researching if something new in my yard is edible now! Weeds are needed for the butterflies and bees!

[@anniford5215]

Very informative! My Memere used to make dandelion wine. Perhaps, I could harvest all the dandelions on my lawn and do the same. I have a ton of violets growing on my lawn; I may add some to my next salad. :). Here I was thinking I'd try to make the lawn look "nicer" this year. Instead, I'll leave it as is. Oh! And I discovered wild strawberries growing as well.

[@AdventureArchives]

Awesome! I knew somebody who made dandelion as well, but I never tried it. Definitely add some violets to your salad! If nothing else, they'll add some beautiful color to it :) Glad to hear you'll leave it as is. Ah yes, wild strawberries do sometimes pop up in lawns! Though the ones with yellow flowers might be mock strawberries, which taste kind of bland (but they won't hurt you). Cheers! -Andrew

[@criscoleman]

I always enjoy these nature's salad videos. However, I do disagree on a couple points. First of all, those Columbia University "statistics" are essentially unprovable, the kinds of statistics I have come to expect out of organizations like the Earth Institute. Secondly, the one thing you forgot to mention about letting manicured lawns go wild with "weeds" are chiggers and ticks-both of which somehow mamage to find their ways into cities' unmanicured lawns when left to go back to nature, particularly in more rural towns like mine. With nature, you also get the bugs of nature, few of which are pleasant. But other than that, it was fun seeing you identifying common wildflowers I have seen in my apartment's front and back lawns. And for this reason, I always dread it when the landlord sends over his mowers the first time, and even if he didn't send them over, the beautiful flowers don't stick around all summer anyway, even though realizing the plants themselves do. But fortunately, I get to enjoy them every Spring for at least a little while. Lots of dandelions and both blue and white violets, as well as a couple others that I don't know what they are. That being said, I have thought many times how nice it would be, if the lawns are going to have to be cut anyway, let them grow maybe four inches high, just enough to give a richer texture to the lawn. Longer grass would be more colorful than the shorter grass after a mow. And cutting grass as short as people do is not healthy, I believe, to the grass itself, leaving it open to the burning rays of the sun with no protection from the heat. But that's just me.

[@cyberhighdiver]

This flipped everything I thought I knew. Wow..God made nature to be pretty awesome.

[@madamfeline1994]

How do you ID which weeds are edible? Like any common traits to see which is poisonous or are they all just edible?

[@laurieturner57]

Just "discovered" Miner's Lettuce - what a treat! Enjoyed your vlog and really liked the music. What was that selection? thx.

[@flyswapple]

Thank you for the video! Can’t gain weight eating weeds. I’m just now learning about wild edibles this spring. I wish I’d known about this sooner.

[@AUTOREPAIRGUIDE]

I saw an older lady probably 10 years ago picking the weed off her front lawn and placing them in a bowl 🥣 now I think of it she was preparing food.

[@elaborat6421]

When I first came to North America I looked at the front yards and wondered why would people waste space like that seeing perfectly trimmed lawns growing nothing but grass?...

[@thetommantom]

I was just about to try to find out what that garlic mustard was. It is taking over under the new pine trees in my yard. I like it because it's ground cover that is pushing out those spikey weeds.

[@AdventureArchives]

If it's in your yard, might as well keep it growing - it's more a concern when it encroaches in a forest (in the US). But I'd definitely keep it growing in my yard so I could have a steady supply of it!

[@kimulm0619]

New sub.Ty Andrew.I'm just in past two years finding out about wildflowers/aka weeds.

[@HowLongOLordFaithfulandTRUE]

If you don't know if something is edible, there are ways to find out without causing harm to yourself. Look up the stages you need to go thru online. The 1st stage is to have an empty stomach. Pick plants that are abundant. Put the plant on your skin for 15 min and wait up to 8 hrs to see if you get a rash.. if so, don't eat it. Next put it up to your lips. If your lips tingle, don't eat it. Wait several hrs. Next put it on your tongue. Wait a few hrs. Next chew it and spit it out. Wait a few hrs. Next eat just a small part and wait over nite . If all goes well, you can eat 1/4 cup. Then wait 8 hrs. You have to do that with all parts of the plant: leaf/stem/root. If you see any bugs or parasites, don't eat it.

[@PaulSchortemeyer]

Interesting thoughts here. I concur that finding wild edibles is a noble and nutritious endeavour but I have some questions about your perspective on leaving lawns uncared for. For a field -sure, in a park - maybe, but around my house - not convinced. I've seen those "natural" lawns in some areas... we call them the slums. Leave your lawn to grow wild and it won't be long until a city by-law officer comes around and gives you a pretty little warning to take care of your place. We have developed communities around the idea of maintaining socially agreed upon standards, which includes enjoying lovely green spaces. There's definitely a place for wilderness, but there's also a place for gardens, and playgrounds, and yes, home lawns. We like them (well, most of us). Also, I'm no botanist, but it seems to me that you gathered the majority of those wild edibles from maintained lawns there. They seem to be growing just fine, to some degree anyway, under the conditions you lovingly showed. As a matter of fact, common sense tells me that many of those plants would probably get suppressed in a wild lawn and be overshadowed by tall grasses. You might not be able to grow - or find - half of them if the lawn was left to it's own devices. I'll tell you what you will find a lot of - mice and moles and other little pests called ticks. Again, I'm no expert, and I have nothing against critters, but I would prefer them not to take over my yard. Long story short: I learned a ton from your wild edibles identification and explanation. Thank you! On the other hand, it's not intrinsically wrong to have a lawn. Even with regular mowing (no chemicals) I get many of the plants you talked about - and my kids can play frisbee without worrying about Lyme disease. Life is about making choices and that's just how I see it.

[@CAgirrrrrrrrl]

Thank you so much! I recognized in my yard all but two of the plants you spoke about. Burdock grows wildly well in my side yard, too. Professor, well done.

[@AdventureArchives]

Thanks so much for watching! Glad you enjoyed the video :) I need to harvest some burdock again this fall. Cheers! -Andrew

[@micahwave150]

Im so glad to see adventure archives making these videos about nature! its a breath of fresh air. keep them coming. and make more on mushrooms!

[@AdventureArchives]

Thanks so much! It's great to hear you say that. And we definitely will have to do some mushroom hunting videos :) -Andrew

[@joet81]

Couldn't agree more. I've always found it very strange that people spend lots of money and time manicuring and perfecting their grass filled lawn, eliminating all of the potentially useful and nutritious species from it

[@AJKPenguin]

Hi Andrew. This occurred to me. How soon can one safely begin eating their lawn after stopping their chronic Round Up treatments? Should one wait at least a year or two or should we wait the amount of time equal to the years of application? Brightest regards from Cincinnati, --Adam K

[@boko1963]

Love you man . Spred the weeds!!! I remember the time when I tried to get rid of my dendelions , finely gave up and start eating them. The best salad available. Now I blow the seeds oll over my garden . Fly little dendelions fly🌼🌼🌼🌼

[@commonconservative7551]

I want to know what this vine-ish weed that has shown up.........it grabs your finger prints when you touch it..it has square stems is light green has thin one inch long leaves and tiny white flowers,real tiny........and did I say it grabs your fingerprints?

[@MyLadySpeaks]

Jesus Christ is our provider, shame how we have been convinced to destroy and replace God's creation he has for us with superficial things that isn't what we really.

[@Georgiatheresa]

GREAT VIDEO, but please also add into the wisdom to others the fact how the Mowing lawns Kills billions of little creatures that need these wildflowers to survive as well as killing them under the lawn mowing machines. I love your videos. World is finally becoming more conscious Fair play to you

[@momdoan]

I hate lawns but ....HOA, city enforcement, which are part of our shallow society

[@kchmck]

i'm with you on everything but the dandelions! the flowers are fine, but the puffballs are a massive eyesore imo. in the summer it's awesome seeing all the honeybees that clover and other wildflowers attract, though

[@AdventureArchives]

Aw, I love the puffballs - at least in the right lighting, haha. Yeah, it's definitely really nice to see all the bees buzzing around in the summer as well :) Thanks for watching! -Andrew

[@simonlynchsae]

I could listen to you talk edible plants for hours... You should consider a podcast about it! Maybe an episode on each national parks with guest experts, etc...

[@AdventureArchives]

Thanks for the kind words! That's not a bad idea - it'd definitely be cool to talk about wild edible plants in different ecosystems/environments. Thanks for watching! :) -Andrew

[@Canoeandtrail]

Love this!!