EatTheWeeds: Episode 04: Sow Thistles

www.eattheweeds...
Learn with Green Deane how to recognize and prepare wild lettuce and sow thistle, lactuca and sonchus, springtime salad ingredients, pot herbs and wild food. www.eattheweeds.com

[@meanqkie2240]

Picked the 2 rapid growth 18” Sonchus beside the compost pile the other night, chopped and stewed them with bacon grease, butter and salt until tender. Delicious! Thank you for teaching me about Sonchus years ago!

[@FacetsOfTruth]

I saw these and wondered. Now they are going in my belly. LOL Thanks, my friend. Wonderful and informative as usual. You are a true gift to us all. I hope you live a very long time. God bless!

[@kketurah23]

You are the coolest sir.....:-) thanks for sharing your world.

[@EatTheWeeds]

@MarxIsDead I try to eat something wild every day. I've been doing it since I was a kid. I am in my 60s and in excellent health.

[@EatTheWeeds]

That reminds me of the joke about the woman who was at the butcher shop. The butcher said he was having a sale on beef tongue. The woman said no adding she could never eat something that had been in an animals mouth. Then she ordered a dozen eggs....

[@sarahreeves6816]

EatTheWeeds

[@juneturpin2019]

That was funny.

[@teperikaetr]

Jijiji. That is funny.

[@nutriciencia]

I love your videos. I am a herbalist too. Thank you.

[@MarxIsDead]

How often would you say that you eat wild greens? Also, how long have you been eating them, and have you realized any noticeable health benefits, changes in your health, etc.? This is really fascinating and your work is very much appreciated!

[@johnlord8337]

Miner's lettuce is quite easy to see, once known. It is a flat single leaf up and out of the main stem. Physically (in west coast) it wraps around and off the main stem. Single leaf is totally green (like spinach), and no veins or other colors. Leaf thickness like spinach. Very spinachy and good. Stem is very herbaceous and soft, not hard, no fibers, and can be harvested as well. No leaf spikes, smooth -not serrated leaf edge. It has a single spring time "l-I-t-t-l-e" white flower that honey bees go for. Yes highly edible, ala California 49er's miner's lettuce.

[@EatTheWeeds]

Yes. Many. But since this is August it is doubtful they are at the edible stage now unless you live close to the arctic circle. They are a spring green.

[@wildcatgrljulie63]

Thanks for the interesting video! I have both of these growing in my back yard! The wild lettuce tastes good , but now I'll try the sow thistle too! I wasn't sure about eating them but now I will!

[@khustombuilt2854]

In New Zealand, it's called Puha. Scrub the sap out under water and boiled up with pork bones and sweet potato ....yum

[@EatTheWeeds]

Great! The part of the army field manual on edible plants is available in many books stores. It is ISBN 1-58574-661-4. I was in the Army, it can take you far.

[@VincentGonzalezVeg]

I'm growing them in garden beds, they're a great source of aphids (they're edible) if you're looking for a 'sacrificial' plant these & nasturtiums collect enough aphids to keep a healthy ladybug population around!

[@gwynedd1]

Interesting update. I was having trouble thinking the other was a lettuce. t does in fact make a great lettuce in use. I have both species in my yard along with L. serriola and L. canadensis. I think also I have a 5th one of this type which is the S. arvense. Loved you update on the lawn. I also earned a noxious weed violation letter this year. I have been planting edible native shrubs which will provide nice out of site haunts for the likes of these.

[@EatTheWeeds]

@lealdragon No, I mean a uniform coating of hair on leaves and or stem. The lactuca can have a single line of hair on the underside of the mid-rib, but I am referring to a more widepread coating of hair.

[@WalterTonetto]

Excellent, Dean! Blessings to you!!

[@williammiller6043]

The fuzzy lookalike you mention at the end isn't so wrong. It's likely Polymnia canadensis. Less common; a delicious and nutritious salad green.

[@LeafOffline]

Good video Green Deane

[@EatTheWeeds]

Lactucas can be maddening. First cut across a leaf and tell me what shape the stem is, triangle or oval. Next, look at the underside of the leaf stem under a loop. Can you see little hairs?

[@EatTheWeeds]

The seventh plant I show, the one I say I harvested a week earlier, is an adult sow thistle, not a lactuca. Green Deane

[@EatTheWeeds]

@parrotbill Plants vary greatly in how they look which is why photos are not that good whereas a good botanical drawing tells you exactly what you need to know. If the picture of the plant was taken in a northern state and you live in a southern state your plant might not resemble the northern one enough to even recognize.

[@ickycan]

Thank you! Wonderful series!

[@truthgha]

Is that your blog site? I remember hearing something about your blog. I will listen again to the video and do that as soon as possible. Thanks so much. I have a new grandbaby boy that is taking up a lot of my time right now, along with work, etc so hopefully I can do this right away.pictures that is. the more I think about it it may be a thistle with the prickly hairs on the spine of the leaves underneath. I did taste it and the leaves taste fine. The prickly hairs are not present baby plants.

[@EatTheWeeds]

To my knowledge there are no tannins in lettuce. The bitter element is latex.

[@lzambeni]

Sow thistle is extremely high in the flavanol Apigenin which has recently been shown to inhibit the dimerization of MUC1 which causes metastasis of most cancers.

[@EatTheWeeds]

Usually a fiberous root means the thistle is two years old and the root is better at the end of its first year.

[@kathyhenry8932]

Hello. My question is can you dry theses plants and uses them as a tea?. Or only the top as a salid and the bottom part as cooked greens. Thanks so much for your hard work in bringing this video to all of us. Thanks Kathy from West Virgina May the Father in Heaven be with you in all that you do.

[@greendeane1]

Yes, you can dry them and make them into a tea... but it will be a bitter tea.

[@lealdragon]

Thanks so much for this very valuable info! I'm very excited to find your videos! What do you mean by 'fuzzy'? Do you mean the little hairs on the underside of the leaves? or something else? I have a lot of plants I thought were wild lettuce that have hairs. Thanks

[@truthgha]

I ahve shared your eat the weeds video with a friend already and have told many more who share our interest. I look forward to showing my grand daughter more edibles. My daughter keeps saying she is concerned about a dog urinating on leaves my grand pulls. She seems to have a fixation about that thought. I need to tell her to soak leaves in salt water to take care of any little critters that may be present. I am like you though. I love plucking and nibbling at the foraging site. :-)

[@EatTheWeeds]

@skelitalmisfit12 You mean do these plants grow in Indiana? Yes, though they should be past or getting past their season.

[@hypenation84]

We actually call it puha in New Zealand us maoris love it we eat with pork bones and dow boys

[@EatTheWeeds]

@bboydreamer96 Lettuce is very easy to grow. A little soil, some water and full sun. But why bother? There is so much free lactuca? As for the so-called drug lettuce it isn't that good, is rare in the US, and takes a lot of work.

[@scottdunn5197]

At the beginning you said wild lettuce on left... on the left is the sow thistle. Did the video get mirrored or...? I like the structure/format of the show though.

[@KiwiBushcraftAndSurvival]

Thats what I thought too, it looks like sow thistle on the left and wild lettuce on the right?

[@mrsc1914]

the sow thistle one is yummy. However, I can't figure out if >> when it gets older, the funky look of it is from bugs , or it just gets funky looking & thats normal. It gets spots. Kinda powdery white patches, wilted but dry wilted & inconsistent dark funky-ness . Besides that , the bugs love it and I really don't get much of a chance to eat it. Bugs will eat 80% of ALL of it.. I've been considering cultivating it . I really enjoy the slight bitterness. I find it interesting tasting. Crunchy, yummy

[@EatTheWeeds]

@steveb234 Cooked? No effects, except they taste good. Raw they are bitter but if you like the taste of bitter they're good. To get "effects" from the sap you have to collect a huge amount of it and dry it, a long and tedious chore.

[@EatTheWeeds]

@SkateSA210 Usually found in lawns and parks, where man lives and plays.

[@Izziebettz]

Thank you so much for this video. Izziebettz

[@ionutbarbu82]

Hello Green Deane . Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge with us ! I’ve watched the video a few times already but wanted to ask you if by any chance you are calling the sow thistle wild lettuce in the beginning of the video . I’ve ate the common sow thistle many times raw or cooked ( I think it’s crunchier and tastier than dandelions for example ) . I do apologise if I got it wrong 😅. Best wishes from Essex , Uk . Ionuț

[@EatTheWeeds]

You're welcome, thanks.

[@AnnyaMoon]

@EatTheWeeds Thankyou for the reply. :)

[@EatTheWeeds]

@namamatherlfth Go to my website, look under Foraging Instructors, Michigan, you'll find one. Also consider the books by Samuel Thayer, The Forager's Harvest, and Nature's Garden.

[@andyjarhead666]

Are there crossbreeds? I have found what I thought was Sow Thistle--and according to Roger T. Peterson it is, but it had ovate and serrated leaves in the basal rosette. Then there is Goats beard that I found near the finger lakes in upstate NY. I guess I am just wondering if they can cross-pollenate and what does it oficially become? Also, are you in Gainesville and just had a class march 20th?

[@EatTheWeeds]

@be4its2late I might do one on the beans but the oats are protected.

[@skelitalmisfit12]

@EatTheWeeds thank you:)

[@EatTheWeeds]

It is also a good glue.

[@tangiiaunu2767]

Puha - Young Wild Lettuce Tiotio - Mature Wild Lettuce

[@khustombuilt2854]

Can be boiled down for pain relief too , apparently ☺️

[@EatTheWeeds]

There is one hairy kind that is darker but usually latuca is a powdery gray green. There may be one but in my experience and memory I have not encountered a dark green wild lettuce. Do you have a picture of it?

[@EatTheWeeds]

Good, and if you have any questions just email me.

[@EatTheWeeds]

I've been pondering it. The issue is how safe is it....

[@robertbrunston5406]

Thank you.

[@be4its2late]

will you please do a video on Canavalia maritima "sea bean" and how exactly you go about cooking sea oats like cereal. I know they are protected I would just like to know how.

[@truthgha]

excited to find your articles. I had found what I believe is the wild lettuce you are showing here. I was thinking it may be arugula, but now know it is not. My plant does grow upright , quite tall and has the same leaves your wild lettuce shows. There are little fine hairs growing on the spine stem on the underside though. Is this wild lettuce? Thanks so much for your site. I love it.

[@EatTheWeeds]

Why thank you, that's kind of you.

[@EatTheWeeds]

@AnnyaMoon Yep

[@captainde2]

Are there any other plants that look like these that will make me sick if I eat them?

[@parrotbill]

I have found that many books only have drawings and a few glossy photos. Other than palms, cattails, arrowhead and pickerel plants, I won't use drawings to identify edible plants. What is a good pocket field guide for the south central and eastern edible plants with wall to wall photos? I have Peterson field guide to edible plants and found it is better than "The complete guide to edible wild plants, shroooms, fruits & nuts. I like the Peterson Guide the best but it still lacks a lot.

[@carpetmonk]

WHOSE MY LOCAL EXPERT!!!! I NEED THEM!!! STAT

[@EatTheWeeds]

Could be. I would look at my video on Bull Thistle and also read my blog on them. If it is a true thistle (a Cirsium) it will be edilbe. It might not be tasty but all Cirsiums are edible.

[@NatSoc14888]

Damn ...so rounded leaves are sow thistle trait ...sucks because I found one.. up rooted it.. planted in a pot..nursed it back to health now I think it's a sow instead of a lettuce

[@txs]

How do I grow sow thistle in my garden

[@sillcybin8432]

Looks like Terrance McKenna

[@truthgha]

wish I could show you a picture of the plant I have here in my yard.

[@skelitalmisfit12]

@EatTheWeeds how about indiana?

[@EatTheWeeds]

Join the Green Deane Forum and post them.

[@lyndaraven1618]

Does minors lettuce grow in the summer and does it grow in the shade? Also, what is a lettuce I can grow year round or in the spring and summer atleast?

[@parrotbill]

Well I found a plant here that has a spicy smell but it matched 3 different drawings, one of which is toxic, so it stays where it is. If there were a photo I would be able to tell much better. Too bad there isn't a good book with more photos in it.

[@bboydreamer96]

whats the best way to grow lactuca?

[@luckyfire3]

i was wondering how to leach the tannin out of the greens?

[@khustombuilt2854]

It's latex, not tannin. Just run the plant under water and scrub the bitterness out. Cooks up sweet and delicious.

[@EatTheWeeds]

@parrotbill Personally I think drawings are superior to pictures for a variety of reasons. The book you ask for, unfortunately, does not exist.

[@notfunny333]

@EatTheWeeds Wow, You look pretty good for being in your 60's i would guess that you would be between early 40's and early 50's

[@AnnyaMoon]

Do these 2 plants grow in Kentucky?

[@rlt94]

this is awesome :D

[@abcxyz9643]

There sure are a lot of plants you can eat with white sap to call it rare. Never understood that.

[@greendeane1]

There are hundreds of species with white sap and only a few are edible.

[@EatTheWeeds]

@jephboy So true... in fact I am removing those comments. My mail box is flooded with them constanty. They read drug use nonsense on the internet then ask me were to find the plant. And when I tell them its no big deal I get nasty, juvenile replies. It sometimes makes me wish I never did two videos on the species. I used to politiely answer all emails about it,but some several thousand similar emails later I just delete them.

[@EatTheWeeds]

@carpetmonk Go to my website, look on the "instructor" page to see if there is an expert in your area.

[@EatTheWeeds]

I appreciate your watching. If you have any questions drop me a line...

[@frenchkisser95]

are they smokeable too maybe? :)

[@truthgha]

I am a bit slow understanding jokes sometimes. I think you are saying that she is concerned about something that is a conflicting thought. I tell her to just have her soak the leaves in salt water for about 20 minutes and it would kill anything on the leaves. :-)

[@EatTheWeeds]

@frenchkisser95 No. Edible.

[@EatTheWeeds]

No.

[@stacylynn4414]

Close ups would help.

[@rmorris5276656]

Are you able to eat ferns?

[@greendeane1]

It depends what which fern and which part.

[@rmorris5276656]

Ok do you have any videos on which ones we can eat. I was thinking of the ones beside you in your video

[@dalcottb2548]

thank you like the info . found your pronunciation a little difficult to hear sow thistle

[@F12ESHY]

3:53 - 4:00 i lol'd

[@firebrandsgirl]

@DEXAtrip HA

[@TubErSkillZ]

@goldwell11111 lmfao!

[@kimklien7995]

404: Page Not Found This page does not exist

[@EatTheWeeds]

@MarxIsDead I try to eat something wild every day. I've been doing it since I was a kid. I am in my 60s and in excellent health.