Wild Greens: Turn Weeds into a Great Salad in Winter or Spring

Here are wild greens and common yard weeds that can be turned into great salads, anytime the weather is cool and wet. Even in the winter, if the ground isn't frozen. They are common weeds of the spring, too, in many lawns, gardens, and untended areas in neighborhoods and parks.
I pick 16 weeds from my yard. I give you tips for making a great wild salad. I top my salad with plants from the wild and from my garden -- even homegrown ripe tomatoes on December 31! And I have a New Year's Eve cocktail made from my Black Locust Flower Gin. Have a great year of foraging and eating!
I made this salad as part of my annual personal challenge to make a wild salad on the last day of every year.
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Wild Plant List (in order of appearance)
Cats-ear - Hypochaeris radicata
Yellow Archangel or Yellow Dead-nettle - Lamiastrum galeobdolon
Cleavers - Galium aparine
Nipplewort - Lapsana communis
Narrowleaf plantain - Plantago lanceolate
Purple deadnettle - Lamium purpureum
Borage - Borago officinalis
Common sowthistle - Sonchus oleraceus
Lemon balm - Melissa officinalis
Hedge mustard - Sisymbrium officinale
Chickweed - Stellaria media
Curly dock - Rumex crispus
Common mallow - Malva neglecta
Wild field mustard - Brassica rapa
Wild chives - Allium vinale
Dandelion - Taraxacum officinale
Yucca - Yucca gloriosa
Black locust - Robinia pseudoacacia
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Videos on specific plants mentioned in this video:
Hedge Mustard - • Picking Hedge Mustard:...
Wild Field Mustard - • Wild Field Mustard: Ho...
Wild Chives - • Foraging Wild Chives -...
Black Locust Flower Cocktails - • Black Locust Gin Cockt...
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Like Wild Salads? Here's a whole playlist of wild salads:
Wild Salads - • Wild Salads: Foraging ...
If you like your cooked wild greens, here's a playlist about preparing your harvest:
Cooking Wild Greens - • Wild Greens Recipes: Y...
If you want to improve your foraging skills, here's my playlist - Foraging: Real Food for Regular People - • In the Garden
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Here are my playlists about specific wild plants:
Dandelions - • Dandelions: Foraging W...
Wild Mustard Plants - • Wild Mustard Plants: G...
Elderberry - • Elderberry Bushes, Flo...
Spruce Trees - • Spruce Trees: Foraging...
Pine Trees - • Pine Trees: Foraging W...
Redbud Trees - • Redbud Trees: Foraging...
Detailed ID of Wild Mushrooms - • Wild Mushrooms - Deep ...
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My channel:
/ haphazardhomestead
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Want to send me something?
Haphazard Homestead
PO Box 40721
Eugene, OR 97404
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Music
One Fine Day by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Artist: audionautix.com/
Plain Loafer Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License, creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
Auld Lang Syne (Instrumental) by Jingle Punks, Touching Moment by Wayne Jones, You Are My Rainbow by Unicorn Heads, all from KZbin Audio Library

[@vickiiluvboxers4191]

In all my 70 years, I've never seen a wild greens salad. Beautiful! I recognize the dandelions and chives, but am unfamiliar with the rest. WOW do I have a lot to learn. Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful salad. :)

[@HaphazardHomestead]

With dandelions and wild chives, you've got a lot of good eating, too, Vicki ILuvBoxers! It's amazing how many of our common weeds were really considered food plants in the past. With wild plants and mushrooms, there's more than any of us can learn in a lifetime, so it's nice when anyone shares their experience with them. Just knowing that other people eat weeds helps people get started. Happy spring! :D

[@hangtoughhomestead2229]

THANK YOU! Please continue to present the same weeds over and over again. It helps because they always seem to look a little different. Great teaching for us newbies!

[@TheBlackSheepDiaries]

HTH, I love your channel name! I'm new here as far as participating, trying to offer some Black Sheep out there some help from my experience, and I try to end my stuff saying Hang Tough. It's what we gotta do, especially these days right? Love it!

[@ms.s1321]

4:10 Hi kitty! " Hey, I want some!" Cat said.

[@elkeschmitt623]

Thank you very much=awesome information=I love foraging for my greens-used to do that when I lived in Germany-but when I lived in AZ that was not possible ( Dessert Climate ) now I live in N Cal and have a yard/garden. There is nothing better than harvesting from God's plentiful provision. I am so grateful.

[@shelleenguyen6972]

Please upload more videos. I absolutely love them. Thank you

[@Saturn_Jay760]

I love when you make salad out of everything that you found. It's so fun. I've watched your wild edible plant salad at least 5 times.

[@geodegroot8310]

THAT is a georgeous salad packed with 20 plus anti-oxidants and vitamins in the middle of the winter!!! If we ALL ate our weeds, Covid 19, or whatever you call the scourge, would be a NON-issue! Thanks for the info and wisdom!

[@HaphazardHomestead]

These are such delicious salads, Geoff G. It would be nice if everyone could eat something as satisfying and enjoyable as these salads. I hope you can find some edible plants in your area, too!

[@songyardbird2513]

I love your vintage fork.

[@TealCheetah]

Haha kitty in the chickweed

[@FindInNature]

I can recognize many of them my friend. Some I not even imagined they were edible. Nice how you keep them organized. The salad looks very tasty. Thanks for sharing. 👍👍

[@TrehanCreekOutdoors]

I completed enjoyed your video as it was an excellent tutorial with lots of good info. I'm nowhere near an expert on foraging but after 16 years living on my 20 acre homestead property here in Mississippi, I have learned how to identify, pick, and prepare many wild edibles from my land. Truly there are lots of edible plants, nuts, mushrooms, tubers, etc. that can be harvested at various times of the year. I find it a fun challenge to just take a bowl and forage to see what I can find for dinner, or any meal really. Just in case some of your viewers might enjoy seeing how to use wild edibles for BREAKFAST, I have a video posted on my channel on making a Smilax and Wild Garlic omelet. Smilax goes by many names, one of which is Greenbriar. It's honestly one of my favorite wild edibles. When young shoots appear in the spring, you can eat the thorns and all! But deer love them too, so I have to compete with the wildlife for finding them first. Thanks for sharing your excellent video. Much appreciated.

[@ginamitembe8935]

WOW 😳😳😳 so much to learn on all those plants I NEVER thought are edible!! Thanks for sharing 💯👍😍

[@HaphazardHomestead]

There are so many amazing things to eat out there, just growing on their own, waiting to be noticed. I hope you can enjoy some of them yourself sometime, Gina Mitembe!

[@donaldeugenealford4080]

Really enjoyed the knowledge u have of edible plants,it was a pleasure to watch this video. I see Connie and Lonnie follow u,I follow them as well, appreciate u.

[@carynmartin6053]

Wow, where have you been all my life?!🤗

[@christieforcelsius3648]

Excellent! I ate wild vegetables all the time when I was young in China village. Now I am starting it again!

[@quasi8180]

I see those plantains everywhere.

[@justaddmusclecom]

I love this. I pick a lot of Purslane and Dandelions here in Florida. Love the taste and crispy texture of Purslane, and it is so hearty here all year. Thanks so much for the really informative video. Learned a lot.

[@HaphazardHomestead]

You are enjoying 2 of the great edible weeds, Healthy Recipe Channel! I appreciate finding out which weeds you have in your area, too, so far from me in the Pacific Northwest. It's amazing how some plants can handle all the extremes of different parts of the country and even around the world. It's nice that you are able to get purslane (Portulaca oleracea) all year. I only see it in our hottest summer months. Happy weed eating! :D

[@cristineconnell7803]

All year would be delightful! I love my daily summer nibbles! Have to figure how to grow indoors!

[@thefirstnoob5577]

I am teaching my son about wild edibles. I love these videos because I may learn something new.

[@skylovecraft2491]

Plz keep making these vids!! I love foraging!!😍✌👏

[@shadowleep]

Here I am on a second day of fasting with my mouth watering while watching as if I was reading Euell Gibbons.

[@taherchalabi2056]

very informative , great video with the latin and common name, thank you

[@he7is7at7hand]

Your salad looks fantastic!

[@Far-North-Bushcraft-Survival]

Even though we only have the dandelion and chives here in South Central Alaska, I still enjoyed your video. Very well done. We will be experiencing Spring growth explosion of the greens soon here and I'm looking forward to it. Like you, I really enjoy being able to wild forage.

[@HaphazardHomestead]

Hey, Lonnie, thanks for stopping by! I like all your foraging, for sure. I think you make good use of the greens you have, like the fireweed. It's amazing how dandelions and chives are so adaptable to such extreme climates -- cold and hot. Enjoy your spring green explosion! ; )

[@SuperLightin]

Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us! 💐

[@HaphazardHomestead]

You're welcome, SuperLightin! There is so much goodness out there, just waiting for us. Happy spring!

[@biddibee3526]

Beautiful salad.

[@sethmurphy7656]

Thank you! I just realized my most hated "weed" in my yard is Common Mallow thanks to you! Now instead of wasting my energy pulling those dang things (and those taproots go DEEP) I'll use it for tea, and salads! Hope all is well, thank you for taking the time with all of your informative vids.

[@eswaribalan164]

Wow, wow looks sooo good.

[@HaphazardHomestead]

Thanks, Eswari Balan! Some weeds are so good to eat! I hope you can find some good ones around you, too!

[@thegadgetrulez]

Watching this makes me hungry for a nice big salad! Boy that salad disappeared quick! Have a great day Aunt Holly Chris. :)

[@HaphazardHomestead]

Hey, Josh, glad you enjoyed my salad! I wolfed it down pretty quick, lol. It was tasty! Have a great day and say Hi to your wonderful family! :D

[@friendorfoe5877]

@@HaphazardHomestead I just heard you are from the valley here as well. Where are you ? Can i buy stuff from you? Thanks!

[@honeywangu01]

Me too

[@quasi8180]

Same.

[@itsmehattie9493]

Thank you. You are amazing!!

[@megansimpson4104]

I just came across your channel. Thank you so much for your info and time. I hope you start making videos again.

[@heterodox3487]

You're my favorite forager, thanks for another great video 🍀. Only yellow rocket makes it through the winter here, but thistles and clovers are back already.

[@HaphazardHomestead]

Thanks for the kind words, Create Synergistic Transformations! I'm not sure exactly which plant you are referring to, but in general, plants in the Mustard family, like yellow rocket, are so hardy, it's amazing. Especially the "rockets" in the Barbarea genus. I've got Barbarea verna in my area, and it matures so early in the season. Plants are amazing! Happy foraging and enjoy your thistles and clovers!

[@angiejones3714]

I too live in the Pacific North West. Washington State. I just discovered you and was super stoked to find a forager from the PNW. I live in S.E. WA. Im from central washingtom and have also lived in the N.W.part of the state. I'm pretty new to foraging spent first year just on identifacation. Started eating from foraging this year. I love it. Lamb's Quarters are so amazing. I missed out on fiddleheads (super bummed) got my patch of milkweed under watch. Ive made some tinctures and infusions. Im loving it. Im an outdoor person anyway. I feel great best in years i credit my addition of wild edibles. It's the only change from last year so I feel confident in bestowing the honor of my improved health to eating the weeds.

[@alishashalders9450]

Lol your cat is gorgeous, I'm loving your videos, can't wait to get into all these weeds an eating! 🙂

[@hoopoo3721]

I so wish you made a book on all theses wonder full plants.

[@Susq15]

Your videos are nicely edited and smoothly narrated. Thanks for sharing your knowledge! I especially enjoy seeing the how-to in the kitchen.

[@shelleypilcher3812]

Time to go harvest a salad. It's allll out there. Noones gonna pick it for me. Thank you for this video Always good.

[@1kellycal]

I'm impressed. Bravo

[@HaphazardHomestead]

I'm glad you enjoyed my wild salad, Rebel Mom. It's amazing how delicious all these weeds can be in a wild salad. Happy spring!

[@HaphazardHomestead]

Glad you enjoyed my weeds and salad, Rebel Mom!

[@Carnahanqueen]

All the fresh baby plants are the most delicious in salads

[@monicapeterson9118]

Because of your channel, I made my first wild weed salad today! And I'm just learning!

[@LIFESOUL]

so beautiful salad thank you

[@MobyLife]

Useful, looks cool

[@CurlyFreys]

Hope everything is okay down on your end. Missing your videos!

[@ryankieth1675]

While I'm no expert at foraging, I've gathered the odd wild edible over the years. I really appreciate what you did here, and the salad looked amazing. Thank you for sharing this.

[@HaphazardHomestead]

Thanks for your comment, Ryan Keith. I like the challenge of putting together a wild salad. I have never had a bad wild salad. The plants may change, but there is so much out there to find. Happy foraging to you!

[@oldguy]

I like how you sort it all so carefully! I have to say, Holly, no one makes a better looking salad that I know of! I always enjoy relaxing while I watch your vids and I am always impressed by your amazing knowledge of plants!

[@gaianeg7927]

What an amazing place you live parked with medicine. I hope you never get sick. Thank you very much for sharing. I love your videos. They are amazing!

[@JessTheory]

I love your vids!! Plz post another

[@lello333]

Hi there, has been 1 year u dont upload video, i hope you are OK,. i miss you very much, you such a lovely person, you bring peace to my soul! pls let me know you are fine :) greetings and hugs

[@ZE308AC]

Really cool

[@HaphazardHomestead]

I hope you can enjoy some wild greens this spring, too, ZE!

[@starlessmystery6429]

Awesome information!!! Thank you!! I think I am going to follow your tradition for New Years, that is a great idea!

[@butchmetzger7023]

I've been eating weeds for a while. So many great flavors and some others that a little bit of goes a long way! The more varieties I collect, the more new little plants I see that make me wonder if this is going to be good to eat. I've got a lovely patch of plantain I might cut today and another patch of lamb's quarters coming on. And then there is the woods full of May Apples that I've always been told are toxic and have now seen one internet source saying they aren't.... I'm not going to try them yet! Foraging is so much fun. And it can be work like the day I collected half a bushel of nettles. Any time I'm greedy about collecting stuff I pay for it in the time spent cleaning it. Dad didn't say a lot about picking clean but when mom and I were preparing garden stuff to can or freeze we sure could tell the difference between his and little brother's basket. No matter what we said little brother always had more trash in his. I guess I'm saying that your telling people to pick clean brings back memories. I love watching your videos and they inspire me to try new wild veggies! And as old as I am and growing up with garden dirt under my fingernails the how to tips are very helpful. Thank You!

[@joycebrewer4150]

When it comes to MAYAPPLE, ONLY THE FULLY RIPE FRUIT ARE EDIBLE!!! THE ENTIRE REST OF PLANT AND UNDER-RIPE FRUIT ARE INDEED TOXIC!!! There is a patch of them, not thriving as they have in other years, just over the boundary fence from my brother's back yard on a bike trail right-of-way that is public property.

[@Lightharvest-dd2bf]

Thank you, Joyce Brewer, for your warning about most parts of Mayapple being poisonous!! One source says the seeds are a bit toxic, too--so best to remove them. What a beautiful plant--very exotic to we folks in the West!

[@rastar3524]

Oh my goodness this looks so delicious 🤍

[@ThatBritishHomestead]

We pick wild thing and add them into our diet all them time, like elderflowers etc. I have booked up a foraging weekend soon and I cant wait :)

[@enoughsinsofmineown1033]

Adding violets and nasturtium and rose petals will make it a beautiful treat and well as healthy.

[@rayraymontoya78]

Great information!

[@recepto]

Thank you - very nicely done video !

[@jcandrews9867]

I very much enjoyed this video, thank you. What a joy to see your bounty!

[@fonsecanorbe9700]

Really nice vid and healthy food 💚

[@HaphazardHomestead]

Glad you enjoyed my wild salad and weeds, Fonseca Norbe!

[@HealthyLifeFarm]

The salad looks amazing! This video is loaded with so much valuable and great information. Thanks a million my friend! Peaches

[@sariosolis]

Should start looking closely at weeds growing in our backyard! Thanks for this!

[@louannnance637]

Looks good, thanks for sharing

[@kekeandrei6773]

AMAZING,I wish to stay close to you, I want to learn so much about this plants.

[@patriciaphillips6925]

That was really nice, can't wait to get some of those greens this spring here in the Midwest.

[@premjetsaligmann905]

Thank you,very good video to share the knowledge about wild salads,💐

[@TipsyFlipper]

so glad I found you... amazing challenge to find all those greens. I really loved the live taste review! amazing!

[@HaphazardHomestead]

I'm glad you found your way here, too, Dwight Nash! With those live taste reviews, you know I really eat all this, lol. I never get tired of wild salads. I hope you can enjoy some, too, sometime! Thanks for commenting!

[@TipsyFlipper]

@@HaphazardHomestead thank you... I just moved into a new home with a yard. I hope to put what I am learning to use. Thanks for your great videos

[@heaven-sent_and_hell-bent]

Absolutely LOVE this video!!!

[@thomasgleaton9811]

That was amazing! Me again. Your channel probably be getting more views, considering today's times. Might not be a bad idea to repost or do again certain video topics. Thanks again

[@jeffbstrong]

You are a great teacher! Thanks

[@copperpot4444]

I have jsut recently found your channel. Wish I had known of it sooner, SO well done! Love your style! Will be working my way through your collection.

[@sharonross4535]

Yummy. Great video. Shalom and God Bless you ❤️

[@alishashalders9450]

Omg you know how to eat! This is my food all the way! I'm gonna love this channel!

[@GiveitaGrow]

This is amazing! Great tips for harvesting wild greens. I cant wait to go make one of these myself :)

[@HaphazardHomestead]

Hey, Give It A Grow, thanks for stopping by, and I'm glad you enjoyed my weeds and salad-making tips! It's the season for good wild eatin', that's for sure! I hope you can post your wild salad on your great channel, too! Happy foraging! :D

[@shawnbrouse7064]

Just stumbled onto you channel. I absolutely love your videos. I am going to watch them all. Recently my brother and I have been working on making wild edibles garden with our native plants here in Kentucky. Your videos are really going to help.

[@Kellonwheels8]

Wow. That looks delicious.

[@warrenokuma7264]

Very awesome! How about doing your ten favorite weeds?

[@lindamoses3697]

Beautiful! Great info.

[@irenetillman9065]

Thank you for sharing, really enjoy watching❤👍

[@mealbla7097]

That looked so yummy

[@HaphazardHomestead]

Yes, indeed. It's amazing to me, every time, how delicious these wild salads are! I hope you can enjoy some yourself! Happy spring, Meal Bla!

[@quasi8180]

I kinda wanna start eating wild salad for breakfast with some egg on top yum. I really want to try tea making with some of the wild roses we have here.

[@joybarrows1714]

If you’re still around are you able to make any more videos your videos are very informative and very much appreciated

[@HaphazardHomestead]

Thanks for your kind words and support, Joy Barrows! I'll be posting more videos soon. I did put up 4 earlier this year, but I have a lot more videos to make! Have a great summer and I hope to hear from you again on my upcoming videos! :D

[@kimkayoda3941]

thank you for advising for picking clean!!

[@deanndubois3738]

Yumalucious 😋.

[@sharonsopczynski1192]

This is totally awesome and amazing I wish I had study this year's ago thank you, thank you this winter I changed all eating habits to Organic and really hope I can identify backyard weeds

[@elizarobinrobinson4294]

Thanks for the lesson. Love your live taste tests. Lol

[@alieustiansamateh6401]

"Not as good as summertime tomatoes, But it is better than any thing from the store" Oh yes it is ✌🏽😁 Thank you for this ✌🏽❤️

[@TruthAndLight4995]

Lovely & nutritious 👍🏼❤️

[@johnradford9281]

Very educational. Thank you

[@mirian593]

It looks delicious ❤️

[@wowtv101]

WOW !!! So glad ive found you !!! New Subscriber

[@SamSam-qm1li]

Love this channel

[@christyassid8871]

Love it!

[@haydehabdolahian7691]

I pick lots edible herbs and made a Persian food ( koo koo) you chop all the herb add 4-5 eggs and 1/4 of cup coconut flour , 1/4 cup walnuts salt & pepper , grease your Teflon dish 9-inch really thick and add your herbs and bake for 45 or more or less depend how much is in the dish , and after cool off ! cut like cake eat with sour cream or plain Greek yogurt like Persian 👍 it came out just like the original koo koo that is made with spinach , green onion , parsley , chives cilantro . 🤪

[@lalphirkimchangsan6636]

So informative, thank you .

[@candicecan1634]

I am SO happy that I came across your channel! Thank you so much for this awesome content!

[@thomasgleaton9811]

Real deal ain't she. If you have insight on other channels please point out. EAT THE WEEDS comes to mind on my part. Thanks

[@jeanbarraza5433]

Looks delish!! 😋😋

[@diannenaworensky6698]

Salad looked great. ✌🏻❤

[@paulavang2987]

I love your channel I just found your channel I had learn a lot about wild vegetables, so now I know what kind the wild vegetables that can eat . Thank you for sharing.

[@elizabethefg3479]

Beautiful

[@aliciawilliams9989]

I love your videos!! I think I just watch 15 in a row...I need to meet someone like you and do some foraging for a week or two to become self-sufficent. Keep up the great 👍 work!

[@ohillbilly]

Hey Haphazard! Just seen I missed this somehow. Good to see you made it through winter. Salad looks scrumptious!!!

[@thirdeyepyramids7391]

Thank you! Great video 🙂