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Five Nutritious (and tasty!) Spring and Summer Greens

I remember when I first started foraging twenty years ago, I initially focused on plentiful and weedy wild greens. I think this is the case for many new foragers—we look at what’s around us and what’s familiar as a starting point. For many people, this includes plants like dandelion, plantain, chicory, dock, and garlic mustard. These are some of the wild edibles that formed the foundation of my foraging practice, but to be honest, I was not impressed. As a city kid who grew up eating a diet largely devoid of fresh vegetables, the bitter flavor and tough or stringy texture did not sit well with me. Fortunately, I was not deterred; I learned that the palatability could be greatly improved by being choosey about the timing of the harvest, the parts picked, the habitat, and the preparation methods.

There is something to be said for learning how to work with less-than-ideal flavors and textures. Furthermore, typical diets in modern US culture are heavy on sweets and lacking in fiber, while avoiding bitter flavors and tougher consistencies. These inclinations can be changed with time—I now love bitter greens and will eat a whole plate of raw dandelion leaves!

I know that sounds disgusting to plenty of people, and while I love extolling the benefits of bitter foods, I also understand that folks need to start somewhere. Furthermore, I don’t want to turn people off to foraging by shoving bitter greens down their throats. So here are five tasty, nutritious, and (mostly) easy to identify wild greens that I recommend!

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