Lamb's Quarters Benefits (Ayurveda Insights)

CONSTITUTIONAL & METABOLIC INSIGHTS

Chances are, Popeye never ate spinach, he ate lamb's quarters instead. Next time you take a stroll in your neighborhood, look for this nutritious weed that boasts a meaty, hearty flavor. A northern relative of quinoa, lamb's quarters is packed with protein and more iron than Popeye's famous spinach. Losing your stamina? Feeling sluggish? Eat this common weed to feel sturdy, strong, and vital. Lamb's Quarters is prolific, and can feed your family unlike any store bought greens.

Nutrition fit for Pop-Eye

The rustic taste gives an impression of strength. Lamb's quarters contains more protein, calcium, and vitamins B1 and B2 than cabbage or spinach, making it a wild edible fit for Pop-Eye, our favorite green vegetable hero. It is also rich in iron, phosphorus, and vitamins B1, B2, C, and A. Lamb's Quarters warms your mouth, is slightly salty, sour, and mildly spicy.

Eat the Weeds

The durability & vigor of wild edible weeds cannot be matched by farmed food. Consider their tough ability to survive all weather conditions, competition from other plants, and trampling underfoot. Your body will enjoy the brawny vigor and vitality of these able-bodied plants.

Edible weeds are a sign of providence. They represent nature's abundance & generosity. By eating & even noticing weeds, you join God's happiness & joy in celebrating life, and His sincere wish to keep you healthy and strong.

Once you find one of these weedy gems growing in your yard, let it go to seed and you'll have hundreds of them next year to supplement your groceries. It's cheap to eat these healthy weeds and you can feed your whole family!

No Green Thumb? No Worries!

Lamb's quarters is easy to grow and even easier to find - it doesn't need fertilizers, pesticides, or tilled soil. The name, lamb's quarters, describes its robust ability to grow in pens trampled by destructive lamb hooves. It is also known as pigweed, goose foot and even bacon weed.

You don't need to purchase seeds, simply dig one up in your neighborhood. This hardy weed is prolific, covering disturbed soils everywhere. A simple step out your front door is enough to begin your hunt for lamb's quarters. Find lamb's quarters in your garden, growing out of the cracks in the sidewalk, along a fence, or in any open lot. Keep the dirt around the roots intact and replant in your garden. It's tender shoots are deceptively strong and don't need coddling.

Avoid Lambs Quarters grown in fertilized or treated soils. As easily as it absorbs minerals from the earth, giving it it's rich flavor, lamb's quarters readily absorbs dangerous nitrates and pesticides.

Identifying Lamb's Quarters

White-lavender dust coats green leaves shaped like a goose's foot. It's topmost leaves will be a soft shade of purple. Plants may be anywhere from six inches to six feet high. It's flowers shoot up from the stalk in a cluster of tiny green flowers in the shape of a spike, blooming from May thru November's frost.

If you believe you have found a bacon weed plant, pick a leaf, fold it up and crush with your fingers to release its aroma. If the crushed leaves release a scent of turpentine, you have encountered an inedible cousin of lamb's quarters. If it smells like a more pungent spinach, it's probably a lamb's quarters.

Like raw spinach, raw lamb's quarters contains oxalic acid which can aggravate chronic inflammatory conditions when eaten in large quantities. Cooking will break down oxalic acid, allowing your body to indulge in this natural multi-vitamin risk free.Leave a Comment / Question

Cooking Lamb's Quarters

Lamb's Quarters is lovely lightly steamed or sauteed. It adds a rich pungency to soups. Or, add to mixed greens like arugula, romaine, spinach or bitter frisee. Lambs Quarters will impart heartiness to a light salad. You can even add them to green smoothies and juices.

Buying & Preparation

The taller you let this plant grow, the more tough its texture becomes. By harvesting the tips, you will keep the plant small, and encourage it to put out side shoots.