Wild Edible Greens - Go Nature "Shopping" For Wild Greens!
Wild edible greens are tasty, nutritious, raw wild foods that you can eat and add to your salads,
smoothies,
and fresh juices.
You can actually go "shopping" in your own backyard or wild nature space.
It is common to find wild greens growing in most any condition and climate all over the earth. You just have to know what to look for and where they grow. This is where an edible plant guide or two can help you out a lot.
You should ALWAYS know what you are picking before you eat it!
Edible Wild Plants
Where Do They Grow And Why You Should Eat Them?
Wild edible greens grow all year long, depending on the climate. Most, however, are common in the spring and fall times of year. This is when there is both a combination of rain and sunlight to help them thrive.
Wild greens can be found growing it lush gardens (as weeds), wild fields, forests, sea cliffs, city parks or cracks in the sidewalk. We recommend picking them from natural areas free of any possible pollutants.
They provide a great medicine for detoxing the body, removing waste and clearing the lymph system. When wild greens are popping abundantly from the earth, it is a sign that you should eat them. They provide a rich source of "wild minerals" that come from some of the best soils on the planet, grown in nature's special garden!
Here's a few of our favorite
wild edible plants
we think you will love as much as we do.
Top 13 Wild Edible Greens:
These common edible wild greens grow on the Western coast of the U.S., where I live, but they also grow in many latitudes around the world.
Chickweed (Stellaria Species)
Chickweed is a soft, delicate green that grows in abundance in cool, wet, shady conditions. It loves partial sunlight to turn its leaves a dark green.
This is a great spring and fall green to add to a fruit drink, for a frothy blend... see our chickweed Orange Julius recipe!
It contains saponins that make it froth up, I like to use it with pineapple too. It is nice in salads with fresh
super sprouts
and
seed cheese.
Chicory (Cichorium intybus)
Chicory is one of the great wild edible greens, popular in many parts of the world. It is delicious in
super juices
and we use it in one of our wild
juicing recipes.
It is slightly bitter, but the tender young shoots are a pleasant addition to any wild salad.
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
The young leaves of the dandelion plant can be used to remove excess water and toxins from the body. It is one of the most common greens growing everywhere.
There are a few look-a-likes. But, once you see the original, you will know what to look for. The leaves are "toothed" and smooth, growing close to the ground as oppose to tall and upright. The other version is called "false dandelion", not poisonous, but not very tasty.
Dock (Rumex crispus)
There are many varieties of docks, but they all have similar characteristics and tastes. The young leaves are best. I love to use them as a wrap for
seed cheese.
They do contain some oxalic acid, like spinach. The older leaves have an astringent/bitter quality to them. It is known to contain high levels of iron and potassium.
Grape Leaves (Vitis spp.)
Wild grape leaves are a beautiful viney green and a lovely sight to behold intertwining through a forest. We harvest the young tender leaves and use them as wraps for wild rice or quinoa dolmas.
Or you can make a
raw food
dolma with different
nuts and seeds.
They also marinate well in a pickling solution of salt, garlic and vinegar....yum!
Lamb's Quarter (Chenopodium album)
This edible ranges from 1'-6' in height and is a wild relative of spinach, but far more nutritious.
It grows abundantly in most parts of the world. The undersides of the leaves are often whitish in color, making it somewhat easy to identify.
Mallow (Malva sylvestris)
Also called Malva, this hardy wild edible green is one of my all time favorites. Its soft, young, dark leaves are soothing and calming to the digestive tract.
Similar to "marsh mallow" root, it is a demulcent that coats the intestinal tract and provides green nutrients in a nice, easy to digest manner. They are an ingredient in one of our
seed cheese recipes
for a nice, green wild mallow cheese.
Miner's lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata)
"Miners" lettuce was named by the gold rush miner's who ate it. I can't say enough about this sweet and delightful green. It literally takes over shady hillsides and provides enough food for entire families to live on throughout a season.
Chickweed can also be found growing by this common wild edible. Miners lettuce has small tiny white or pink flowers poking up through the middle of its rounded leaves. A perfect salad green that blends well with other more fibrous varieties.
Plantain (Plantago major)
A tall slender leafy green with stripped indents running up its leaves. The new shoots of the plant are nice in a wild salad. It is also helpful as a poultice on stings or bites.
Purslane (Portulaca oleracea)
Purslane is a succulent green that generally grows in warmer climates. It is considered an "exotic weed", that uniquely contains high levels of Omega fatty acids
It grows easily and prolifically. It is slightly mucilaginous, but we
super juice
our wild purslane with other juices to add in its powerful health benefits.
Salad Burnet (Sanguisorba minor)
We have been blessed to have had an abundance of this incredibly delicious green growing in areas close by. The leaves, similar in look to cilantro, taste like cucumber.
They are a refreshing, wild gourmet of the highest order. The leaves grow off the center stem. To take them off you simply run your hand down toward the base and the leaves fall off into your bowl.
Sea Kale (Crambe maritima)
We discovered sea kale while exploring the North Western coast of California. Hiking on the cliffs, we found fields of it growing happily in the windy salt air. We brought bags home and lightly steamed it...... so good!! We always go back for more when in the area!
Violet Leaves (Viola Odorata)
Violet leaves are the leaves of the little tiny, fragrant smelling wild violet flower. The leaf has a nutty, spicy flavor that is known to be a powerful blood purifier. The wild flower is also a wild edible flower.
Watercress (Nasturtium officinale)
Watercress is a fast growing wild edible green that is found in aquatic areas like ponds, streams or slow moving waterways. Incredibly spicy and peppery sweet, we love to gather this one by a fresh water spring where it grows every year.
It is important to make sure the water feeding the watercress is clean and free of toxins.
Did you know you can also harvest "wild grass"! Here's a pic of a wild grass hedge we found on a wilderness hike. You can actually cut and juice it, just like
wheatgrass.
Wild grass is a great way to get more wild energy you can't really get from the homegrown variety.
Wild Edible Greens are Perennials!
It is beneficial to take in the characteristics of perennial plants. These are plants, like wild edible greens, that come up year after year. They are strong and adaptable!
They hold potent energy and wisdom you can't really get from hybrid plants that grow from seed every year and are pampered by human hand.
Enjoy your wild edible greens year round where you can find them. They are great addition to your
superhealthy diet plan.
You will be healthy and strong with wild energy in your blood and body!
Chickweed is a soft, delicate green that grows in abundance in cool, wet, shady conditions. It loves partial sunlight to turn its leaves a dark green. 
There are many varieties of docks, but they all have similar characteristics and tastes. The young leaves are best. I love to use them as a wrap for
Also called Malva, this hardy wild edible green is one of my all time favorites. Its soft, young, dark leaves are soothing and calming to the digestive tract. 
"Miners" lettuce was named by the gold rush miner's who ate it. I can't say enough about this sweet and delightful green. It literally takes over shady hillsides and provides enough food for entire families to live on throughout a season.
Chickweed can also be found growing by this common wild edible. 
A tall slender leafy green with stripped indents running up its leaves. The new shoots of the plant are nice in a wild salad. It is also helpful as a poultice on stings or bites.
Purslane is a succulent green that generally grows in warmer climates. It is considered an "exotic weed", that uniquely contains high levels of 
We have been blessed to have had an abundance of this incredibly delicious green growing in areas close by. The leaves, similar in look to cilantro, taste like cucumber.
Violet leaves are the leaves of the little tiny, fragrant smelling 
Did you know you can also harvest "wild grass"! Here's a pic of a wild grass hedge we found on a wilderness hike. You can actually cut and juice it, just like
