Pull Up These "Weeds" To Eat Before Your Lawn Service Arrives

When you hire a lawn service, such as Williams Lawn Care & Landscaping, Inc., to cut your grass and perform other aesthetically pleasing tasks around your yard, it's more than likely that you'll have one of the best-looking yards in your neighborhood. What you might not know, however, is that the weeds that grow throughout your yard before the lawn service's arrival can actually provide a source of food and nutrition for you and your family. If you're interested in the practice of foraging, there are many things in your yard that you can pick and add to your diet before the lawn service's crew arrives to clean up your yard. Here are some weeds that are edible and nutritionally valuable that you can pick before hiring the lawn service.

Dandelion

Dandelions are found in many yards, and it's easy to view these quickly proliferating weeds as a scourge. The reality, though, is that dandelions are edible and good for you, providing a significant source of vitamins A and K. You can eat the leaves and stalks of this weed. They'll occasionally taste bitter, but the best way to avoid this bitterness is to harvest them early in the spring before they grow robust. The leaves make a valuable addition to any garden salad and can also be added to your smoothies in the morning. A creative way to use the stalks is to lightly blanch them and use them as a low-carb, healthy version of pasta noodles; simply put your favorite pasta sauce on them and enjoy.

Goosefoot

You might not know goosefoot by its name, but there's a strong chance that you'll recognize its small, jagged-edged leaves and white flowers. If you have goosefoot in your yard, you can pick it to add to salads and smoothies. It is a significant source of vitamins A and C, and also provides a healthy dose of dietary fiber.

Nettle

Also known as "stinging nettle," you might be eager to get rid of this weed that can prick your skin. However, it's a valuable way to improve your diet, as long as you know what to do with it. People commonly pick the nettle leaves to make tea, but you can also blanch them and add them to salads; the blanching process removes the small hairs along the edges that can irritate your skin. Nettles will augment your diet by providing several minerals such as calcium and iron, as well as vitamins such as vitamin A.