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Chenopodium Album (lambsquarters)

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posted 14 years ago

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Chenopodium Album, Lambs Quarter’s. Fat Hen. A weedy pest….

Chenopodium, meaning goose foot. Album, as in albumen. It's a great fodder crop for feeding laying hens- its full of albumen, a major constituent in egg whites. Fat Hen grows profusely in recently disturbed Ag soils. As such, it is considered a weed. A weed which is a good source of vitamins A and C and grows profusely. And tastes great with butter.

Mmmm… fresh butter, and greens…. A Weed. Ha! Ill take mine with bacon.

more at: http://www.abundancepermaculture.com/blog/?p=243

anyone else here use if for food or fodder at their place? How do you manage/incorporate it?

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Location: Ava, Mo, USA, Earth

posted 14 years ago

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I've had a couple of people who were on wild-food walks I've lead that have quit growing spinach after I showed them lambsquarters. And many other's who've been upset that they've been pulling it out and tossing it way for decades without knowing it wasn't "just a weed."

BTW, ounce-for-ounce, it has about 1.5 times the vitamin C as an orange. It's even higher in Vitamin A, and is a storehouse for minerals.

One of my favorite plants.

homesteadpaul

Anonymous

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posted 14 years ago

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yes, i know! I found it three years ago and was basically like "what kind of investigation process did my parents- who were decent gardeners- go thorugh that they tauight me to pull and destroy this stuff? I dont pull anything anymore, save blackberry, and a few really agressive invasives-yellow archangel, etc.

regarding vitamin C- as I write in the blog- almost everything has more vitamin c than oranges! not all are as yummy, but it in fact is pretty low compared to many wildcraftable greens.

its a goodon allright. I saved seed last year and am filling about a half acre that snow and chooks have flattened the blackberry in with it. Im hoping to get a hog to root the bb out, but at any rate, im - fingers crossed- going to go 100% fodder with my chooks next year.

cheers!

Jordan Lowery

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posted 14 years ago

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i await the lambs quarters every year, for its healthy goodness. i also give it to the chickens if i have too much to keep on top of with eating. i let it go to seed at the end of the year to replenish for next year. everyone around here hates it, even some people who live here. i just love it.

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maikeru sumi-e

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posted 14 years ago

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I have some growing in pots on my windowsills. Great herb/veggie. I use it a lot in soups and ramen too.

Paul Cereghino

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posted 14 years ago

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I keep spreading seed in the pasture from the garden... I think it needs soil disturbance?! Quinoa is a Chenopodium... and I have heard seeds are good... I'll try them this year -- any experience with seed?

Paul Cereghino- Ecosystem Guild
Maritime Temperate Coniferous Rainforest - Mild Wet Winter, Dry Summer

Anonymous

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posted 14 years ago

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this is the first year i collected seed. I havent spread them yet.

yes, ver distrubance oriented- in fact, this last was the third year that i had not done any tillage in my small (4000sf) garden plot, and the first year it didnt come up everywhere.

fortunately there are plenty of roadcuts on the neighbors property with marginal soils that it loves and i doubt that ill have any problems growing there from the seed (fingers crossed)

a chenopodium sp. was domesticated by native americans in the ohio river valley about 2300 years ago if memory serves- there were caches discovered of an ssp. seed with about 4x the volume of existing wild sp. these larger seeds do not exist in 'nature' and were clearly cultivated ssp. for the purpose of food stock... Ive eaten the local seeds and they are fair. comparable to millet. but hard to get enough to warrant rearing them that way for seed- though hunger could change that- I do wonder about flour potential....

ronie dean

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Location: NW MO

posted 14 years ago

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I always let some Lambs Quarter go to seed where ever it turns up in the garden or (preferably) in the ditch.

If There is plenty, i add young Lambs Quarter to raw salads. I usually am too busy collecting nettles to get over enthused over the Lambs Quarter. I do add some Lambs Q. to the Nettles to steam.

While working in the garden i pick a top leaf or a tiny side shoot to eat raw. Sometimes there are tiny white hairs on the leaves - don't really know why it is only on the plant sometimes.

I've never worried about oxalic acid, but if i was worried, I'd add a touch of baking soda water while cooking, to buffer the acid.

OR- better yet - mix in some alkaline foods like chard, beets, garlic, mustard, garlic, dandy lion greens.

Sometimes the answer is not to cross an old bridge, nor to burn it, but to build a better bridge.

Anonymous

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posted 14 years ago

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i read a very elaborate article once about how oxalate is actually only a problem if the vegetable is cooked. uncooked vegetables have proper nutrients to help us properly digest the oxalate. i am a perfect test subject though. ive had the stones 2ice by 26 (22 really) and i havent gotten them since i cut dark cola 100% out of my diet.

John Polk

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posted 14 years ago

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Has anybody here tried the perennial version? I know it is a much smaller plant, but the young stalks are often peeled, and eaten like asparagus.

Lee Einer

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posted 14 years ago

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Chenopodium Album is called "quelites" here in Northern New Mexico, and it is much doted upon.

Quelites being Nahuatl for greens.

Folks in these parts also call it (inaccurately) wild spinach.

It is typically sauteed in a pan with lard or olive oil, finely chopped onions and red pepper flakes.

John Polk

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posted 13 years ago

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C. album is also useful as a trap crop for leaf miners.

Anonymous

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posted 13 years ago

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I love it! in pots! maikeru, where are you? leaf miner trap as well... hmmmn. I think I have some naturalist observations to make. hadnt noticed that. cool!

Carol Fields

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posted 13 years ago

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I think the 'album' in the name refers to white flowers, not to any appreciable albumin content. While its vegetative green tissues contain some protein, most of this plant's protein will be in the seeds.

Cal Edon

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posted 12 years ago

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'Album' refers neither to albumin, nor to the flowers of white goosefoot, which are green, wind-pollinated, and not obviously blooms at first glance.

The new growth of the plant, and most especially fresh leaves of young plants, are covered in a white, mealy powder which rubs off easily and reflects light in the same way that the tiny glass spheres in road paint and road signs do - back towards the source. It's this powdery substance that is referred to in the name.

Rebecca Norman

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posted 11 years ago

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We've got plenty of lambsquarters as a weed in our gardens here, and we collected and ate a lot in the springtime. At some point we quit eating it and started giving it to the cows instead, pulled up with its roots. But can somebody tell me if it's worth pulling off and eating the big leaves even in mid summer?

Some people around here dry it for the winter -- I'm not sure if they do that with the tender spring plants or big summer leaves. One person told me they pick the leaves, mash them in the mortar and pestle, and shape them in to round flat cakes that they dry for more convenient use.

Works at a residential alternative high school in the Himalayas SECMOL.org . "Back home" is Cape Cod, E Coast USA.

wayne stephen

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posted 11 years ago

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I planted an herb guild this spring with comfrey , feverfew , dill , and sorrell. Then lambsquarters popped up . I had to chop and drop most of it and let a few stay . They are all doing well.

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Judith Browning

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posted 11 years ago

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Rebecca Norman wrote:We've got plenty of lambsquarters as a weed in our gardens here, and we collected and ate a lot in the springtime. At some point we quit eating it and started giving it to the cows instead, pulled up with its roots. But can somebody tell me if it's worth pulling off and eating the big leaves even in mid summer?

Some people around here dry it for the winter -- I'm not sure if they do that with the tender spring plants or big summer leaves. One person told me they pick the leaves, mash them in the mortar and pestle, and shape them in to round flat cakes that they dry for more convenient use.

We keep eating lambs quarters most of the summer. I pick just the new growth leaves and cook them...still as delicious and tender as spring. The plant keeps putting out new growth from all of that pinching out of growing tips and gets a bit bushy. I have designated a couple plants as seed plants that we have stopped picking though. It is one of our favorite and most prolific greens in the garden. I rarely pull anything anymore...just cut off at ground level and leave the roots to decompose.

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Matt mcmenaman

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Location: Columbus NJ Zone 6b

posted 11 years ago

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Anyone know if the seeds are good for human or chicken consumption? I'm always looking for alternative grains. BTW this is the first summer I was confident to ID lambsquarter and harvest some for eating. I read that cooking the greens renders the oxalic acid harmless. We sauteed it like spinach (garlic and oil) and served it to the whole family. Everyone liked it but the teenagers were weirded out by eating weeds-LOL! I didn't tell them until afterwards (cue evil laugh here)

trying to turn my thumb green

wayne stephen

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posted 11 years ago

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Seeds are certainly edible. Quinoa is a chenopodium. There are other varieties of chenopodium available also. I have not tried them . Epazote , Good King Henry , Tree Spinach . JL Hudson has these in his catalog . Some other varieties may be easier to gather seed from than lambsquarters.

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Craig Dobbson

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posted 11 years ago

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Matt mcmenaman wrote:Anyone know if the seeds are good for human or chicken consumption? I'm always looking for alternative grains. BTW this is the first summer I was confident to ID lambsquarter and harvest some for eating. I read that cooking the greens renders the oxalic acid harmless. We sauteed it like spinach (garlic and oil) and served it to the whole family. Everyone liked it but the teenagers were weirded out by eating weeds-LOL! I didn't tell them until afterwards (cue evil laugh here)

Chickens and pigs love it! Seeds, leaves, stalk... ALL of it. I feed a bucketful daily to my animals along with collards, mustard, dandelion and other odd garden debris. They all go for the LQ first. Every time.

I stopped growing spinach a few years ago when I found LQ growing in a small area of the yard. I let it seed and then I pitched them all over the place. Now I've got more than I could need for quite some time. I like it better than spinach and the bugs almost never bother it so it's a double win.

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Jessica Gorton

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Location: Central Maine - Zone 4b/5a

posted 11 years ago

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I also would like to know if anyone has experience collecting and eating the seeds. I'm going to try collecting some this year, we'll see if it's worth the trouble, and if it's anything like quinoa after cooking...

My project thread: http://www.permies.com/t/20399/projects/Maine-Master-Plan

David Smolinski

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Location: Lowell, Massachusetts, USA

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posted 7 years ago

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I need to know an efficient way to eat it. Are the buds edible? It was time consuming to pick the leaves and not the buds. I steamed it a little.

Hardiness Zone 6 Save the bees.

Judith Browning

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posted 7 years ago

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David Smolinski wrote:I need to know an efficient way to eat it. Are the buds edible? It was time consuming to pick the leaves and not the buds. I steamed it a little.

I've let all of ours go to seed now and have never tried eating the buds so I don't know if they are also edible. The leaves get stronger tasting as they go to seed and smaller and smaller. I stopped picking here about a month or more ago (after eating it frequently spring and summer) and haven't found mature seed yet.

As soon as the plant is big enough in the spring I pick whole growing tips back to the next set of new leaves, as you would pick basil or other greens that branch when encouraged. This makes the plant bush out and have more and more growing tips to pinch out over the summer and makes picking go quickly. The stem and leaves all cook up tender pretty quickly.

I have several plants so can pick one for a meal and go onto others while more grow back.

"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
"It's all one song!" -Neil Young

David Smolinski

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Location: Lowell, Massachusetts, USA

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posted 7 years ago

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Too time consuming to separate leaves and buds

KIMG0102.jpg

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Judith Browning

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posted 7 years ago

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David Smolinski wrote:Too time consuming to separate leaves and buds

If you start picking growing tips early it puts off budding for awhile and you can just keep getting a nice bunch of leaves in one cut. Once they've started budding I think it's late to eat. Try earlier next year and just let those go to reseed your patch.

I don't eat them at this stage and couldn't find any other info about eating the flower buds...maybe someone else will know...

IMG_2617-(3).JPG

"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
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Deb Rebel

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posted 7 years ago

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In bud/seed... taken a few days ago.

2017-09-28-006.JPG

2017-09-28-007.JPG

Judith Browning

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David...here's an idea...apparently this person is eating the buds in a variety of ways. I might try them myself since we have so many going to seed right now. I think the leaves really are too far gone but that would certainly extend the season to be able to eat the buds also. Glad you asked the question

https://albuquerqueurbanhomestead.com/tag/lambsquarters-buds/

"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
"It's all one song!" -Neil Young

Judith Browning

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posted 7 years ago

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Deb Rebel wrote:In bud/seed... taken a few days ago.

Deb, yours might be just right for eating the buds as mentioned in this link https://albuquerqueurbanhomestead.com/tag/lambsquarters-buds/ ...I think ours are past bloom and on to seed set but now I want to try them.

"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
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David Smolinski

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Location: Lowell, Massachusetts, USA

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posted 7 years ago

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I'm going to take the risk and eat buds. I would like advice for conserving seed and maximizing next year's crop.

Hardiness Zone 6 Save the bees.

Judith Browning

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David Smolinski wrote:I'm going to take the risk and eat buds. I would like advice for conserving seed and maximizing next year's crop.

Here's a link to my other post in another thread talking about lambs quarters here at permies...it is mentioned in a lot of threads as a popular easy to reseed green, including earlier in this thread...try browsing from the beginning posts here and you'll find mention of several ways folks replant it.

https://permies.com/t/16292/lambs-quarters#143118

Mine is going to seed now. This year I'll probably leave some standing to reseed right where it is and others cut to the ground and shake the seed out where I want it to grow next year. I used to try to save some in the house and plant in the spring...that works also although it's just as easy to plant immediately when ripe here and let it come up when it likes.

"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
"It's all one song!" -Neil Young

William Bronson

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posted 7 years ago

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I've never seen this plant in my yards with anything but small leaves.
When we have harvested them, it takes a long time to gather a handful of uncooked leaves.
When I eat greens I eat the stems as well as the leaves,cutting them small and cookinging them thoroughly.
Is this a palatable choice with Lambs Quarters?

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Judith Browning

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William Bronson wrote: I've never seen this plant in my yards with anything but small leaves.
When we have harvested them, it takes a long time to gather a handful of uncooked leaves.
When I eat greens I eat the stems as well as the leaves,cutting them small and cookinging them thoroughly.
Is this a palatable choice with Lambs Quarters?

We pinch out the growing tips, several sets of leaves back...maybe anywhere from three to six inches of stem included depending on the size of the plants. This way they get bushy and you can keep pinching/cutting that much back all summer as they grow out again. It's good to have several plants so you can pick some while others are regrowing. The stems cook up just as tender as the leaves...all together they take much less cooking time than cole leaves...maybe a bit more than spinach.

My plants are mostly in the garden so get large by the end of the summer. Those that are outside of the garden in less cultivated soil are much smaller, both the plant and individual leaves.

"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
"It's all one song!" -Neil Young

David Smolinski

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Location: Lowell, Massachusetts, USA

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posted 7 years ago

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The buds tasted horrible. Pick the leaves and buds, and sift out most buds. This did ok as a summer cover crop. I should have used Sudan grass.

Hardiness Zone 6 Save the bees.

Judith Browning

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Location: Ozarks zone 7 alluvial, clay/loam with few rocks 50" yearly rain

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David Smolinski wrote:The buds tasted horrible. Pick the leaves and buds, and sift out most buds. This did ok as a summer cover crop. I should have used Sudan grass.

I tried ours also and thought the flavor was ok until the bitter/astringent? aftertaste. The link did say to be sure they were buds not after flowering and going to seed and I think mine were past flowering and beginning to make seed. I'll have to remember to try again next year when they are first budding up to be sure. I think they were cooking them so maybe that changes the flavor?

"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
"It's all one song!" -Neil Young

John Yost

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Location: Mazomanie, WI

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posted 7 years ago

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This is an amazing plant!!!
I wrote an article about using nettles, and lamb's quarters can be prepared and harvested much the same way. You can even nip off the terminal buds and eat them like with nettles, and then the lamb's quarters will send out multiple terminal buds to eat later in the season. The nettle article is here: http://yostsurvivalskills.com/wild-edible-plants-2/
I usually wait to harvest any of the plant until it is abotu 12" high and has a good start, because if you pick the shoots, you car really set the plant back.

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Joseph Lofthouse

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posted 7 years ago

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I used my favorite nutritional database to look up lambsquarters. For my weight/gender/etc the numbers look like this:

lambsquarters.gif

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Joseph Lofthouse

author & steward

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Location: Cache Valley, zone 4b, Irrigated, 9" rain in badlands.

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I typically treat lambsquarters as eat-all greens. In other words, when the plants get about 6" to 8" tall, I pick the whole plant and eat it all. At that point, the whole plant is still young and tender. It grows prolifically in my garden, so I don't worry about harvesting older/tougher leaves or plants.

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Mary Beth Alexander

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Location: Douglas County, WI zone 4a 105 acres

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posted 4 years ago

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My son, the you-tube junkie, saw a plant called "aztec broccoli" and was quite interested. I Googled it and found it to be an amaranth like quinoa and lambsquarters.
Lambsquarters grows like crazy here - some went to seed in our "aged manure pile" - so now I'll have it forever!
Knew it was edible, but only just tried it after this new knowledge ... tastes great quickly steamed with butter or bacon drippings - like spinach. Put it in a fritata tonight.
Only harvesting/cutting real small plants as I weed.
Paid some crazy $$ for that "aztec" stuff - very small amount of seeds. Evidently the attraction with that is to eat the young seed heads as well as the tender leaves. People were advising to make "fritters" from the seed heads.
Not planted yet because it wants to be hot to germinate in 2 weeks!, and I have to figure out how to distinguish from lambsquarters, LOL.

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