Welcome Weeds!

This evening, my husband was watching a local AG show, they have a section called "Weed of the Week".  (We LOVE this section, it helps us identify many wild edibles!!! LOL)  He excitedly called me to come see tonight's weed of the week.  I asked him why, and he said "because it's that tall velvety plant you had in the garden!".  I hurried up to watch the show, even though I know they only show the whole thing about the WotW at the end because I didn't want to miss a moment of it!  

So we watched, laughed at some of the program (these guys sell all kinds of chemicals, so the show is really just one big ad selling herbicides and pesticides and fertilizers and we are organic and know better :)   

Then, there it was!!!  Our plant, tall, huge super soft leaves, tiny yellow flowers, and cute as a button seed pods (which *button plant* is one of it's names, and I saved all our seed pods to use in potpourris. It is called *velvet weed or velvet leaf* and even one of the guys on there said he didn't like to fully eradicate it because it was such a cool plant! lol 

I will grow it again, just because I love touching it :)  Here is a picture of one from Missouri state ext:   

I grow other *weeds* as well: Lambs quarters, highly nutritious!!  It has more vitamins and minerals in it than spinach!

Wild Purslane is another, great as a fresh snack, in a salad, or pickle the stems!

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Last but not least for now, are wild violets!  Again, great in salads, cooked like any green, dried and thrown in soups and stews and the flowers are edible and make a great jelly! 

Well, that is enough for now, but I hope for those of you who haven't tried wild edibles it gives you inspiration to get to know what is growing in your yard and garden, and realize that not all things called weeds are bad things, but many are wonderful!   Oh!  I plan on growing dandelions in their own special bed next spring.  I wonder what my neighbors will think??? LOL     They grass/gardens are sprayed all around us, yet we have the greenest lawn around... and yes, it is a mix of so called *weeds* and corporate lawn company approved grass :)  I love seeing the dots of yellow from the dandelions.  

Green Blessings!