Edible Weeds...Cheap And Nutritious

FULTON, Md. (WUSA) -- You may catch him grinding dandelion roots into decaf coffee or chomping on the leafy greens from an invasive weed called Kudzu but don't call him crazy.

"Weeds have more nutrients and less water proportionate to what we grow as vegetables," says Dr. James Duke, a former USDA researcher and expert on edible weeds. "Farmers will spray each dandelion and then they'll go to the drugstore and buy some bottles of Vitamin A and C when they just sprayed one of the best sources of those three nutrients."

It's a lesson that seems to be catching on across the country as the price of some popular weeds can run up to $9.00 a bunch. Farmers markets now feature some displayers who grow weeds for a living.

That's no surprise to Duke, who says it's a perfect solution to a bad economy. He found 70 edible kinds of weeds on his six acres of property on a recent tour through the land.

"Some of them are pretty bitter, but bitter is indicative of ant-inflammatory and anti-septic compounds," he says. "Some of them are stringent. Some of them are good. Some of them are great."

His personal favorites on this day include the wild grape weed and the stinging nettle, a weed that can quickly grow into an overbearing branch or tree. It's fuzzy stem can hurt anyone who grabs it the wrong way. Duke leaned over to show how to properly handle it.

"If you pick it from the top and don't let the little hairs from the stem get you than it's safe," he shows. "I've seen some people eat this raw. I do not recommend it, not even for your buddies at the studio unless you're mad at them."

Recently, Duke published a book called "Guide to Healing Foods." It features natural remedies that have been proven to treat and prevent 80 common health problems. He plans to offer more tours of his property to people who want to learn about the nutritious and medicinal benefits of some weeds.

"You need an expert like me when you go grazing for the first time," Duke says. "There's some poisonous plants that look like edible plants and that could be a lethal mistake."

Recipe for Dandelion Greens with Balsamic Vinegar and Almonds

• 2 large bunches dandelion greens
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1/3 cup unsalted toasted almonds, roughly chopped
• 1-2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 T butter
• hot sauce to taste
• fish sauce to taste

Remove the roots of the greens. Wash the greens thoroughly. Cut the stems in pieces roughly 1-1/2" - 2" long and leave the leaf-ends about 5" - 6" long.

Sweat the garlic and onions with a little olive oil until tender but not browned, around 10 minutes. Set aside.

Cook the greens in water just sufficient to cover. Maintain a moderate simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes -- until the stems are cooked but still slightly crunchy. Drain and return to the pot. (If you want you can reserve the cooking liquid to make broth for another use. Otherwise, discard it.) Mix in the sautéed onions and garlic, season to taste with balsamic vinegar, fish sauce and hot sauce. Mix in half the chopped almonds.

To serve, mound in a shallow bowl and top with the remaining chopped almonds.

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