There are several native seeds that I grow. Some are intentional. Others are not.
Passion fruit. Down south, we call these maypops because when the fruit is over ripe and starts to ferment, it may pop when you go to pick it. That's how it spreads its seed.
Lamb's quarters are considered a weed on most farms and in the garden. They get quite large and can shade other plants.
For me, though, they are tasty. The leaves are a little thick like that of collard greens and have that kind of consistency when you eat them. I've never tried to cook them, but I'm sure they'd be good with a slab of bacon or ham.
Pig weed or amaranth is another weed. Some have spines on their stalks, so you have to be careful when pulling them up.
This is a very good plant to forage.
It is great raw and could be eaten as a salad perhaps with dandelion, plantain and a little wood sorrel thrown in. (Wood sorrel is high in oxalic acid so it should be eaten in small amounts.)
Muscadines and scuppernongs are both varieties of wild grape native to the southeast.
Now that I'm thinking about it, there are lots of plants to forage in the south.
Do some research, find out what they are, and get adventurous!
- Flax seed from Petra on Pixabay.
- Passionfruit by Michael Gaida on Pixabay.
- Lamb's quarters by Bernell MacDonald on Pixabay.
- Amaranth by Willfried Wende on Pixabay.
