First Weed - Plantain


These leaves are actually edible, one recipe calling for soaking them in saltwater first and then boiling them 'til tender. They're high in vitamins A, K, and C (although the C would be destroyed in the boiling)

The other preparation we commonly make from Plantain leaves is an INFUSED OIL. You chop the fresh leaves and fill a jar with them (a meticulously CLEAN jar) then pour olive oil into that jar to the very top and put a lid on it. Sit the jar in a dish to catch any overflow and let it sit at room temp for 6 weeks. After six weeks, strain out the leaves and you have plantain oil for just about anything that itches and needs soothing and healing. The only things I've seen respond poorly are certain stages of poison ivy and certain fungus or yeast rashes. It seems the olive oil just FEEDS those.

Now, I wasn't being SO nuts gathering the seeds when I was little. You can cut the stalks when the seeds are ripe (extending beyond the outer covering) and just toss them into a basket to dry. When you need them they can be stripped off the stalks and tossed into oatmeal, soup or tomato sauce. They're very nutritious. If you're into grinding your own flour, by all means, add some to the grinder. A third variety, Plantago psyllium is the source of bulk laxative that makes up Metamucil.

Free food and healing -- right in your lawn. Ain't nature somethin'.......

So, why am I doing this? Why try to make you aware of the wonders beneath your feet? Well friends, listen for a moment. Right now, we are teetering on a situation by which the plant life on our wondrous planet may be being damaged beyond repair. Millions of plants are being introduced which have had their DNA altered to do things like making them resistant to very specific herbicides. The folks doing this truly do not know what they may be producing down the line as these plants (which are already showing a decline in productivity) begin to cross-pollinate with our 'natural' plants. Is there ANYTHING we can do to stop this? (scroll down to "Against the Grain") Sure, we can yell and scream and sign petitions, but I'm not so sure we amount to more than a hill of non-genetically engineered beans to the big guys like

The copyright of the article First Weed - Plantain in Weeds & Wild Plants is owned by Barbara Hall. Permission to republish First Weed - Plantain in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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