Not Every Wild Plant Is Medicinal—Some Are Just Really Good Food
When we talk about foraging, a lot of the focus tends to be on herbal medicine. What herbs help with colds? What plant eases digestion? Which root supports liver health?
But here’s something we don’t talk about enough: many wild plants are both food and medicine. And even when we’re not actively making a tincture or salve, we’re still nourishing our bodies in a deeply supportive way by eating these plants.
Some wild plants are rich in nutrients and can be eaten as everyday food—greens tossed into salads, flowers added for color and flavor, or seeds cooked like grains. Their role may not always be in a labeled remedy, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t contributing to our wellness. Nutrition is foundational to health, and these edible plants are part of that picture.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the wild, edible plants you can forage that are just as much about feeding your body as they are about supporting your health. They may be humble, but they’re powerful in their own right.
Wild Greens You Can Eat Raw or Cook Like Spinach
These plants are often found growing in yards, gardens, or edges of wild spaces. Many of them can be eaten raw when young and tender, or cooked like spinach when mature:
- Lamb’s Quarters – The leaves are high in minerals and taste a lot like spinach. The seeds can also be collected and cooked into a mush or porridge.
- Spiderwort Greens – Mild-tasting and best when young. Can be tossed into a salad or gently wilted in a pan.
- Dayflower Greens – Another tender green that can be used fresh or cooked. The mild flavor blends nicely with other wild greens.
- Chickweed – A crunchy, cooling green that adds freshness to salads.
- Henbit – Mild, easy to identify in early spring, and a great wild addition to soups or sautéed dishes.
- Amaranth Leaves – Best harvested before the plant flowers. Cook like spinach.
- Plantain (Plantago spp.) – Young leaves work in salads; older leaves are better cooked.
- Curly Dock – Tangy and nutritious, especially when steamed or sautéed.
- Sow Thistle – Mildly bitter but tender when young, and excellent cooked.
- Mallow – Slightly mucilaginous but mild and good in soups.
- Garlic Mustard – A little spicy when raw but lovely when cooked. Harvest it to help reduce its spread!
Edible Flowers That Bring Beauty and Nutrition to your Food
These aren’t just pretty faces. Flowers can be a surprisingly nutrient-dense food, and many also add subtle flavor or texture to meals:
- Violets – Both the leaves and flowers are edible. Add the flowers to salads or freeze them in ice cubes for a fancy touch.
- Dandelion Petals – The yellow “petals” are actually dozens of tiny flowers. They’re lovely scattered over salad or baked into cookies.
- Daylilies – The unopened buds and open flowers are edible. Try them in salads or stuffed.
- Red Clover Blossoms – Sweet and clover-y tasting. Good raw or dried.
- Calendula – Bright petals add cheer and color to salads or soups.
- Nasturtiums – Peppery and bold; the leaves and flowers are both edible.
- Lavender Petals – Strongly scented and perfect for baking or infusing into honey.
- Rose Petals – Sweet and aromatic. Use in cookies, teas, or syrups.
- Bee Balm (Monarda) – Spicy and minty. Use the petals fresh in salads or steep in honey.
- Wild Bergamot – Similar to bee balm, with a pleasant fragrance and flavor.
Wild Seeds and Edible Grains
Some wild plants offer more than just leafy greens or flowers—their seeds can be collected and cooked like grains:
- Lamb’s Quarters Seeds – Use as a porridge base or grind into flour.
- Amaranth Seeds – Popped like mini popcorn or cooked into mush.
- Curly Dock Seeds – Toast and grind to add to baked goods.
- Plantain Seeds – Collect and grind; great mixed into flour.
- Wild Mustard Seeds – Spicy and flavorful. Grind for seasoning or use whole.
Food Is Medicine, Too
While some of these plants have well-known medicinal uses, others support us simply through their nourishment—and that’s just as important. They reconnect us to the land, provide variety in our diets, and bring beauty to our plates.
So the next time you’re out foraging, keep an eye out not just for the healing herbs, but for the everyday nourishment growing wild around you.
And if you’d like a quick-reference guide to keep on hand, be sure to grab the printable below!
