These Plants May Be Invasive, But They Can Make A Great Salad. Here's How

There are lots of edible plants growing all around us in Southern California and some of them are invasive and unsightly. Invasive plants can do real harm to our environment — they can overpower native ones, and that triggers a chain reaction through an ecosystem effecting insects and wildlife.

But instead of using herbicides or throwing them in the compost, why not pick them and eat them?

That's what Jason Wise, an outdoor environmental educator, is teaching people to do.

“When an invasive plant comes in it doesn’t just harm the native plant, it harms everything,” said Wise. “I like to think of it like we’re eating as a form of habitat restoration.”

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Oxalis growing in a San Gabriel Valley yard.

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Julia Paskin

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LAist

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Wise teaches people how to identify and forage invasive plants while on local nature walks. But you can also eat some of the weeds plaguing your own property.

“Its providing you free produce,” added Wise. “You don’t have to go to the grocery store, you have them growing in your yard already.”

Wise’s foraged salad recipe

Mixed green salad includes four foraged invasive plants picked from Elysian Park.

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Kevin Tidmarsh

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LAist

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Ingredients:

Chickweed: The oval leaves have a soft, mellow flavor comparable to baby butter lettuce.

Oxalis: Commonly known as sour grass, the leaves, stem, and trumpet-shaped yellow flowers have a tart, lemon-like flavor.

Common Mallow: the large, dark green leaves have a neutral flavor but are thicker, like kale.

Black Mustard: The same plant that gives us spreadable mustard also grows peppery leaves that resemble arugula.

Wise recommends adding these ingredients to traditional greens to help introduce the foraged plants to your palate. Then toss with a simple dressing. 

Tips for gathering ingredients

You can find these plants growing in parks, along trails, in your own yard, or just around your neighborhood.

• Only pick plants you can confidently identify. Picking and eating the wrong plant can be bad for the habitat and dangerous to eat.
• Pick from areas not heavily trafficked to avoid car pollution and dog pee.
• Check for bugs before you pick so you don't take them with you.
• Soak in vinegar and water to wash.
• Pro Tip: Black mustard gets stronger tasting as the plant grows — so smaller, younger leaves will have a mellower taste.

Get an in-person tutorial from Jason Wise by joining one of his guided nature walks and eat some foraged salad for yourself.

Listen to our interview