Beauce, Brie, Vexin – immense plains of intensive cultivation where pylons replace trees… Could the plants of the Paris Basin boil down to wheat, corn and sugar beet? Fortunately not. Despite massive doses of fertilizers and pesticides, some brave plants still resist! We generally call them “weeds”.

The American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: ” There are no weeds, only plants whose properties we don’t know “. We could even say: ” whose properties we no longer know “, because in the past our ancestors, free of prejudice, consumed everything that grew around them, wild or cultivated. Most plants were in some way edible, medicinal or otherwise useful. But by focusing exclusively on cultivation to the detriment of gathering, knowledge of the uses of spontaneous plants was lost, and anything not sown by the hand of man was banned. A multitude of plants have thus become undesirable. They are systematically pulled out or ruthlessly sprayed with herbicides! Rather than “weeds”, or weeds with quotation marks, let’s talk about “adventitious”, from the Latin adventicius, “which comes from outside”, to designate plants that grow alongside our cultivated vegetables or ornamentals. The list is long and instructive.

We won’t be picking them from fertilized fields or the sides of freeways. But the gardens^[1] are plentiful enough to satisfy our gourmet curiosity.

Excellent undesirables

Dreaded by gardeners and growers alike, lamb’s-quarters has developed a highly efficient method of reproduction. Imagine a plant capable of producing over 50,000 seeds per plant, with each seed having a germination period of 50 years or more… It’s enough to make you shudder!

As soon as you turn over a patch of soil, our “weed” is there, with its erect, twiggy stems and palmate leaves. This is the origin of its name, from the Greek chên, meaning “goose”, and podion, meaning “leg”. It is also called “anserine”, from the Latin anser, “goose”. As for the epithet, it can be understood by observing the whitish appearance of the leaves at the top of the plant, due to tiny beads that form a floury layer easily detectable to the touch.

A truly forgotten vegetable, goosefoot was cultivated by the Romans. Raw or cooked, its leaves have a delicate flavor reminiscent of spinach, a member of the same family, the Chenopodiaceae. Originating in Persia, spinach was brought back from the Crusades and didn’t really take root in Western Europe until the ^16th century. Its adoption meant that many “pot herbs”, including our lamb’s-quarters, were relegated to oblivion as a matter of fashion. Although wrongly neglected, lamb’s-quarters is an excellent salad staple and cooked vegetable. To get the best out of it, simply steam it, but you can also use it in the various recipes used to prepare its pushy cousin.

Goosefoot leaves are rich in complete proteins, vitamin A, vitamin C and calcium. They also contain B vitamins, phosphorus and iron. As with spinach, however, their soluble oxalates can be irritating, so avoid excess.

The little black seeds have been eaten since prehistoric times. Quantities have been found in hearths dating back to the Mesolithic period, some 9,000 years ago. But they must first be cooked in two waters to remove the saponins. The first water foams and must be discarded^[2]. A second cooking allows the seeds to be eaten as cereal or porridge. This is exactly the case with its recently famous cousin, quinoa, the cereal of the Incas. In the Andes, quinoa requires the same preparation. The varieties marketed in the West have been specially developed to produce saponin-free seeds. It is likely that similar results can be achieved with lamb’s-quarters through experimental research. The seeds can also be ground into powder and mixed with wheat flour to make patties.

The Chenopodium genus comprises over a hundred species, of which more than fifteen have taken up residence in France, most of them as weeds. All offer their leaves and seeds to our appetites in the same way as goosefoot. Of particular interest is the Bon-Henri goosefoot, a wild mountain vegetable and cereal.

Goosefoot lasagne – Sauté goosefoot leaves in olive oil, stirring constantly. – Prepare a tomato sauce: steam a few onions, add chopped tomatoes, garlic and wild thyme or leafy oregano. – Add salt and simmer for at least half an hour. – Check the seasoning. – Place a layer of lasagne sheets in an oiled gratin dish. – Garnish with tomato sauce and a third of the lamb’s lettuce. – Sprinkle with grated cheese. – Cover with a layer of lasagne and continue until all the ingredients have been used up. – Finish with a light layer of tomato sauce and sprinkle with a little cheese. -Bake in a medium oven (180°C) for about 30 minutes. – A layer of béchamel sauce interspersed between the others will add creaminess to this dish, but is not necessary.

How ungrateful man can be! No more than four centuries ago – just a few minutes into his history – he introduced from America an excellent vegetable prized for both its leaves and seeds, then neglected it and let it fade into oblivion. For once, however, nature rebelled and thethoughtful amaranth did not disappear. Quite the opposite, in fact, since it lives on with us every day, in our gardens, as an invasive “weed” to be ruthlessly eliminated.

Chickweed is commonly known as “white chickweed” or “chickweed”, but this name can lead to confusion with red chickweed (below). Until the middle of the ^20th century, itinerant merchants sold chickweed in the heart of Paris, shouting “Régalez vos petits oiseaux” (“Feed your little birds”): Régalez vos petits oiseaux ” (” Feed your little birds “). Chickweed was harvested in wheelbarrows as far as twenty kilometers from the capital. Around 1900, the chickweed merchants’ guild numbered some two thousand members!

Our plant has a few cousins, easily distinguished by its median hairline. But apart from the aquatic chickweed, the other species^[4] are too tough to eat.

Raw chickweed soup – Sort and wash tender chickweed and chop coarsely. – Place in the bowl of a food processor with olive oil, pressed raw garlic and salt. Blend, adding a little water if necessary, to purée the chickweed. – Add water, milk and potatoes previously boiled and peeled. – Blend briefly. – If you blend too long, the potatoes may become sticky. – Don’t overfill your blender. It’s better to do this in batches and blend everything together. – Enjoy this delicious soup warm, with buttered croutons, and gently reheat. – Be careful not to boil it: its superb bright green will turn a sad brownish hue…

Good weeds

All our plants have a history, especially weeds, which have come from the four corners of the earth in the course of human peregrinations. This is the story of galinsoga. Born in the Andes, this little compound was dedicated to Martinez Galinsoga, director of Madrid’s botanical gardens in the ^18th century. Barely introduced to Europe three hundred years ago, it surreptitiously began to spread across cultivated land. Today, it’s a common “weed” that we strive to get rid of by ruthlessly pulling it from our flowerbeds. Yet guasca, from its Quechua name, has been consumed in South America since Inca times. Cultivated under tall corn stalks, it is sold in markets. It is the staple vegetable of Colombia’s national dish,ajiaco.

Galinsoga is eaten raw, in salads, when young. Its delicious taste of artichoke, or more precisely Jerusalem artichoke, is no coincidence: it’s a close cousin of these two vegetables. Its small white and yellow flower heads are evidence that it belongs to the Compositae family. Its broad, toothed leaves are opposite, a rare feature in this group. Hairy, creeping, not very graceful and humble in appearance, galinsoga is nevertheless one of nature’s finest vegetables. There are a thousand and one ways to prepare it: in soups, soufflés, gratins and more. We use the whole plant^[5] when young, then later only the leaves, as the stems become stringy.

Ajiaco de Cundinamarca – Place onions, coriander leaves and chopped chicken in a pot. – Cover with water and salt. – Cook over high heat while skimming. – Then reduce the heat and simmer. – After 15 minutes, add peeled and cubed firm-fleshed potatoes. – Cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes. – Once the chicken is cooked, remove and set aside. – Put floury potatoes, guasca (galinsoga) leaves and a few cobs of fresh corn cut into thirds* into the pot. – Continue cooking for a quarter of an hour. – When the potatoes are cooked, add the chicken pieces and cook for a further five minutes. – Serve piping hot with crème fraîche, capers, chilli pepper and slices of ripe avocado. – This is a traditional Colombian recipe* – Or, alternatively, canned corn kernels.

Some wild plants undergo unfortunate transformations as they age. Such is the case of the lampane, an excellent vegetable at the rosette stage, which becomes excessively bitter as it grows. You need to be able to identify it by its leaves alone, which are deeply divided into rounded lobes, with the terminal lobe much larger, truncated or heart-shaped at the base. The way they are cut and form regular clumps is reminiscent of a close relative, the dandelion.

Young lampane can be eaten as a salad or vegetable. But as soon as the flowering stem develops, the leaves must be cooked in two waters to eliminate the bitter substances. The long stem divides into numerous spindly twigs decorated with mini-capitules of yellow flowers, all tongue-shaped like dandelions.

For external use, lampshade leaves boiled in water are applied to cracked nipples.

Sow thistle, on the other hand, ages better. Its leaves are good at all stages of the plant’s development. Glabrous, bluish-green and rubbery in consistency, they are divided into downward-pointing, angular segments, the terminal one larger and triangular in shape. In their bushy youth, they make excellent salads. But they’re still very acceptable once the stem has developed and the leaves are embraced by two pointed lobes. And very tender young shoots appear in the axils of the branches. They can be picked regularly without tearing the plant, which will then produce delicate shoots until autumn.

Sow-thistle is also a cousin of the dandelion, as evidenced by its white latex, its light yellow flower heads, all in tongues, and its little balls of down, which the wind blows away.

A related species, bitter sow-thistle, is only good in its infancy. Its leaves quickly become as thorny as a thistle’s.

Lampsane and sow thistle belong to the large Compositae family.

If we don’t go to the bedstraw, it doesn’t hesitate to come to us, in the form of pellets bristling with hooked hairs that get caught in our socks. These fruits, which have found an efficient means of dissemination, provide a good substitute for coffee. Roasted and ground, they give off a scent surprisingly reminiscent of the well-known stimulant. After all, bedstraw and coffee belong to the same family, Rubiaceae. But to get the flavor you’re looking for, don’t skimp on quantity.

Bedstraw thrives in nitrogen-rich soils. Its long, soft stems spread out over the vegetation, which they grip with their small, curved prickles. They are embellished by tiered collars of narrow, elongated leaves, also edged with hooks, gathered six to eight at a time. The miniature flowers have four pointed white petals, fused at the base.

The young shoots can be steamed and served with a sauce like asparagus. They may not be the world’s best vegetable, but they do have the merit of being harvested in abundance.

Many species of bedstraw grow in our regions. Most have white flowers, some yellow like the milk bedstraw. It’s easy to distinguish bedstraw by touch, as it clings to anything that comes near.

Some plants vacillate between toxicity and benevolence. Black nightshade, a common weed in farmland, is one of these. Its highly branched stems bear large, soft green leaves and small, white, five-lobed flowers, similar to those of its cousin the potato. The resulting berries turn from green to black when ripe.

Westerners consider nightshade to be poisonous. Its raw foliage and green fruit are said to have poisoned livestock. It’s true that the plant contains toxic solanine, also found in the green parts of potatoes and tomatoes.

However, it seems proven that cooked leaves are harmless, at least if consumed in moderation. They are eaten as a vegetable in tropical regions. In Réunion and the West Indies, they are known as “brèdes morelle”. They are commonly eaten in Madagascar, China and Korea, and were once eaten as a vegetable in southern Europe. The ripe berries are entirely edible. Juicy and sweet, they have given rise in the United States to a new fruit variety, the wonderberry.

Weeds to avoid

Quite similar in appearance to the stellar succulent (above), red chickweed shares the same habitat. So be careful to distinguish it. Its creeping, slightly flattened stems have four angles (the stellaria stem is round), its small, opposite leaves are punctuated with brown on the underside (stellaria doesn’t have any) and its flowers are brick-red or, more rarely, bright blue. It’s a cousin of the primrose, in the Primulaceae family, while the chickweed belongs to the carnation family, the Caryophyllaceae.

Chickweed is not edible. It is slightly toxic due to its high saponin content. These foaming substances reduce the surface tension of liquids. In the blood, they cause red blood cells to burst, leading to hemolysis. Red chickweed is not actually dangerous to humans, but it is toxic to animals, especially fish and birds. In India, its root was sometimes used as a fishing poison. Medical literature reports that horses have died from consuming excessive doses…

Themorning spurge has a curious name. It’s not that it rings at seven o’clock, but botanists have long noted that, like the sunflower, it follows the course of the sun. So they named it helioscopia, from the Greek hêlios, “sun”, and skopeô, “to observe”.

It’s a small plant with a single, reddish stem, bearing most of its leaves at the base of the inflorescence. The inflorescence is a broad umbel with five rays, each divided into three and then into two. Miniature, ever-smaller leaves are located at each branch. The greenish flowers are characteristic of euphorbias: in a small cup, four rounded stamens surround the globular, hanging ovary.

All euphorbia species contain an acrid, caustic white milk. The Germans call these plants Wolfsmilch, “wolf’s milk”… They are irritating, and ingesting them can cause vomiting. In contact with the skin, latex causes dermatitis, and if it reaches the eyes, complications are to be feared. Their popular use against warts is not recommended.

Are there any slayers in our gardens? Not really. Although little hemlock proliferates, disguised as flat-leaf parsley, it’s not really deadly. Nevertheless, it’s important to know how to recognize it. Its leaves, generally triangular in outline, are deeply divided into elongated segments cut into acute lobes. The main difference with parsley lies in their hue, a very dull dark green. They form a tuft from which a stem rises in summer, bearing small white flowers in umbels at the top. The signature of the little hemlock is the three short, elongated, downward-pointing bracts that flank the outer edge of each secondary umbel, forming an inverted crown around the inflorescence.

Lesser hemlock can cause digestive problems, but does not appear to be lethal to humans, even in high doses. It is possible, however, that its toxicity varies according to the terrain. Fertilization seems to increase its toxicity.

Its cousin,hemlock , is more dangerous. It causes nervous and respiratory disorders that can lead to death by paralysis of the diaphragm. This is how Socrates died. The plant’s toxicity, due to several alkaloids, varies according to the part considered, the season and the place where it grows. The root is less virulent than the stem or leaves; the fruit is particularly poisonous just before ripening; hemlock is said to be more toxic in the south than in the north: Linnaeus even lists it among the edible plants of Sweden… The dried plant is reputed to be more benign. Whatever the case, it’s essential to know how to recognize it.

Great hemlock prefers rubble to crops. It is a biennial, glabrous plant with a sturdy stem spotted purple at the base. The broad leaves at the base have a long stalk, also mottled. They are finely divided into more or less triangular segments, themselves lobed and toothed. The white flowers are grouped in small terminal umbels and give rise to almost globular fruits, similar to coriander seeds. When crumpled, Great hemlock gives off an unpleasant odor reminiscent of mouse urine.

Legend has it that hemlock was created by the devil to imitate the carrot, his cousin, created by God…

Over flowing waters

Since the ^mid-19th century, the Étampes region has specialized in growing watercress. Today, the Essonne department supplies almost half of France’s cress production. An aquatic plant, cress requires cold, pure running water. The many springs percolating through the Stampian sands are ideal. The danger of picking wild cress comes from a parasite, the liver fluke, common in the intestines of ruminants. Cattle and sheep excrete the eggs, which are ingested by an aquatic snail, the limnea. After transformation inside the gastropod, a form of resistance sticks to plants living in water or submerged for part of the year. Watercress, beccabunga speedwell and even simple dandelions in a rut can harbor it. If humans consume these plants, the larvae are unable to develop as they would in their animal hosts. They form cysts in the liver, which can grow to enormous size. Only surgical removal can then be envisaged. Cultivation in spring water, which has not been used for grazing, offers a considerable guarantee of safety.

This precaution is worth taking if you want to eat cress raw, as careful washing in vinegar and water would not be enough to eliminate any parasites. But cooking eliminates any risk. Traditional soups are therefore safe, as are sauces and purées, gratins, soufflés and tarts.

In any case, whether wild or cultivated, beware of raw watercress. Overuse can lead to painful cystitis, due to the irritating sulfuric essence it contains. It’s to this that it owes its pungent mustard taste: it belongs to the same family, rich in condiments, the Cruciferae. Its small white flowers with four cross-shaped petals give it away, as do its elongated siliques and leaves cut into rounded segments, the terminal one larger than the others.

Watercress is rich in vitamin C, provitamin A, iron and iodine.

Watercress quiche – Prepare a shortcrust pastry in advance: place 250 g flour, 100 ml oil, 100 ml warm water and a pinch of salt in a hermetically sealed container. – Tighten the lid and shake vigorously in all directions for one minute. – Leave to stand for at least two hours. Blanch the watercress, drain carefully and chop coarsely. – Roll out the dough and line an oiled and floured baking tin. – Bake in a medium oven (180°C) for 5 minutes to keep it firm. – Spread the watercress over the tart base. – Beat three eggs into an omelette with a fork, then mix in ¼ l crème fraîche, ¼ l milk and grated cheese. – Season with salt and pepper. – Pour over the watercress and bake in a hot oven for half an hour. Serve immediately. -An excellent alternative for those put off by dairy products is to use soy products: mash standard tofu with creamy silken tofu, and pour this mixture over the watercress in place of the classic appliance.

It’s not uncommon to confuse watercress with another cruciferous plant that also grows with its feet in the water, bitter cardamine. The latter has more numerous, narrower, lighter-green leaflets. The mistake would be of no consequence, since the look-alike is just as good as the original, apart from an even stronger flavor reminiscent of meadow cardamine.

Nodiflora ache is sometimes mistaken for watercress and harvested by mistake. This aquatic umbellifer looks quite different, however, with its leaves divided into elongated, toothed segments. In this case, the mistake would not be serious, as ache is perfectly edible. But watch out for its deadly cousins: the water hemlock, aquatic oenanthe and saffron oenanthe. They live in water, but don’t float like watercress, and their leaves are finely divided, much more so than those of ache.

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^[1] These plants like nitrogen and rich soil: they are excellent indicators of soil quality.

^[2] It can be used for washing clothes or hair.

^[3] Such as wheat, corn, rice, barley, rye, spelt or einkorn.

^[4] Holosted chickweed, grass chickweed and wood chickweed.

^[5] Stems, leaves and flowers.