Poor Man's Quinoa

Learn to recognize and use this valuable plant

[Nyerges is the author of “Foraging California,” “Nuts and Berries of California,” “Guide to Wild Foods and Useful Plants,” and other books on self-reliance. He has led foraging walks since 1974.  He can be reached at www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com.]

These days, everyone wants to eat the hip “new” nutritional foods: kale, chia, quinoa, and many of the others that are found in the latest chef’s restaurant where all the beautiful people go. 

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa)  is a seed that has been used for centuries in Mexico and S. America, and it’s a great food. The seeds and leaves have been used in countless recipes and the plant was highly revered.  The use of the quinoa seeds took on a near-religious quality during the height of the Maya empire centuries ago.

But did you know that there is a close relative to quinoa that grows wild just about everywhere today in Southern California, and throughout most of North America? In fact, it grows pretty much everywhere in the world these days, and is more often regarded as a weed to be pulled and discarded.  It’s probably growing in your yard right now!

LAMB’S QUARTER

I’m speaking of lamb’s quarter (Chenopodium album), a European native that is today found  world-wide. Though this spinach relative is an extremely common cosmopolitan plant, it rarely gets the respect it deserves.  In fact, it is typically regarded as an agricultural pest and an urban weed.  Gardeners pull it up and poison it and throw it into the trash can.  This is another example of our culture's chosen ignorance, because lamb's quarter is possibly the most nutritious green plant you can eat! It’s a true “superfood.”

NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 100 grams of lamb's quarter leaf contains 4.2 grams of protein, 309 mg. of calcium, 72 mg. of phosphorus, 80 mg. of vitamin C, and a remarkable 11,600 International Units of vitamin A. 

Another analysis (Duke and Atchley) shows 684 mg. of potassium per 100 grams of leaf.  And 100 grams (1/2 cup) of the seed contains 1,036 mg. of calcium 340 mg. of phosphorus, 64 mg. of iron, and 1,687 mg. of potassium. The small black seeds are also an excellent protein source, used just as you’d use the quinoa seeds sold in many markets.

           

Even if you're not concerned about the vitamin and mineral content, you'll find that lamb's quarter is a delicious, hearty plant that can be used in many dishes.

Generally, you use lamb's quarter in any way that you'd use spinach.  Lamb's quarter leaves can be picked and added to green salads.  The flavor is similar to spinach.  The leaves can also be steamed as you'd steam spinach, and then seasoned with butter or herbs.  Most of your guests won't detect that they're not eating spinach.

Lamb's quarter leaves can be added to soups, stews, omelettes, bread batter, and even quiche.  The leaves can be steamed, and cheese grated over the top before serving.  The tender stems can be steamed, and served as you'd serve asparagus or string beans.

Lamb’s quarter is a late spring and summer weed, and so I use all that I can during the season. I also dry some which I then can store and reconstitute later. However, for storage, I prefer to blanche and then freeze as much as I can, which I then add to soups and stews throughout the year when the plant has died back.

As lamb's quarter goes to seed and dies back, you can easily collect the seeds.  I generally rub my hand along the stem and collect the seeds into a large salad bowl.  When all the seeds are dry, I rub them all between my hands, and blow off the chaff until I am left with only the black seed.  These seeds are then added to bread batter, pancake and biscuit batter, and soups.

This is such a common urban plant world wide that no hobo or homeless person should ever go hungry where lamb's quarter is found.  It grows all over Pasadena and nearby areas  in parks, in back yards, in fields, in vacant lots, along railroad lines, and often in the wilderness areas along trails.  When I harvest lamb’s quarter, I just pinch off the tips and never uproot the plant. This way, it lives longer and I have an extended supply of the greens.

When I first learning ethnobotany in the 1970s, I once spent a week in the Angeles National Forest and my only food was lamb’s quarter, making just about every dish possible with this plant. 

IDENTIFICATION

Lamb's quarter is easily recognized by its roughly toothed leaves that are somewhat triangular in shape.  The leaves are covered with a fine white mealiness which causes water to bead up on the leaf surface.  The older stems often have red stripes and red in the axils. 

If you’re not sure of the identity of a wild plant you intend to eat, don’t eat it!  Take the time to send someone a picture of the plant, or take the plant to a specialist.

DESCRIPTION: An annual plant which generally grows up to three or four feet tall, but much taller in ideal soils.  The leaves are roughly triangular in shape, with a white filmy coating to each leaf which causes water and raindrops to bead up.  The leaf shape has been described as similar to a duck’s or goose’s foot, hence another common name, goosefoot.

The stalks are typically streaked with red, and there is usually a bit of red in the axil of each leaf.

The green flowers are inconspicuous.

WHEN TO HARVEST/ AVAILABILITY: Lamb’s quarter is an annual plant which sprouts up in late winter or spring, depending on the rain fall and temperatures. You can harvest the early leaves by pinching off the tender tops, and leaving the plant to continue its growth.  Since the leaves do not go bitter, you can continue to pinch off the leaves through its growing season.

Seeds are harvested in the late summer when the plant has finished its growth and is dying. It’s best to wait until the plant is browning before harvesting the seeds so you know they’ll be mature.  Seeds can be harvested en-masse, allowed to dry, and then winnowed in a shallow bowl.

FOOD:  Think of lamb’s quarter as a wild spinach which can be used raw or cooked in any of the dishes you’d use spinach.  The young leaves are tender enough to be rinsed and added to salads.  The leaves can be cooked like spinach, and served plain, or with butter or other seasoning. The broth from this cooking is delicious.  Lamb’s quarter leaves and tender stems can also be added to soups, stews, egg dishes, stir-fries, and any dish where you might add spinach.

The mature black seeds, winnowed, can be added to bread and pancake batters, and to soup dishes, akin to the use of quinoa seed (a close relative of lamb’s quarter).

ADVICE FOR GROWING:  Lamb’s quarter is one of the easiest wild plants to grow.  They will grow simply by scattering the seed in a garden area, or along paths.  You can also plant the seeds in flats or pots.  If you allow a few to go to seed, you’ll find that you have a continual supply of the lamb’s quarter plants.

SOURCE:  If you’re still uncertain what this looks like, you can obtain the seed and grow it yourself.  Each seed packet with instructions is $3.99 from Survival Seeds, P.O.Box 41834, Los Angeles, CA 90041.

CAUTIONS:  Though lamb’s quarter leaf can be eaten raw, it is best eaten in a salad with a dressing.  If you simply pick a leaf from the plant and eat it, the high mineral content of the leaf can cause an irritation in the mouth and throat.

RECIPES:

SOUR LAMB

2 quarts lamb’s quarter leaves

1 pint sour cream

Garlic powder

            Steam the lamb’s quarter leaves and tender tops until tender.  Strain and chop fine.  Stir in the sour cream, add a dash of garlic powder and serve warm.

GOULD MESA DELUXE

3 cups lamb’s quarter leaves and tender stems, rinsed, diced.

1 onion, sliced

Butter, as needed

Seasonings to taste (Suggestion: use a dash of paprika and kelp)

            Warm the butter in a cast iron skillet.  Add the onion and cook until tender.  Add the lamb’s quarter and cook until tender. Add seasonings and serve.

EARTH BREAD

1 cup lamb’s quarter seed

1 cup flour of your choice (try acorn, or wheat, or amaranth)

3 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt.

3 Tbsp. honey

1 egg

1 cup raw milk (can substitute almond milk)

3 Tbsp oil.

            Mix all the ingredients well, and bake in an oiled pan for about 30 minutes in a 350 degree f. oven. You can also thin the batter with extra water and make pancakes.