Friday, October 11, 2024

Common Sowthistle

 

 

The flowers and leaves look a lot like Wild Lettuce (Lactuca) or Dandelion (Taraxacum) which can lead to misidentification.

The leaves do especially resemble Tall Lettuce (Lactuca canadensis)


 

Common Name: Common Sowthistle

 

Other Common Names:  Sow Thistle, Smooth Sow Thistle, Annual Sowthistle, Hare’s Colwort, Hare’s Thistle, Milky Tassel, Milk Thistle and Soft Thistle.

 

Botanical Family: Asteraeae (The Aster Family)

 

Botanical Latin Name: Sonchus oleraceus

 

Description & Habitat:  It has to be said that there are a lot of things called a ‘Thistle’ and that is because a number of members of the Aster Family resemble the true Thistles which are grouped in the Cirsium genus. True Milk Thistles are in the Silybum genus but are not true Thistles despite looking very similar. Common Sow Thistle is as noted above in the Sonchus genus and is a third similar looking group of plants often called ‘Thistles’ despite not being in the Cirsium genus. All of these plant genuses are in the Aster Family which just makes things even more confusing. Getting back to the plant in question, Common Sowthistle is commonly found in disturbed sites, fields, along railroads, gravel banks, in backgrounds and by the roadside. This plant despite its name is clearly a member of the aster family and its flowers resemble that of dandelion, its relative.  As seen with the included pictures it’s leaves resemble one of the wild lettuces (Lactuca sp.) or a Dandelion (Taraxicum sp.) both of which are also, you guessed it; in the Aster family. The specific epithet Oleraceus means ‘vegetable/herbal’ and the name ‘sow thistle’ it’s varied forms means that it is attractive as a food item for pigs. Additionally one of the common names ‘Hare’s Thistle refers to its supposed benefit for Rabbits. Common Sowthistle is an annual plant which can get almost four feet tall and its flowers are preferred by native pollinators and it spreads exclusively by its seeds which have silky parachutes much like the seeds of Dandelions do. Common Sow Thistle is considered invasive in some places because of the large number of seeds it produces and their high germination rate and the fact that it is not native to the United States.

 

When & What to Harvest: It is best to harvest the leaves when they are young as they take on a bitter flavor once mature. It is best to pick when the plant is only a few inches tall as the other downside to this plant is its ability to hyper accumulate nitrates. It is noted in several credible publications that per 100 grams of leaf it has 30-40 milligrams of Vitamin C,1500mg of calcium, 500mg of phosphorous, 45.6 mg of iron, 35 mg of vitamin A, thiamine (b1),  riboflavin (b2) and, niacin. 

 

Dangerous Lookalikes: None that I know of.

 

Related Useful Species:  (Wild)

A well-documented relative is Sow Thistle (Sonchus arvensis) which is edible in the same way as Common Sowthistle

 

Recipe:  This wild plant can be used in forage salads especially if mixed with other more bland flavored wild leaf greens. A good salad recipe is to combine the Common Sow Thistle leaves with Carrots, Cucumbers, Onions, and Tomato slices and douse it with a good Italian dressing and some Feta cheese that has been crumbled. Older leaf greens can have their bitterness neutralized if the greens are steamed. There are a surprisingly large number of recipes for this plant’s leaf greens online, just google “recipes for Sonchus oleraceaus”.

 

 

Additional Information: (If applicable)

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/sonchus/

 

With all that garden goodness covered this is the part of the blog where I have to advertise for the Fayetteville City Market. Now I know you readers probably don’t much like advertisements, but my booth at the City Market helps to cover the costs of running the test garden and literally maintains the Research & Development budget that is used to bring you the information that has made up the backbone of this blog.  In addition to being able to process card payments we now take CashApp payments so your payment options for my product have tripled. With that said; if you want to get some GMO-free, Organic fruit, herbs, flowers and perennials, come on down to the Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Even in bad weather the market goes on though you might have to look for me under the ‘arches’ of the Transportation Museum’s front entryway.

 

For those of you wondering what plants are going to be at the market this weekend here is the list.

 

Fresh Foods:

Soup Kit – Parsnip

Soup Kit – Turnip

Garlic Bulbs

 

 

Soil Amendment Products:

Live Mushroom Compost – 18 Gallon Tote*

Live Mushroom Compost – 3 Gallon Bag

Live Mushroom Compost – 1 Gallon Bag

 

Sandhills Mushroom Farms – Lion’s Mane Tincture Sample size (New!)

Sandhills Mushroom Farms – Lion’s Mane Tincture

Sandhills Mushroom Farms – Turkey Tail Tincture

Sandhills Mushroom Farms – Blue Oyster Mushroom Grow Kit (New!)

 

Garden Plants, Fall Foods:

Arugula, Astro

Cabbage, Pac Choi ‘Rosie’

Collards, Green Glaze

Kale, Prizm

Kale, Redbor

Sorrel, Raspberry Dressing

 

 

Coming Soon:

The house plants are coming.

 

*The 18 gallon tote is by special order only and is delivered to any address within the Fayetteville city area.

 

 

How to stay in Contact with Us!

Our group’s online presence has migrated to Nextdoor.com. All you need to keep up with all our activities is to have a Nextdoor account and to look for the ‘Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’ group and ask to join! You don’t have to live in Fayetteville to join us! Feel free to ask all your garden questions of our knowledgeable membership and post your cool garden pictures.

 

Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville

 

Also please take a gander at the YouTube version of this blog:

The Videos: Look Here

>Newest videos (2): Joe Pye Weed, Blue Oyster Mushrooms, also some short video outttakes.

 

Meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is October 12th at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.

 

Friday, October 4, 2024

Pink Purselane

 

 

This is commonly how you will find pink purselane, in sandy soil and tangled in with other weeds.

The flowers are quite pretty but look close there's a Hoverfly pretending to be a Bee on the flower.


 

 

Common Name: Pink Purselane

 

Other Common Names: Kiss Me Quick, Hairy Pigweed, Chisme.

 

Botanical Family: Portulacaeae (The Purselane Family)

 

Botanical Latin Name: Portulaca oleracea

 

Description & Habitat:  Pink Purselane is a native succulent summer annual that emerges in late spring if the weather is warm enough, but otherwise will appear in early summer and becomes readily visible by mid to late summer when its bright pink flowers are visible on sunny warm days. Like all wild Purselanes, this plant will typically only open its flowers when there is enough sun and in rainy or cloudy periods it might not bloom at all. The leaves of this plant are elliptical in shape and a medium green color while the stems range from deep green to red and there are white hairs that emerge where leaves meet the plant’s stem. The name pilosa comes from the Latin word Pilose meaning ‘covered with long soft hairs’. In practice this is not a reliable primary identification feature as most specimens I have encountered aren’t very hairy. The bright pink five to six-petaled flower with its bright yellow pollen at the center is a better feature to look for. Generally you can find this plant in sandy soils but it is adaptable to all but constantly wet soil and in the urban landscape it will appear in lawns, garden beds and places with lightly disturbed soil.

 

 

When & What to Harvest: This plant has potentially dangerous levels of Oxalic acid in its foliage and is not recommended for consumption.

 

Dangerous Lookalikes:  None known.

 

Related Useful Species:  (Wild)

Common Purselane (Portulaca oleracea)

 

Related Useful Species:  (Cultivated)

Common Purselane (P. oleracea) Moss Rose (P. grandiflora).

 

Recipe:  There is no recipe for this plant because of its oxalic acid levels which may pose a health hazard.

 

 

Additional Information: (If applicable)

https://www.wildflower.org/gallery/result.php?id_image=12483

 

With all that garden goodness covered this is the part of the blog where I have to advertise for the Fayetteville City Market. Now I know you readers probably don’t much like advertisements, but my booth at the City Market helps to cover the costs of running the test garden and literally maintains the Research & Development budget that is used to bring you the information that has made up the backbone of this blog.  In addition to being able to process card payments we now take CashApp payments so your payment options for my product have tripled. With that said; if you want to get some GMO-free, Organic fruit, herbs, flowers and perennials, come on down to the Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Even in bad weather the market goes on though you might have to look for me under the ‘arches’ of the Transportation Museum’s front entryway.

 

For those of you wondering what plants are going to be at the market this weekend here is the list.

 

Fresh Foods:

Soup Kit – Parsnip

Soup Kit – Turnip

Garlic Bulbs

 

Soil Amendment Products:

Live Mushroom Compost – 18 Gallon Tote*

Live Mushroom Compost – 3 Gallon Bag

Live Mushroom Compost – 1 Gallon Bag

 

Sandhills Mushroom Farms – Lion’s Mane Tincture Sample size (New!)

Sandhills Mushroom Farms – Lion’s Mane Tincture

Sandhills Mushroom Farms – Turkey Tail Tincture

Sandhills Mushroom Farms – Blue Oyster Mushroom Grow Kit (New!)

 

Garden Plants, Fall Foods:

Arugula, Astro

Cabbage, Pac Choi ‘Rosie’

Collards, Green Glaze

Kale, Prizm

Kale, Redbor

Sorrel, Raspberry Dressing

 

 

Coming Soon:

Houseplants for the Holidays

 

*The 18 gallon tote is by special order only and is delivered to any address within the Fayetteville city area.

 

 

How to stay in Contact with Us!

Our group’s online presence has migrated to Nextdoor.com. All you need to keep up with all our activities is to have a Nextdoor account and to look for the ‘Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’ group and ask to join! You don’t have to live in Fayetteville to join us! Feel free to ask all your garden questions of our knowledgeable membership and post your cool garden pictures.

 

Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville

 

Also please take a gander at the YouTube version of this blog:

The Videos: Look Here

>Newest videos (0): New videos coming soon

 

Meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is October 5th at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.

 

Thursday, September 26, 2024

Fig-Leaved Goosefoot

  

Note the white waxy-fuzz near the stem tips. That's naturally occurring and not a mealy bug infestation.

Note what's growing around the specimen and the area, it's a dry sandy slope between access roads that isn't irrigated.


Common Name: Fig-Leaved Goosefoot

 

Other Common Names: Figleaf Goosefoot

 

Botanical Family: Amaranthaeae (The Amaranth Family)

 

Botanical Latin Name: Chenopodium ficifolium

 

Description & Habitat:  This plant is a non-native warm-season annual from Eurasia that has naturalized in North America. It is commonly found in sites with disturbed soil and thus may be found besides roads, highways, paths, and any construction site. The seeds of this plant can persist in the soil for years and it grows rapidly forming a dense roughly ‘flame’ shaped bush that on average is about three feet tall. Figleaf Goose foot is often mistaken at a glance for Lamb’s Quarters and they are both Chenopods but a close examination of the leaves will reveal that Figleaf Goosefoot has noticeably different foliage. Your first identification feature is to note that some of this plant’s leaves will be tri-lobed and narrow and resemble the three-toed arrangement of a goose’s foot. Alternately leaves may have three lobes and are arrayed like the leaves of figs (Ficus). Often you will see a mix of the aforementioned foliage traits in a single given leaf with a scalloped leaf margin that can be a bit undulating. All foliage will have  degree of whiteish waxy coating which is most visible near the stems and growing tips.

 

A botanical Latin synonym for this plant is Chenopodium serotinum.

 

When & What to Harvest: Ideally you want to harvest younger softer greens in bulk along with flowers since cooking will diminish the amount you have in the pot. Late spring and summer are the best times to find and harvest from this plant. The seeds of this plant can be collected, roasted and eaten or roasted and ground into a flour substitute.

 

Dangerous Lookalikes: None that I know of.

 

Related Useful Species:  (Wild)

North American Lamb’s Quarters (Chenopodium berlandieri), European Lamb’s Quarters (C. album), Fremont’s Lamb’s Quarters (C. fremontii), Pigweed (Amaranth retroflexus), Green Pigweed (A. hybridus), Livid Amaranth (A. blitum) Slender Amaranth (A. viridus), and a few others.

 

Related Useful Species:  (Cultivated)

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea), Callaloo (Amaranthus viridis), Epazote (Dysphania ambrosioides), Orach (Atriplex hortensis), Strawberry Blite (Blitum capitatum), Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa), Blood amaranth (A. cruentus), Love lies bleeding (A. caudatus), and Prince’s-Feather (A. hypochondriacus), Cock’s Comb (A. cristata), Joseph’s Coat (A. tricolor), Dragon’s Breath Celosia (Celosa argentea).

 

Recipe:  In general the same recipes apply to this plant as do with Lamb’s Quarters with the exception that I strongly recommend cooking the greens and flowers you harvest. Boil the young foliage in a small amount of water for about five minutes or until fork-tender. Add butter, salt, pepper. Alternately you can make a sauce for the greens that is made of ¼ cup of diced onion, several slices of bacon that has been crumbed or smoked ham jowls that have been sliced finely. Add ¼ cup of vinegar salt and pepper and simmer gently for about five to ten minutes or until the sauce thickens. Apply the sauce to the greens as one might do with salad dressing on a salad.

 

 

Additional Information: (If applicable)

https://southwestdesertflora.com/WebsiteFolders/All_Species/Chenopodiaceae/Chenopodium%20ficifolium,%20Fig-Leaf%20Goosefoot.html

 

 

With all that garden goodness covered this is the part of the blog where I have to advertise for the Fayetteville City Market. Now I know you readers probably don’t much like advertisements, but my booth at the City Market helps to cover the costs of running the test garden and literally maintains the Research & Development budget that is used to bring you the information that has made up the backbone of this blog.  In addition to being able to process card payments we now take CashApp payments so your payment options for my product have tripled. With that said; if you want to get some GMO-free, Organic fruit, herbs, flowers and perennials, come on down to the Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Even in bad weather the market goes on though you might have to look for me under the ‘arches’ of the Transportation Museum’s front entryway.

 

For those of you wondering what plants are going to be at the market this weekend here is the list.

 

Fresh Foods:

Soup Kit – Parsnip

Soup Kit – Turnip

Garlic Bulbs

 

 

Soil Amendment Products:

Live Mushroom Compost – 18 Gallon Tote*

Live Mushroom Compost – 3 Gallon Bag

Live Mushroom Compost – 1 Gallon Bag

 

Sandhills Mushroom Farms – Lion’s Mane Tincture Sample size (New!)

Sandhills Mushroom Farms – Lion’s Mane Tincture

Sandhills Mushroom Farms – Turkey Tail Tincture

Sandhills Mushroom Farms – Blue Oyster Mushroom Grow Kit (New!)

 

Garden Plants, Fall Foods:

Arugula, Astro

Cabbage, Pac Choi ‘Rosie’

Collards, Green Glaze

Kale, Prizm

Kale, Redbor

Sorrel, Raspberry Dressing

 

 

Coming Soon:

TBA!

 

*The 18 gallon tote is by special order only and is delivered to any address within the Fayetteville city area.

 

 

How to stay in Contact with Us!

Our group’s online presence has migrated to Nextdoor.com. All you need to keep up with all our activities is to have a Nextdoor account and to look for the ‘Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’ group and ask to join! You don’t have to live in Fayetteville to join us! Feel free to ask all your garden questions of our knowledgeable membership and post your cool garden pictures.

 

Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville

 

Also please take a gander at the YouTube version of this blog:

The Videos: Look Here

>Newest videos (1): Canna Lily ‘Australia’

 

Meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is September 28th at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.