Welcome back to the Lost In the Farmer’s Market blog. As some of you have noticed the blog has taken on a more formal instructional tone to cover the wide variety of forage foods that you can find all around you. This change came about due to the events of the pandemic, economic turmoil and other factors. The reality is that we are surrounded with perfectly edible plants that can fill at least some of the void in our dietary needs but, there is a multi-million dollar herbicide industry that exists. It has always been in the interest of that industry to label certain things ‘weeds’ so they can sell you product that as time goes by we find out is worse for your health than the weeds are. Coupled with an Agricultural-Education system that peddles the myths of the industry and the old myth that if you can afford a nice lawn you must have wealth we have a population that has been fooled for a long time. So, here we are in 2023, and the forage foods series will continue. I hope all of you who read this blog find the information useful or at least thought provoking. The ‘weeds’ I am listing a certainly found in Zone 8A in North Carolina and should certainly be easy to find in the Southeast regions of America. Oh, and one funny thing discovered in last year’s blog, it turns out you can eat Crab Grass, and while it isn’t what most would call a lawn grass, I did state you can’t eat your lawn in last year’s intro. Detailed research is a funny thing since it has a way of proving even the experts wrong.
This specimen was captured on camera last summer at a construction site in Fayetteville. It, Mugwort (Atremesia vulgare) and several other 'weeds' emerged from the recently turned soil and coated it in a carpet of green. 
This is another Annual Ragweed specimen, this photo was taken to show how bushy a singular plant can get. This photo was taken at the same site as the picture above just twenty feet away. 
This young Ragweed was photographed in Eastover near another construction site in a formerly wooded area. It emerged later than the ones in the two pictures above probably because the area isn't exactly full sun, also that soil was exceptionally poor in quality.
Common Name: Annual Ragweed
Other Common Names: Common Ragweed, Roman Wormwood, Low Ragweed, Short Ragweed, Small Ragweed.
Botanical Family: Asteraceae (The Aster Family)
Botanical Latin Name: Ambrosia artemisiifolia
Description & Habitat: Annual Ragweed on average can grow 3-6 feet tall and it’s best two identification features are its leaves and it’s stems. The leaves of Annual ragweed are finely divided and almost resemble that of some Ferns. The stems of Annual Ragweed are very hairy; they are covered with what will look like white fuzz. Flowers on this plant are inconspicuous but are borne at stem tips. Annual Ragweed branches profusely and groups of them can form thickets that can choke out other plants that are more endemic to the region. While it is native to North America, it is considered invasive because a single plant can produce up to 3,500 seeds. Annual ragweed seed can lay dormant in the soil allowing it to escape individual eradication efforts. Given that it is a native you can find this plant almost anywhere in North America as its seedlings will emerge in spring and it is intolerant of poor quality soil.
When & What to Harvest: Thankfully for all of its failings (allergies) and its troubling habits Ragweed is absolutely edible. The seeds are what you want to harvest and they become available in summer. Ragweed seeds are 47% crude protein and 38% crude fat which is impressive when collected as a food. Since each plant according to official sources can produce up to 3,500 seeds each when left to their own devices this number probably is greater when intentionally cultivated.
Poisonous Lookalikes: None were found in my research for this post.
Related Edible Species: Giant Ragweed (A. trifida), Slimleaf Burr Ragweed (A. tenuifolia) for the roots,
Recipe: I could not locate a credible recipe for this post, but a lot of sources suggest collecting the foliage and, boiling it in two changes of water to moderate some of the flavor and then seasoning it as you might any other potherb. Just as a warning, some sources suggest that Annual Ragweed may be a hyper accumulator of lead. This has led to some suggestion of using it to clean up lead pollution in soil. Becareful of where you are collecting this leaf green in the wild.
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 by 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 2:00 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 Produce:
Garlic Bulbs
Soup Kit – Parsnip
Soup Kit – Turnip
Coming Soon:
Spring Garden Plants are due in March 2023.
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): Widow’s Tears, Adam’s Needle.
Meetings still going on! We now meet at LeClair’s General Store on the First and Third Thursday of every month. Our next meeting is on February 16th between 5:30pm and 7:00pm. We are in the back room so come on in and join us for a fun garden chat.
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