Tall Lettuce II

 Note from the Author: This is an update on a weed I briefly covered on April 3^rd 2015 and in more detail on April 4^th 2024.

 

 

These leaves are perfectly tender.

Because of the leaf shapes folks often mistake Tall Lettuce for it's more famous cousin Dandelion.

 

Common Name: Tall Lettuce

 

Other Common Names: Canada Lettuce, Canada Wild Lettuce, Wild Lettuce.

 

Botanical Family: Asterceae (The Aster Family)

 

Botanical Latin Name: Lactuca canadensis

 

Description & Habitat: Tall Lettuce is a native species that can be an annual or a biennial depending on when it’s seeds germinated and weather conditions. It’s leaves are in an alternate arrangement, may not have a visible petiole and typically clasp the stem. The leaves are often deeply lobed and resemble the leaves of a Dandelion but are much larger. Typically you will find this plant in disturbed areas such as by the roadside, in pastures, and open woods, it will also appear alongside paths in one’s garden and in potted plants. It is not uncommon for a Tall Lettuce plant to reach up to seven feet tall in a growing season.

 

 

When & What to Harvest: The foliage and flowers can be harvested and eaten raw or cooked.

 

Edible Related Plants: Lettuce (Lactuca sativa), Prickly Lettuce (L. serriola)

 

Similar Dangerous Species:  None are known.

 

Recipe:  

If you search online you will find many ways to prepare and use the greens from Tall Lettuce, and I have two suggestions. Firstly, use the greens in a forage salad raw, but take care to wash them in specific thoroughly as this plant is commonly a host plant for Aphids. In a salad these leaves pair well with crumbled feta, bacon if served cooked but in raw form and a robust Italian salad dressing does wonders for them especially with black olives and parmesan.

 

As a cooked leaf green typically Tall lettuce is generally used like Escarole (Chichorium endiva) a relative in the Aster family and a form of Chicory. Now personally, I prefer to use the leaves of this plant about this time of the year in a sauté with garlic and Broccoli Rabe served with pork or chicken breasts and a side of either pasta or rice. Literally once cooked it blends seamlessly in with the other greens and no one would readily know the difference without me saying something.

 

 

Additional Information: (If applicable)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactuca_canadensis

 

 

Where to get seed or Bare Root Plants:

I don’t know of any credible vendor selling seeds or plants.

 

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.

 

Spring Garden Plants:

Swiss Chard, Red

Tomato, Lemon Boy

Tomato, Sungold

Tomato, Yellow Cherry

Tomato, Midnight Snack

Tomato, Cherokee Purple

Pepper, Shishito

Pepper, Ghost

Sorrel, Raspberry Dressing

Mustard, Mizuna

(More TBA!)

 

 

Soil Amendment Products:

Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 18 Gallon Tote*

Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 3 Gallon Bag

Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 1 Gallon Bag

Carolina Gold, Enhanced Potting Soil – 1 Gallon Bag

 

 

 

*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!

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): Farmed Chickweed

 

Meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is March 20^th at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.

Mouse-Ear Chickweed II

 Note from the Author: This is an update on a weed I briefly covered on September 2, 2022.

 

 

Here is one starting to bloom.

This specimen is looking really good...that cigarette butt nearby, not so much.

 

Common Name: Mouse-Ear Chickweed

 

Other Common Names: Sticky Chickweed, Clammy Chickweed, Sticky Mouse-ear Chickweed.

 

Botanical Family: Caryophyllaceae (The Carnation Family)

 

Botanical Latin Name: Cerastium glomeratum

 

Description & Habitat: Mouse-Ear Chickweed is a non-native cool season annual that is similar in physical features to its cousin Common Chickweed (Stellaria media). Mouse-Ear Chickweed has green foliage that may appear grayish due to the fuzz of it’s fine hairs. Leafe are simple and have an entire margin and are borne in opposite arrangement. This plant may have deep red stems and had five-petaled flowers borne in clusters that are white in color and have a deep notch in the petal tips. It is not uncommon for one of these plants to get as tall as six inches with a spread of up to a foot and a half. Generally Mouse-hear Chickweed is found in locations with disturbed soil, but can also be found in lawns, yards, potted outdoor plants and in garden beds. It is not particularly aggressive and is short-lived as the heat of summer tends to kill it when it emerges in a full sun location. In older publications this plant may appear under the botanical Latin names, Cerastium acutatum, Cerastium glomeratum var. apetalum and, Cerastium viscosum. As for medicinal/herbal uses I’ve managed to find two uses that are repeated by credible sources so it should be safe to consider the following. While I cannot find a originating source for the claim, the juice of this plant dropped into the nostrils during a nosebleed is said to stop the bleeding. The action by which this works is unclear, but it may be a coagulant and this might help with other minor wounds. In Nepal the juice of this plant is applied to the forehead to lessen the effects of a headache.  There are a number of common ‘weeds’ that have similar compounds as Asprin, specifically Salicylic acid which was first isolated in Willow bark but is also known to be found in the leaves of English Violets (Viola odorata). Oh and as a tip on looking for willows for pain relief, Purple Willow (Salix purpurea) and it’s hybrids with Daphne Willow (S. daphnoides) are the best sources for quality pain relieving bark.

 

 

When & What to Harvest: The foliage as a whole can be harvested and eaten raw or cooked.

 

Edible Related Plants: Common Chickweed (Stellaria media),

 

Similar Dangerous Species:  None are known.

 

Recipe:  

Mouse-Ear Chickweed is useable in all the same ways as Common Chickweed.

 

Additional Information: (If applicable)

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/cerastium-glomeratum/

 

 

Where to get seed or Bare Root Plants:

I don’t know of any credible vendor selling seeds or plants.

 

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.

 

Spring Garden Plants:

Swiss Chard, Red

(More TBA!)

 

 

Soil Amendment Products:

Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 18 Gallon Tote*

Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 3 Gallon Bag

Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 1 Gallon Bag

Carolina Gold, Enhanced Potting Soil – 1 Gallon Bag

 

 

 

*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!

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): Farmed Chickweed

 

Meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is March 20^th at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.

Cat's Ear Dandelion II

 Note from the Author: This is an update on a weed I briefly covered on March 14^th 2019 and again briefly on February 23^rd, 2024

 

 

This Cat's Ear Dandelion thinks your landscape edging sucks!

Look at those lobes!

These young Cat's Ear Dandelions are the right size for transplant, just don't eat the red shroom.

This specimen was seen growing through a tiny crack at the Cumberland County School Bus Garage bay door. It's a perfect example of how nature cannot really be stopped.

This is a great example of Smooth Cat's Ear Dandelion (H. glabra)

 

 

Common Name: Cat’s Ear Dandelion

 

Other Common Names: Flatweed, Australian Cape Weed, California Dandelion, False Dandelion, Frogbit, Gosmore, Hairy Cat’s Ear, Rough Cat’s Ear and Spotted Cat’s Ear

 

Botanical Family: Asteraceae (The Aster Family)

 

Botanical Latin Name: Hypochaeris radicata

 

Description & Habitat: Cat’s Ear Dandelion is a non-native perennial plant that array’s its leaves in a basal rosette. The leaves of this plant have a lobed margin and are somewhat fuzzy and typically a glossy but rich green color. This plant has a lot of common names and the names tell you just one thing, that this plant is very well known. Cat’s Ear Dandelion is botanically known as (Hypochaeris radicata), and it is despite the name ‘False Dandelion’ in the Aster family meaning it is related to true Dandelions (Taraxacum sp.). That name also tells us other things ‘radicata’ means ‘rooted’ which is a reference to this plant’s at-times multiple taproots while ‘hypochaeris’ by some translations means ‘for the hogs’ as pics like to dig  and eat the roots. When we examine this plant on a physical level it has a lot of the same physical features. So, it has a taproot,  it also has milky latex sap, the leaves are of similar shape and it’s seeds heads from puff balls where the seeds can float away on little silky parachutes. The differences between this plant and true Dandelions are its lack of hollow stems in the flowers and that its leaves have coarse fuzz on them. Additionally Cat’s Ear Dandelions tend to grow closer to the ground and can form large rosettes but are very resilient against mowing. But that Rosette did not evolve because of lawn mowing it came about to suppress competing plants and as part of its drought resilience. These plants are drought resistant because of their ability to produce more than one taproot and their leaf shape and arrangement which funnels water from the morning dew or rain to the crown so the roots can suck it up.

 

 

When & What to Harvest: All parts of this plant can be consumed however the roots are typically used to make a tincture to deal with Liver and gallbladder issues while the leaves and flowers are often eaten raw or cooked. If you want less bitter flavored greens pick the leaves when young or cook the leaves and or flowers to destroy some of the bitterness.

 

Edible Related Plants: True Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), Chicory (Chicorum intybus), Tall Lettuce (Lactuca canadensis), Prickly Lettuce (Lactuca serriola) and, Carolina Desert Chicory (Pyrrhopappus carolinianus).

 

Similar Dangerous Species:  None are known.

 

Recipe:  

While I do lack a formal recipe for using this plant I do have a few suggestions based on how I use it for you. Cat’s Ear Dandelion can be used for all the same things as its more famous cousin however these plants can be bitter when eaten raw in a forage salad. The trick there is the get newer softer leaves if you intend to eat them raw and in a forage salad try to pair the greens with a bold or robust Italian dressing. For some the fuzz on the leaves is a deal breaker and that is understandable but there are two ways to neutralize that problem and a bunch of the bitterness that comes from using older hairier leaves. Cooking will essentially melt the stuff the fuzz is made up of and will destroy a noticeable amount of bitterness which means this plant is a pretty good potherb. This is a plant you might want to consider cultivating as it at the very least is an easy source of blossoms for use in making dandelion wine. But speaking of blossoms, unopened or barely opened blossoms with several inches of stalk can be steamed, sautéed and are a pretty good substitute for Asparagus.

 

 

Additional Information: (If applicable)

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/hypochaeris-radicata/

 

 

Where to get seed or Bare Root Plants:

I don’t know of any credible vendor selling seeds or plants.

 

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: (Note- It is almost the end of the season for winter vegetables and soup kits)

Soup Kit – Parsnip

Soup Kit – Turnip

Turnips

Parsnips

Onions

Celery

Potatoes

Garlic Bulbs

 

Soil Amendment Products:

Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 18 Gallon Tote*

Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 3 Gallon Bag

Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 1 Gallon Bag

Carolina Gold, Enhanced Potting Soil – 1 Gallon Bag

 

Spring Garden Plants:

Swiss Chard, Red

(More 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!

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): Selaginella, Frosty Fern

 

Meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is March 15^th at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.

Rabbit Tobacco II

 Note from the Author: This is an update on a weed I previously covered on August 18^th 2022.

 

 

This Rabbit Tobacco plant emerged in a potted plant this year.

This is several individuals that are likely a mix of what will be annual and biennial plants.

 

 

Common Name: Rabbit Tobacco

 

Other Common Names: Shiny Cudweed, Cudweed

 

Botanical Family: Asteraceae (The Aster Family)

 

Botanical Latin Name: Gnaphalium spicatum

 

Description & Habitat: Rabbit Tobacco is a non-native annual or biennial depending on when its seed germinated and what the local environment is doing. This plant forms a basal rosette that bears simple leaves with an entire leaf margin that clasps the central stem and has a large reddish-pink veins that fade to white near the tips of the leaves. Most specimens will have a smooth bright green colored leaf but a few may have a hoar-fuzz on them giving a grey-green coloration. These plants may be found individually or in clusters with inter-generational plants that have germinated at different times as is seen in one of the pictures included with this post. R Rabbit Tobacco prefers dry open areas with some level of soil disturbance which kind of summarizes the Sandhills of North Carolina pretty well. The spread of Rabbit Tobacco is surprisingly vast as it has been seen all over the southeast, as far north as New York and in the west as far as Texas, Illinois, Missouri, Indiana and even in Kansas. For all that spread you would think this was a well-traveled native wild plant right? Unfortunately no, Rabbit Tobacco (Gnaphalium spicatum) is actually native to South America with references to the plant indicating it was introduced to Mexico in 1958.

 

 

When & What to Harvest:  If harvesting for the purposes of smoking this plant as a tobacco substitute all but the roots should be harvested and dried before use. If harvested for making a tea the same is true, but you can also use green leaves for tea. If you intend to eat this plant the young green leaves are preferred for use in a forage salad.

 

Edible Related Plants: None that I know of, though it is assumed other members of the family are used the same way.

 

Similar Dangerous Species:  None that I know of

 

Recipe:  I don't know of any formal recipes for this wild forage plant.

 

 

Additional Information: (If applicable)

https://www.guynesom.com/Gamochaetaargychio.pdf

 

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

 

Where to get seed or Bare Root Plants:

I don’t know of any credible vendor selling seeds or plants.

 

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

Turnips

Parsnips

Onions

Celery

Potatoes

Garlic Bulbs

 

Soil Amendment Products:

Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 18 Gallon Tote*

Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 3 Gallon Bag

Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 1 Gallon Bag

Carolina Gold, Enhanced Potting Soil – 1 Gallon Bag

 

Houseplants:

Abutilon

Aloe, American

Begonia, Sindbad

Cuban Oregano, Large Leaf

Hoan Ngoc

Pothos, Cebu Blue

Rose Campion

Selaginella

Solanum uleanum

Sorrel, Raspberry Dressing

Swiss Cheese Plant

 

 

*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!

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): Solanum uleanum

 

Meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is March 8th at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.