Consider the Mugwort

 Welcome back to the Lost In the Farmer’s Market Blog. At the current time we have a long-running series that covers useful, edible and medicinal ‘weeds’ that you can commonly find in the southeastern states of the United States. While our survey area is just within Cumberland County North Carolina it’ is possible you can find some of these forage plants in other places. This series was begun to give folks a detailed look into the resources they might not have known were right there in their lawn. Given that the world situation is not that great and there are already shortages of critical grains and fertilizers forage foods may be the most useful answer on a local level. LITFM will keep this series going as long as we keep finding wild resources to photograph and write about. If you have any questions or comments about our articles please leave a comment either here or on our YouTube Channel (The link is at the end of the article). Thank you for reading, and remember just one thing, you can’t eat lawn grass.

 

 

 

Some specimens of Mugwort have heavily lobed leaves like what you see here.

As you can see Mugwort can have a number of variations on it's standard leaf even in one population. It is best to rely on it's trademark aroma to identify it.

Some Mugwort plants aren't even reliably dark green.

I mean, look at this one, it's pretty bright green and then the little offshoots are a similar color.

 

Common Name: Mugwort

 

Other Common Names: Common Mugwort

 

Botanical Family: Asteraceae (The Aster Family)

 

Botanical Latin Name: Artemisia vulgaris

 

Season to Harvest:  Summer, Fall and, Winter.

 

Habitat: Mugwort is a survivor,  can appear anywhere in the continental USA, it tends to grow in lawns, waste places, shores, roadsides and will appear between the cracks of asphalt and concrete in urban landscapes.

 

Parts to Harvest: Young shoots, and the leaves.

 

Poisonous Lookalikes: Due to the aroma of the foliage it is hard to mistake anything for Mugwort.

 

Related Species: Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus), Sacred Sage Brush (Artemisia tridentata), California Sage Brush (Artemisia californica).

 

Description: Mugwort is a creeping perennial plant that can form long rhizomes allowing it to colonize entire areas easily. Its stems are hairy and round in cross section while the leaves are alternately borne and lobed and almost resemble that of a Chrysanthemum. The upper leaf surfaces are dark green while the undersides are white or grayish and can be densely wooly. All parts of this plant are aromatic when crushed or rubbed.

 

Recipe:  I could not find any true recipes for this plant other than suggestions that it could be distilled, or turned into a herbal tea.

 

 

 

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

 

 

Holiday Houseplants:

3” Square pot – Spear Sansevieria (Dracaena angolensis)

3” Round pot – ‘Drunkard’s Dream’ Cactus (Hatiora salicornoides)

3” Round Bowl – Dragon Haworthia (Haworthia coarctata)

3” Tree Trunk Pot – Dragon Haworthia (Haworthia coarctata)

3.5” Hexagon pot – Money Plant (Pilea peperomioides)

3.5” Lattice pot – Mini Aloe (Aloe descoingsii)

5” Large Hex pot – Sausage Plant (Euphorbia guentheri)

 

 

Coming Soon:

MOAR HOUSEPLANTS!

 

 

 

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 (3): Chipola River Tickseed, Mealy Cup Sage, ‘Sindbad’ Begonia.

 

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 December 15^th between 5:30pm and 7:00pm. We are in the back room so come on in and join us for a fun garden chat.

 

 

 

It Aint Over 'Til It's Clover

Greetings and Salutations to all you intrepid gardeners out there, welcome back to another installment of the Forage Foods series on Lost In The Farmer’s Market. As you might already know the current Geo-Political situation coupled with inflation and supply shortages has prompted a series on foods you can forage for just in case things go sideways. Even if they don’t, forage foods may have added nutritional benefits and may also have medicinal benefits that can help you out.

 

This specimen is reaching for the sky and honestly even up against a old building it still looks nice.

Some White Clover is in this shot but the tiny yellow blossoms of Small Hop Clover are pretty.

From most lawn care websites you would think Small Hop Clover was this terrible villain, and yet it's actually a dainty nitrogen fixing member of the Pea family just out there living it's best life.

Common Name: Small Hop Clover

Other Common Names: Lesser Trefoil, Sucking Clover, Little Hop Clover and Lesser Hop Trefoil.

Botanical Family: Fabaceae (The Pea Family)

Botanical Latin Name: Trifolium dubium

Season to Harvest: The early to middle of spring is ideal.

Habitat: Small Hop Clover is found in lawns, fields, sites with disturbed soil, pastures, open woodlands, and along roadsides. In urban settings this plant may appear in shady areas beside buildings where rain runoff may otherwise pool.

Parts to Harvest: The flowers leaves and seeds.

Poisonous Lookalikes: None specifically.

Related Edible Species: Large Hop Clover (Trifolium campestre), Black Medick (Medicago lupulina).

Description: Small Hop Clover is a true member of the Clover family and is a prostrate freely-branching winter annual with hairy reddish colored stems. This plant bears leaves with three leaflets and is accepted as the primary plant representing the Traditional Irish Shamrock. This plant’s leaflets do have noticeable veins. The flowers of Small Hop Clover are in clusters of three to fifteen small flowers that are bright yellow. Patches of Small Hop Clover can be up to a foot wide and up to five inches tall.

How to Harvest: Leaves and flowers can be picked normally.

Recipe: Unfortunately I was unable to locate any kind of real recipe for Small hop clover however many sources suggest that the flowers and leaves can be used as part of a forage salad, or as a cooked green if mixed in with other forage greens. Additionally it is clearly stated that you can make a tea out of the flowers and foliage and I would guess that this means something like a ounce or two of Small Hop Clover per cup of hot water. It is also indicated that the seeds can be harvested in autumn and eaten as is or roasted. Grinding the seeds into flour is a noted option, but given the size of the flowers it must take a lot of seed to make anything meaningful.

 

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 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.

Garden Stuff: ($3.00)

Okra – Red Burgundy
Okra – Jing Orange

Basil – Emerald Tower
Chervil – French Parsley
Chives
Fennel - Black
Parsley – Italian
Parsley – Curled
Sage – Common
Sage – White (VERY limited Item, $9.00)
Tarragon – Mexican
Thyme – Common

Amaranth – Early Splendor
Cock’s Comb – Scarlet Prestige
Celosia – First Flame Purple
Castor Bean – Zanzibar
Cotton – Erlene’s Green Lint
Marigolds – Strawberry Blonde
Tobacco – Flowering “Starmaker Apple Blossom”

Coming Soon:
More TBA!

 

 

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.

 

Go to our Nextdoor Page!

 

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

 

The Videos: Look Here

>Newest videos (1): - Snow Peas

 

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 July 7^th between 5:30pm and 7:00pm. We are in the back room so come on in and join us for a fun garden chat.