Harvest Chickweed

Chickweed is a wonderful edible plant that can be used in tinctures, teas, or infused with oils. Herbalists have used it for a range of medical conditions, such as acne and skin irritations. It is also a great addition to your kitchen. For example, you can boil it with lamb quarters and season it with bacon and vinegar. It is best to harvest it on cool spring mornings before the sun gets to it, since it wilts easily.

Steps

Finding Chickweed

1. Look for chickweed in the spring and fall. Chickweed typically pops up in the springtime. It flowers between May and October. It does not grow well in the summer eat.
2. Look for sprawling herbs in shaded areas. Chickweed likes wooded areas, parts of your garden or lawn with overhanging trees, shaded meadows or roadsides. You will see it growing at a low height and spreading all over the place. Since many edible and inedible plants grow in this fashion, it is necessary to properly identify the plant at this stage.
   • You can find chickweed in shady, wet areas in cities.
   • Chickweed does really well in cultivated areas such as the side of a farm field or the edges of your garden.
   • Chickweed likes pH balanced soil.
   • Chickweed will often grow beside other edible herbs such as dandelion, cleavers, plantain, horsetail, fennel and nettle.
3. Inspect the oval leaves and five-petaled, white flowers. The oval leaves are approximately a half inch to one-inch long (1-2 cm). At first glance, you might think the flowers have ten petals because each of the five petals is deeply indented. If you bend down and take a closer look, you will notice that chickweed actually has five petals that each have a distinctive indentation.
4. Inspect the hair on the stems. You will notice thin, white hair running up the stems. This is the most important feature for identification purposes.
   • Look at the hairs on either side of a leaf node. On one side of the node, you will see the hairs on one side of the stem. On the other side, you will see them switch sides.
5. Make sure you aren’t harvesting the wrong plant. Chickweed also grows alongside poisonous plants. Make sure you're picking only the chickweed. Chickweed looks a lot like scarlet pimpernel and spurge, which are both poisonous plants. To make sure you are harvesting the right plant, you should do your research and consult experts.
   • Find an expert in edible plants by contacting your local chapter of a Native Plant Society. Find the local chapter online or in your local phonebook. Give them a ring and ask if you could go on a foraging field trip with a local expert.

Picking Chickweed

1. Harvest chickweed in the morning. Chickweed is a delicate plant that easily wilts in the sun. Pick it in the morning before the sun gets to it. If you pick it after a rain, it will be fresh and delicious.
   • If you are harvesting chickweed in order to dry and store the plant, you should harvest the plant when it is flowering. Flowering happens between May and October.
2. Avoid harvesting chickweed that is growing in contaminated areas. You want to avoid picking it in areas like railways or roadsides that have been sprayed with chemicals. Chickweed growing in these kinds of places will taste bad and may not be safe or healthy to consume.
   • If you are not sure where to go, try getting in touch with your local Native Plant Society.
3. Grab a bunch of chickweed. You want to grab the top six inches of the plant. Try to grab as many plants as you are able, since it will be too time consuming to pick one plant at a time
4. Use scissors or clippers to cut the top six inches. With one hand holding the bunch of chickweed, use your other hand to cut off the top six inches of the plants.
5. Remove other weeds. Chickweed often grows alongside other weeds, such as dandelion. You will need to sift through the chickweed and remove any other weeds or inedible material.

Storing and Using Chickweed

1. Dry chickweed. If you harvest flowering chickweed with the intent to store it, you will first need to dry the plants. Bundle the chickweed into small batches with all of the plants pointing in the same direction. Tie an elastic band or a string around the base of the stalks. Hang the plants up on your wall with a nail or a tack. When the chickweed is dry, you can pick the leaves off the stems.
   • Store the dried chickweed in an empty tea container or mason jar.
   • It is best to dry the plants in a well ventilated room without much sunlight.
   • If you don’t want to hang dry, you can also use a dehydrator.
2. Make chickweed tea with fresh herbs. Remove the leaves from the fresh chickweed. You will need three tablespoons of chickweed. Pour hot water in a cup. Put three tablespoons of fresh chickweed in the cup and let it sit for five minutes. Strain and enjoy your tea.
   • Chickweed tea is a diuretic.
   • If you are pregnant, a child or taking other medication, avoid drinking chickweed tea.
3. Brew chickweed tea with dried herbs. Add two tablespoons of dried chickweed to a cup. Pour boiled water over the dried herb. Let it brew for fifteen to twenty minutes. Strain and enjoy your chickweed tea.
   • If you have skin problems such as insect bites, dry skin or chickenpox, you could use an infusion of chickweed tea. Brew the tea and then add a cup to your bath.

Warnings

• Never eat a wild plant without checking with a local native plant expert.

Tips

• You can also cultivate chickweed on the windowsill. By cultivating the plant, you can be sure you are not harvesting the wrong plant.

Sources and Citations

See also

• Make Vanilla Sugar
• Build a Backyard Vertical Farm
• Garden
• Make Oregano Olive Oil
• Make Italian Seasoned Chicken
• Chop Basil Leaves
• Eat Wood Sorrel
• Eat Chicory
• Use Ginseng Root
• Eat Purslane

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