August Plants Part 1

It is the end of berry season where I live, but the beginning of a new round of plants. Plantain are seeding, and the seeds make a pleasant salad topping as well as good feed for the hens.  Our rabbits enjoy the leaves no matter their age, so it is a great fodder plant for our farm as well as good for us.

This is the all purpose, ubiquitous weed wonder-plant as most foragers know, but for those just getting started, this is the #1 versatile forage.  Medicinally, it is an antibiotic as both internal food/concoction/infusion/pill and external salve/poultice and even bandage to help keep out infection.  I haven't seen a yard yet that doesn't have plantain in it, and maybe that is a good thing?  It is also rumored (Culpeper) to be a decongestant and like mint, soothes the digestion.  Culpeper also stated that the powdered leaves in concoctions could control worms, though I haven't used it for this as yet.  Even earlier it was used as a headache remedy for Alexander the Great.  With thousands of years of history behind this plant, you know you can't go wrong having this amazing herb.  In its history this plant was a sacred plant, aligned with healing (no surprise there).  In ancient Christian lore, it was a symbol for those trodding the path of a follower of Christ.  It was used to ward off fatigue as a poultice on the feet, and to ward off venom of evil creatures.  This humble weed is truly the king of herbs.

Lambsquarters is another one of those weeds you find everywhere, but is another ready food source.  It is the left middle plant in the picture.  The leaves are somewhat silvery on the bottom.

The young leaves of this plant have quite a pleasant taste and I often munch on them raw.  I have read, though, that some people don't tolerate the leaves raw because they contain miniscule amounts of saponins.  This plant also has a very ancient history in use as a crop for its leaves, flowers and seeds.  It is part of the family of goosefoot, though and may cause hay fever or allergic reactions, so be careful when testing this plant.  It has been used for stomach aches and to prevent scurvy.  

I believe the plant to the right of the lamb's quarters is the Kentucky version of stinging nettle, but I'm still not 100% sure as it looks very different from the nettles I grew up with.  When I confirm this 100% (meaning I'm going to have to bite the bullet and do a skin test... yeech!) I'll talk more about it.

This plant confounded me when I first came here.  It was everywhere, yet defied positive identification.  I've heard it called everything from 'purple flower weed' to vetch from locals, and no book on local plants identified this herb to me.  One day, I was looking for a different vine to identify, and lo and behold there it was!  Creeping Charlie!  I've since found out this is a distant member of the mint family (which explains why it is all over the place and considered an invasive species... LOL).

Like much of the mint family this has various uses and properties associated with it, and a very long history indeed.  (Stay tuned for part 2)