Edible wild herbs

Portulaca Oleracea (Portulaca, Purslane, Porcacchia)

A very widespread plant throughout Italy, it grows mainly in width, reaching a maximum height of 15-20 cm. Rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, vitamin A, C and many microelements. Leaves, flowers and young twigs are eaten raw in salads, an excellent nourishment and preventative of cardiovascular diseases.

Taraxacum officinale (Tarassaco)

Widespread throughout Italy, here is another gift that we can use in our diet, taking advantage of its medicinal properties: excellent diuretic and liver purifier, mild anti-inflammatory and stimulant of pancreatic activity, it allows us to expel excess cholesterol, helping to prevent cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke. Contains flavonoids, potassium, calcium and vitamins A, B, C and D. Raw leaves in fresh salad or cooked in a pan with oil and garlic are excellent. Please remember that cooking by boiling eliminates many active ingredients.

Chenopodium album (common buckwheat, Wild Spinach)

Farinello, a close relative of Amaranth, is a very vigorous plant, grows throughout Italy and is considered a weed. It can reach considerable dimensions in both height and width, and just like its cousin Amaranth, it is a very nutritious food. The leaves can be eaten raw in salads or cooked in a pan like normal spinach or as an ingredient for soups. In some regions the leaves are used to flavor gnocchi, or as a filling in ravioli. The seeds are also edible and can be cooked like rice. The name farinello derives from the white powder (similar to flour) present in the lower part of the leaves, which is also very evident to the touch.

Helminthotheca Echioides (Aspragine vulgaris)

Very widespread herbaceous plant in Italy. When young it has a rosette, which depending on the environment can initially have very tender and bitter leaves, even edible raw. As it grows, it tends to develop thick hair on the leaves almost immediately and a central stem that can flower even over a meter in height. The very hairy leaves and the name itself (actually due to the sour taste of its latex) do not favor its consumption in popular cuisine. However, it is a plant with excellent nutritional qualities. Like all spontaneous herbs, very rich in mineral salts and vitamins, after boiling (obligatory due to its hair) it has a sweet and velvety flavour, which goes well with more bitter herbs. The leaf may have characteristic light bubbles. Its "sister" Common aspragine (Picris Hieracioides) has leaves that are always very hairy but narrower, with a very evident central vein. The use is identical. Another “hidden” treasure, food given by heaven.

Borago Officinalis (Borage)

Spontaneous plant present throughout Mediterranean Italy, even in sunny or semi-sunny hilly areas. It is born in late summer - autumn and has a very rapid growth, it can reach man's height, especially in spring when the plant produces characteristic little blue flowers, a source of nectar for bees, from which the seeds will form, used to produce borage oil (with numerous medicinal effects). The leaves cooked in a pan or boiled together with other herbs are edible, traditionally used in many typical dishes, as fillings, or for the famous borage pancakes. Rich in essential minerals such as calcium and potassium, Omega-6 essential fatty acids, gamma linoleic acid and linoleic acid. The flowers are also edible and can be added to fresh salads, creating a beautiful effect

aesthetic.

Chicory Intybus (common chicory)

present practically everywhere in Italy, there are many varieties with slightly different leaves but identical nutritional values. Its properties are exceptional, both in phytotherapy, where the roots are used, and in normal nutrition (leaves). The aerial part can be eaten both raw and cooked, although some properties are lost during cooking. Common chicory is widely known as a liver and blood purifier, so much so that it was already recommended in ancient Greece for liver problems. Helps keep cholesterol levels low. Rich in mineral salts (iron, calcium, phosphorus) and vitamins (A, C, B1, B2, B3). It adapts well to being combined with other less bitter wild herbs. It's really a shame not to eat it!

Spontaneous plant

Plantago Lanceolata and Plantago Major (Plantain)

Plantain is an edible weed with exceptional nutritional and medicinal properties. Used since classical antiquity, plantain was used in the past not only as an ingredient for soups, but also abundantly as food for animals, which grew healthy and robust, only to be forgotten and replaced by modern feed. Also forgotten in human nutrition, plantain is rich in glycosides, flavonoids (luteolin), mucilage, tannins, pectins, salic acid and mineral salts. It is widespread everywhere, no more than 30 cm high, it is present almost all year round but during the summer season it tends to dry out or reduce the vegetation, while it grows luxuriantly from autumn to spring and produces ears with many seeds inside. All parts of the plant are edible without contraindications, both raw in salads and cooked, and used for their strong medicinal properties: expectorant, antibacterial, antihistamine, antibiotic, purifying, diuretic. We can say that plantain is certainly one of the most useful edible herbs for man for well-being and health, albeit neglected.

Sonchus [Oleraceus, Asper, Arvensis] (Common Grethorn, Thorny Grethorn, Field Grethorn)

The use of Grespino for food purposes is very ancient, already Pliny the Elder mentioned it in his writings, a plant which is unfortunately almost forgotten today. It is present throughout the territory, up to 1 meter high. There are different varieties, all practically identical in use. The whole plant is edible, even the tender stems, the flavor is sweet. Considered (hence the name) a garden vegetable for its goodness, it can rarely still be found on sale on any vegetable stall, especially in the south. The tender leaves are used in salads, while the harder or prickly ones are boiled quickly or sautéed directly in the pan. Combined with herbs such as chicory or dandelion they attenuate the bitter taste, providing further purifying, hepatoprotective and diuretic properties. Rich in vitamin C and mineral salts such as iron, calcium and phosphorus.

Amaranthus Retroflexus (Wild Amaranth)

Summer plant, it grows throughout Italy, very infesting and vigorous, it can reach the height of a man. Always used as food for small farm animals, and anciently cultivated by Central American tribes for its seeds, very rich in proteins and microelements such as calcium, iron, phosphorus and magnesium. Considered a magical plant by these ancient populations, its use has almost disappeared over time due to the impositions of the conquerors who prohibited its cultivation. The seeds do not contain gluten, they are an excellent food for all ages from weaning. The leaves, also edible, can be eaten raw in salads or cooked. Harvesting the seeds is not very easy since the small ears ripen at different times, so multiple manual harvests are required over time.

Silene Vulgaris (Strigoli)

This small plant, widespread in uncultivated places, is probably one of the most sought after in the kitchen for its flavor, even if its harvesting takes some time. It comes with numerous twigs that rarely reach more than 60 cm. Before flowering, the tender shoots and leaves can be eaten raw in salads, but the best is achieved in preparations for first courses. Pasta, risottos, fillings, but also the classic strigoli and onion omelette. Enjoy your meal!

Wild asparagus, belonging to the Liliaceae family, grows mainly in uncultivated fields, at the edges of woods and in olive groves; thin in appearance and green in colour, the young shoots of these asparagus are harvested and grow from the end of January until the end of April. Wild asparagus are highly sought after for their particularly delicate taste, delicious boiled and seasoned with oil, lemon and salt. They are also used as ingredients in omelettes, risottos, soups or raw in salads.

They contain vitamin A, almost all B vitamins, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, magesium, iron, zinc, copper and iodine. They have diuretic, purifying, laxative and slimming properties. They help fight cellulite, purify and brighten the skin. They contain asparagine and therefore amino acids and many mineral salts. After consuming asparagus, methylcaptan is formed in the body, a substance that is eliminated through the urine which gives that characteristic asparagus smell.

Furthermore, due to their high potassium content, asparagus represents a very positive food for the heart and muscles.

Valerianacee

Perennial herbaceous plant with herbaceous stems. It has oblong spatulate rosette-shaped lower leaves, the upper acute toothed ones. The flowers are collected in corymbs of a blue color tending towards white. It has antiscorbutic properties due to its high vitamin C content. The moment in which the plant is most tender and tasty, and the large presence of active ingredients make it healthy and nutritious, is when it appears as a simple rosette of green leaves. This plant, also known by the names of soncino, molesino, dolcetta, gurnard, lettuce, has conquered everyone's tables in recent years. Its tender leaves represent the first spring salad we taste and its cultivation has also spread industrially, although the wild variety has a more delicate flavour. It is a fresh and tasty salad to simply season to your taste with oil, vinegar and salt or to accompany with other tender spring herbs, such as primrose and wild rocket.

Arugula or Wild Arugula.

In Italy it grows spontaneously in the fields, and where the soil becomes drier it gives it a spicier and more refined flavour, and if the days are favorable you can collect a lot of it to take home, without expense, a large quantity to use in different ways.

However, many people usually grow it in vegetable gardens or even in pots on the balcony, where its flavor becomes more pleasant, to give a tastier touch to salads.

Widespread in ancient times, it was never missing from the tables of the Romans: this is testified by poets such as Horace and Martial who speak of it as a magical herb. It was, in fact, considered a symbol of physical union for its proven virtues of reinvigorating the desire of the senses. It is said that, during the processions dedicated to Priapus, the deity of Eros, fauns and satyrs wrapped their heads with rocket garlands. We must remember, however, that the "lustful rocket" (as Horace called it) must be eaten raw to keep its promises.

It also has diuretic and purifying properties and, as such, is useful for detoxifying the body after summer revelry, purifying the blood and reducing water retention which affects the volume of our body.

Due to its emollient properties it also finds a place in cosmetics, scalp treatments and hydrating and toning lotions for the skin.

Nettle (Urtica dioica) is a plant of the Urticaceae family. The spring shoots can be collected and consumed with the entire stem but only if they are no higher than 15 – 20 cm. The smaller the jets are, the more tender this vegetable will be on the plate.

To use nettle in the kitchen, remember to use gloves. If you have collected larger florets, chop them before cooking. The nettle, once cooked, will have completely lost all its irritating power. The edible parts of the nettle are different but the most tender and tasty ones are the apical leaves and the upper part of the stem. Nettle has anti-anemic properties: the iron and chlorophyll it abounds in stimulate the production of red blood cells, making it ideal for anemia; it is restorative and toning (recommended in cases of convalescence, malnutrition and exhaustion); and purifying and diuretic, ideal in case of rheumatic disorders, arthritis, gout, kidney stones.

Nettle also has a great ability to alkalize the blood, facilitating the elimination of acidic metabolic residues, closely linked to these diseases. It facilitates digestion and the ability to assimilate foods, as it contains small quantities of creatine, a hormone produced by some cells of our intestine, which stimulates the secretion of pancreatic juice and the motility of the stomach and gallbladder.

It is astringent (useful in case of diarrhea, colitis or dysentery); hypoglycemic (lowers blood sugar levels); galactogenic (increases the secretion of breast milk and is recommended during breastfeeding); it has an emollient effect, and is used in chronic skin diseases, especially eczema and acne; cleans, regenerates and makes the skin more beautiful. Used against hair loss, it is an excellent anti-dandruff in the form of a decoction, which is rubbed directly onto the scalp.

Wild or spontaneous chard has its botanical recognition name Beta vulgaris. It seems that bett is a Celtic term for the color red and that this characteristic is reflected in the reddish veins of the roots and on the central veins of many varieties of chard. This plant is very common in Italy and we find it under the vineyards, in sandy places, along cultivated and uncultivated areas at an altitude ranging from the plain to 600 m above sea level. Very similar in shape to its cultivated sister, however with more resistance and rusticity characteristics which are reflected in a greater quantity of healthy active ingredients such as vitamins and mineral salts. In fact, it is important as a source of iron with anti-anemic properties and is one of the vegetables richest in vitamin A. A tip for preserving all its precious substances is to also use the cooking water from the chard since many nutrients are soluble and water must be consumed to recover them. Easy to use in the kitchen for savory pies and green pasta, as well as in soups, stews and flans, thanks to its delicate and pleasant flavour.

Wild fennel (Foeniculum sylvestre)

It flowers in July and August and is consumed both raw in salads and cooked in stews and as an accompanying vegetable for main courses. The tender shoots are used in soups or eaten raw in dips. It is also possible to collect the seeds in late summer to make liqueurs or herbal teas.

Credits: CHEF MARCO CAPURSO, Facebook®