One of the most delicious foods this writer knows is Lambsquarter, Chenopodium album L. This tasty green is related to spinach, beets, and Swiss chard, and compared to spinach, this one is tastier in the opinion of many.

Lambsquarter will soon appear after a garden is created as it does very well in disturbed places. In fact, the longer you garden is in a given spot, the more of it you will see unless you ruthlessly destroy all vestiges of it before it produces seed. If you are wise, you will always allow some to go to seed, then ponder where you would like it to grow next year, then uproot or cut down the mature, towering plants, and toss them in their new home, and wait for next year. By doing this, you are engaging in a beginner's version of PERMACULTURE.

Lambsquarter grows in places other than gardens as well. You can find it on roadsides, in ditches, in private lands, and on public lands. How much more sustainable and healthful can a food be when it grows wild, is chock full of vitamins and minerals, is 100% organic (unless sprayed with poisons), and is free? The best way to eat it is steamed with butter and a dash salt. The water is best discarded as it is reported to contain a compound similar to oxalic acid. Incidentally, this wonderful gift of nature is what drove Monsanto to develop Roundup, the world's best-selling amphibicide.

The two attached photos show how it appears when young and very tender and tasty. Enjoy.