How to Harvest and Prepare Common Milkweed Shoots
Search for milkweed populations in your area., Identify the plant positively as common milkweed., Use a knife or your hands to break off shoots., Take the shoots home., Rub off the fuzz and wash the shoots., Boil enough water in a pot to cover the...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Search for milkweed populations in your area.
The common milkweed usually grows in full sun, in waste places, fields, or hedgerows.
Poke milkweed is also considered an acceptable edible milkweed.
Never take plants that grow near areas where pesticides are used heavily (for example, farms), urban areas, polluted water sources, or closer than 150 feet (45.7 m) from roads.
These plants may have absorbed toxins from their environment that could make you sick.
It's best to forage in wilderness areas, such as forests and meadows untouched by human advancement.
In cities where green spaces are encouraged however, the milkweed may be perfectly fine to consume; you know your own locale, so trust that knowledge. -
Step 2: Identify the plant positively as common milkweed.
Research other milkweed varieties or lookalikes in your area, as other species of milkweed can be very bitter.
Two common lookalikes are dogbane and butterlfy-weed, both of which are toxic.
If the shoots you believe to be milkweed have stems covered with fuzz and ooze white sap when broken, it is not dogbane or butterfly-weed.
If you can't positively identify the shoots as milkweed, wait until they're fully grown and take notes of the areas where milkweed can be found.
Try again next spring. , Choose shoots that are less than 14in tall and do not have fully formed leaves.
Don't decimate the entire milkweed population in the area you're harvesting from.
Pick a few shoots from several different patches of milkweed to lessen your impact on the ecosystem. , Common milkweed is mildly toxic raw, so nibbling on uncooked shoots might give you a stomachache. , Cut them into smaller pieces if you like. , Alternatively, add to a soup to cook with other vegetables.
Alternatively, you can roast them. ,, Some foraging guides recommend changing the water to leach out bitter compounds in the shoots, but this unnecessary. , -
Step 3: Use a knife or your hands to break off shoots.
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Step 4: Take the shoots home.
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Step 5: Rub off the fuzz and wash the shoots.
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Step 6: Boil enough water in a pot to cover the shoots
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Step 7: then add the shoots in.
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Step 8: Cook for about twenty minutes
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Step 9: checking occasionally for tenderness.
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Step 10: Taste-test.
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Step 11: Season to your liking and serve.
Detailed Guide
The common milkweed usually grows in full sun, in waste places, fields, or hedgerows.
Poke milkweed is also considered an acceptable edible milkweed.
Never take plants that grow near areas where pesticides are used heavily (for example, farms), urban areas, polluted water sources, or closer than 150 feet (45.7 m) from roads.
These plants may have absorbed toxins from their environment that could make you sick.
It's best to forage in wilderness areas, such as forests and meadows untouched by human advancement.
In cities where green spaces are encouraged however, the milkweed may be perfectly fine to consume; you know your own locale, so trust that knowledge.
Research other milkweed varieties or lookalikes in your area, as other species of milkweed can be very bitter.
Two common lookalikes are dogbane and butterlfy-weed, both of which are toxic.
If the shoots you believe to be milkweed have stems covered with fuzz and ooze white sap when broken, it is not dogbane or butterfly-weed.
If you can't positively identify the shoots as milkweed, wait until they're fully grown and take notes of the areas where milkweed can be found.
Try again next spring. , Choose shoots that are less than 14in tall and do not have fully formed leaves.
Don't decimate the entire milkweed population in the area you're harvesting from.
Pick a few shoots from several different patches of milkweed to lessen your impact on the ecosystem. , Common milkweed is mildly toxic raw, so nibbling on uncooked shoots might give you a stomachache. , Cut them into smaller pieces if you like. , Alternatively, add to a soup to cook with other vegetables.
Alternatively, you can roast them. ,, Some foraging guides recommend changing the water to leach out bitter compounds in the shoots, but this unnecessary. ,
About the Author
Henry Chavez
Writer and educator with a focus on practical pet care knowledge.
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