May 14 • Plant of the Week
Chenopodium!
Aka lambsquarters, fat hen, white goosefoot, or as we call them here in New Mexico, quelites! This plant comes from the Amaranthaceae family and is related to spinach. This nutrient dense little plant is one of my favorite wild foods this time of year. My Grandma used to cook this up in a dish she called Quelites con Frijoles. She would slow cook a pork roast in beans and add in the quelites leaf with some red chile pepper flakes. I love to eat this with a little bit of butter and salt and pepper and a fresh homemade tortilla. Every time I make this meal I think of my Grandma.
This is the perfect time of year to harvest Quelites. They have not yet gone to seed and the leaves are still young and tender. You can eat it raw, but it contains high levels of oxalic acid, so large quantities of raw Quelites should be avoided. But trust me, you can probably eat a lot of it cooked. My family sure can anyways, but this might be different for everyone.
Medicinally the older leaves and seeds have been used to treat gastrointestinal issues. This plant grows in abundance in all 50 states INCLUDING Alaska and Hawaii. It’s free food! Not only for you and your family, but if you have livestock it’s great for them too. So do some research. Identify Chenopodium, and get out there and forage yourself some supper!
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Chenopodium!
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