Cleavers, or Catchweed Bedstraw, and Making Coffee
This is the plant that leaves little round stickers on your shoes, socks, and pant legs, thanks to cleavers’ velcro-like texture. Cleaver seeds don’t do …
Apples and Crabapples
Apples and crabapples are prize finds for the urban forager in late summer and autumn. While many people can identify an apple or apple tree …
Lambsquarters – An Edible Green, Not Dangerous
When I first learned about this edible weed, I knew I had seen it around town. But I just couldn’t find it. Months went by, …
Rosemary: Why You Should Never Buy It
In the late aughts, I moved into a house in Seattle that had a large rosemary bush in the backyard. Then I noticed just how …
Creeping Yellow Wood Sorrel
With small multicolored heart-shaped leaves and tiny yellow flowers, spreading across any open soil, for years I thought of this plant as a useless weed.
Common Yellow Wood Sorrel
For years, I’ve seen this plant growing in the disturbed open soil of my vegetable gardens. I thought of it as a useless weed. At best, it was a plant that helped hold water in the soil in the open areas between my other plants.