Chickweed

One day I was on a guided herb walk in a pine forest. The trees were dense, and light filtered through the branches here and there, but the forest floor was mostly shaded. As I walked deeper into the forest, a carpet of green appeared in front of me.

Growing up from the pine needles, oak leaves, and animal leavings on the ground, was its own little mini-forest of chickweed—an herb I had yet to meet. It was like walking into a fairy forest. Beautiful, vibrant, green, nourishing plants with tiny little star flowers as far as the eye could see. At my guide’s instruction, we all took a bit of the chickweed. The flavor was crisp, clean, and delicious. I was never a fan of salad greens but this, this I could eat all the time.

Truly, chickweed is a food for those who are sick of the same old tasteless greens. It has a vibrant energy that you can feel nourishing you from the inside out. This green that likes cool, shaded places can be found growing “like a weed” in yards, gardens, forests, and on old homesteads. It likes well-nourished soil and I have found it many times in old decayed piles of animal manure. Chickweed loves all those nutrients.