Horseweed
What comes to mind when you think about wild foods: bitter greens, sweet berries, meaty mushrooms? Spicy may not be at the top of your wild tastes list, but PEI does have some delightfully peppery plants, including this one: Horseweed (Erigeron canadensis).
Horseweed is among the Island’s native ruderal species: plants that naturally prefer disturbed habitats. Before European settlement, this member of the Aster Family would have grown mainly along our sandy and rocky shores and in grassy meadows, but the creation of roads and rail lines gave it pathways to expand inland. Today, Horseweed is common around the coast, along roads, and among towns and cities: I even have a nice crop of it in my gravel driveway!
This is a distinctive plant topped with clusters of small (3 mm, 1/8 inch) flowers with tiny white petals and yellow centres (inset photo). The leaves are long and narrow, and those on the lower part of the plant have spiky, although not sharp, teeth around their edges. Horseweed’s stem is hairy, and leaves get progressively taller toward the top of the plant.
In harsh habitats (like my driveway), Horseweed tends to lay low and only grow to heights of about 20 centimetres (eight inches) or less. However, on better sites, you can commonly find Horseweed plants 1.2 metres (four feet) or taller, and if you haven’t yet noticed it standing above other roadside vegetation or growing in your neighbourhood, keep an eye out on your travels.
Young Horseweed plants start to appear in late summer, and the fresh vegetation makes a nice, spicy addition to salads or sandwiches. Once the plant matures, I find the larger, lower leaves become a bit bland, but the top part of the plant, including flower buds, retains its pleasant flavour. I can’t confirm whether Horseweed’s peppery flavour survives cooking, but it does stay in the dried plant, making dried and crushed Horseweed a nice addition to the spice rack.
Horseweed is not only common across the Island, but it’s also found on every continent except Antarctica. If you’re looking for something new in the kitchen, try this tasty part of PEI Untamed!
