The leaves can be prepared much like dandelion leaves. Plant produces Hundreds of beautiful yellow flowers that looks Just Like Dandlion on Steriods. The leaves contain about 30 - 40mg of vitamin C per 100g, 1.2% … The genus Sonchus, is the old Greek name for ‘hollow’ and was applied due to the hollow stem of the Sow Thistle and the species asper, means ‘rough’ – as in the spiny edges. Sow thistle is one of the most plentiful wild plants you'll see in the Los Angeles area. spiny sowthistle This plant can be weedy or invasive according to the authoritative sources noted below.This plant may be known by one or more common names in different places, and some are listed above. This species has the nicest tasting leaves of the genus, they usually have a mild agreeable flavour especially in the spring. The Spiny Sow Thistle is one we keep in Zone 0. They can be added to salads, cooked like spinach or used in soups etc. Spiny-Leaved Sow Thistle, Sonchus asper, you can find this thistle almost all year and it was used for both its edible and medicinal properties.You can find it in fields, waste places and even in your garden. Leaves are very spiny. The leaves are also great to use as an antioxidant. Bull Thistle Identification: Herb, two to five feet high, basal and stem leaves lobed, lower stems leaves can be 4 to 9 inches long (10-23 cm). It does not invade pastures because it is eaten by livestock. Some say the roots can be used as a coffee substitute, but I would say coffee extender. I experimented with an older plant, … And it's a great friend, edible from the top of its bright flowers to the bottom of its beneficial … Leaves can be hairy or woolly, second year stems topped with old style shaving brush shaped flowers like you would see in old western movies barbershops scenes. Spear thistle has large, deeply-lobed leaves with large spines at the margins, as well as hairy, spiny stems. Sow thistle (part of "Edible weeds in Los Angeles") Information, recipes, and fun facts about one of my favorite weeds, the sow thistle. This is a nutritious plant that contains several minerals (calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, sodium, potassium and zinc) and vitamins ( A, B1, B2, B3, B6, & C). 50 Spiny Sow Thistle / Sonchus asper seeds. The leaves are edible, and the plant produces a thick, white sap like wild lettuce in flavor and use. Often plants with white sap are not edible, but for sow thistle the entire plant is edible and nutritious containing carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals. There are many recipes online. I only eat the young tender leaves, and they can be eaten raw with no “pokey factor.” View photos of the edible plant Sonchus asper (Spiny sow thistle), profiled in Sonoran Desert Food Plants and Wild Edible Plants of Texas. Sow-thistles are closely related to wild lettuce (Lactuca species), and like them, the young leaves are edible. Edible parts of Sow Thistle: Young leaves - raw or cooked. It prefers highly disturbed areas, and is a weed of many crops. Common sow thistle is in the Compositae (Asteraceae) family. Same type of content with added weirdness. Spiny-leaved sow-thistle is native to Eurasia and introduced worldwide, including across North America. ***Attention*** Plight to Freedom is now The Cargo Cult Café. The leaves on this plant are “toothed” similarly to another popular wild edible plant, Dandelion (Taraxacum) – Wild Edible Plants, but the Sow Thistle has small pokey things on the outside of the leaves. Thank you for looking. : young leaves are edible many crops the most plentiful wild plants you 'll see the! One of the most plentiful wild plants you 'll see in the spring are edible flavour in. 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