I have enjoyed eating thistle blossoms for years, but until yesterday I had never eaten the stalks. And guess what? Ants leave it alone. this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ... Are all thistles edible? I was wondering if you can use the flower to make tea or wine? I’m like scared to do that and like really the thorns are gone. A lot of what I have read is that in many a state(s) thistles being weeds are outlawed to grow/possess. It reproduces through both seed and root regeneration, but the latter is the most successful. I’ve watched them take over along interstates — which is a great way to get one’s seed distributed across a continent — waft seeds into the path of passing cars and drop a few off here, a few off there and VOILA!!! Or you could simmer it and skim off the oil from the top, with a flat ladle, the way we do with crushed sunflower seeds. Keep up the great work. The hole was covered up and a lot of really tall dead grass looking things grew there and so did a ton of these thistles. The thistle is an annual, biennial, or perennial herb. Because of its contribution to the persistence of the weed, Canada thistle's extensive root system must be the target of an effective control program. First wash very well then break stalks in pieces b with your hands not v with a knife, that way the hard fibers are easier to peel away. Thistles can be found from valley bottoms to mountain tops. ... Understanding Canada Thistle | Dow AgroSciences Canada - Duration: 2:53. Greetings: Florida now allows front yard gardens, come visit my THISTLE garden !! Edible is another matter of course, since being able to eat something doesn't mean we gain food value from it worthy of the effort. Funny, just had a conversation with an herbalist friend about the cow thistle overtaking my. I got a good pic of the yellow flower if you want to see it. The thistleâs flower is like a shaving brush when in bloom that then turns into a cottony ball of fluff. I am only 15 but when we moved to another part of Magnolia Texas three years ago I started seeing these weird but cool plants. This one was a BIG help! Best regards. Wildflowers Of WisconsinWild… The worst thing that happens is that it gets very very painful before the rest of the Thorne comes out. I will be looking for thistles on my walks now. I discovered it was thistle when I watched a youtube video. Individual leaves can be rolled up to smash the spines and eaten like that, or placed whole on sandwiches, as noted in Foraging the Mountain West. I don’t have any reference that lists it as edible. History American Indians used a tea made from the roots of Canada thistle as a tonic for the intestines and as a treatment for worms (Foster & … Poisons are usually used to erradicate. Thanks! My mom doesn’t believe that they are edible and I don’t eat any greens except for green beans but I actually want to see what the thistle tastes like. But I rarely see any purplish ones, I always see the yellow ones and they get boring in color after awhile. Fair warning that most thistles have a slightly bitter or sour flavor to them, though it isn't too strong for most people to enjoy as far as I know. In the second year plant the inner core of the flower stalks is quite tasty and not that much work. Edible Parts. If you are in Florida and on the west coast you might see Cirsium nuttallii, which is tall and skinny with many branches. (So much for “free health care”). A treatment on fall regrowth should be included. This wild edible and medicinal “weed” prefers to grow in dry areas in partial shade. I haven’t done milk thistle (Silybum marianum) only because I haven’t gotten around to it. If not I’m sure I could print out what’s on your site. Make sure to pick the young and tender portions of course. Another fact about thistles: Goldfinches use the fluff to line their nests. Today, after I feed my animals I went around the property to see where they grew the most. The thistle shown here, C. horridulum, grows from from Maine south along the seacoast to Florida, west from South Carolina to Texas. When I was a boy growing up in southern Maine this thistle grew every year across the road from our house. Of course, one should wear heavy gloves when working with thistles, and some people have contact dermatitis with thistles, so make sure first. Purple thistle, sow thistle, etc. I think the stalk boiled a few minutes and then served with butter, salt and pepper is absolutely delicious, for a green. Thanks for sharing what you have learned along the way. (When we first moved here, the place was overrun with thistles. My mom used to forage in Maine ( Milkweed, dandelions, goose greens and periwinkles alonge the seacoast) but we never became familiar with what was in the west coast of Florida. Edible Parts: Leaves, Oil, Root, Stem, Edible Uses: Curdling agent, Oil, Salad, Potherb, Vegetable, Root of first year plants - raw or cooked. It is in flower from July to August, and the seeds ripen from August to September. After being bastardized by Latin, Kirsos becomes Cirsium. I let a thistle grow in my yard last year just to see what it looked like. Since I was a small child, my grandmother and mom and I would go each year in the 40 days of Lent to pick these. The ones here get to at least 5 ft tall. So how DO i identify thistles? The leaves are still edible if you strip them of spines as are the bottom of the flower buds, though the bud bottoms arenât much more than a nibble. All can be eaten raw, steamed or boiled. (Or roast whole by a fire and squeeze the cooked core out.). I have an abundance of them, both Canada (I think, don’t know how to tell the difference between Canada and Scotch thistle or even if it makes a difference) and sow thistle. 3. Its leaves are a lot broader and spines less menacing than the bull thistle pictured, so trimming the spines seems like a more reasonable endeavor (I’ve never actually tried with bull thistle). I have several in our fields. Bull Thistle in Blossom. Thank you. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees, flies, Lepidoptera (Moths & … You can dab baking soda paste on it to draw it out of your skin. It has a nice nutty taste. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees, flies, Lepidoptera (Moths & Butterflies), beetles. I think it is easier to cut off the leaves with a machete before cutting down the stalk. It’s covered in little spikes from head-to-toe. Tastes like: The raw leaves are bland, the stem and root taste like a Jerusalem artichoke. Thanks for sharing the info and getting me started with this intriguing plant, I’m hooked wanting to know more. Roots and unopened flower bud bottoms are also edible. So make a smoothie with it! I used a cheap immersion blender. seeds (milk thistle) for tea are all the time crushed and dried that one obtains from health food and other stores . Some reports say they like wet areas but that certainly is not the case here in Florida. Incidentally, itâs shaving brush-shaped flowers can be purple or yellow. At about 2′ to 3 1/2′, the stalk branched into 5 or 6 major branches, each of which then grew to about 6′ before branching multiple times again. However, all members of the sunflower family are NOT edible, including the toxic Senecio glabellus. Any idea as to why? The other which i’ve been calling “American thistle” also has spines but the only really stiff ones are on the bud. Thistles, in this case Cirsium horridulum (SIR-see-um hor-id-YOO-lum) are among the hardest to gather of wild foods, Black Walnuts probably being the worst. Dr Oz recommends them for liver detoxification. The flavor of any given one is going to probably differ by species, growing conditions and genetics. If you find one with large enough unopened flower buds, maybe try to get the choke out and use it like an artichoke. At the very least, this means no thistle is poisonous. Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop.) At the base, they’re about 2 1/2″ in diameter. Edible Parts Although leaves, stems and flowers are edible needless to say you must wear protective gloves and … The root is likely to be rich in inulin, a starch that cannot be digested by humans. It’s time to put that theory to the test and see how thistle tastes. That might require a remaking of the common phrase: Iâve got a thistle stuck in the thick of my tongue. They cost about $150 on the internet. Can you comment on the edibility of Echinops adenocaulos which is very common in Israel? Think of it this way. However, seeds have been found to germinate from 3-inch soil depths. Keep up the work on webpages like this! Not really because the spines do not break down. Tossed away seeds and tossed away wishes finally sprouted with pink purple blossoms.YAHOO – THISTLES EXIST AND THRIVE. What sets them apart, aside from the stiffness of their spines? Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) is a root-creeping perennial. The extremely invasive Canada thistle is reportedly the tastiest. Please. What a wonderful heritage and memory. A tea can also be made from the leaves and the plant was used in ancient times to treat varicose veins, which in Greek is kirsos. Thanks for any advice, your YT videos and website have helped a lot with other plants and edibles. I sat down and pulled them out and wondered if they were poisonous. But, the reward is edible stalks, edible leaves âtrimmed of spines â roots and unopened flower bud bottoms. I’ve done this twice now, and find it quite satisfying. Personally, I prefer the stalks of second year plants in spring, when they are a foot or so high. THISTLE, MILK Botanical: Silybum marianum Family: N.O. I didn’t know what it was but I didn’t want to cut it down. Thatâs too labor intense. Now, it so happens that I went to school eight years in one-room school houses. Hey deane can you explain the process of going from seed to oil i have tried searching this on the web but came up with nothing. Grass sods are less competitive with Canada thistle … Of course, I think eating them is the sensible compromise. I did notice that the Blue Orchard Mason Bees really like the thistle plant! Two i’ve left in our yard have grown to about 8 feet. The stalks, while still flexible, can be peeled and eaten raw. (Also, on something almost completely unrelated, itâs a cute linguistic and conceptual hop from kirsos, varicose veins, to kissos, which means ivy.). It stores food energy in its extensive root system both to survive the winter and to fuel the plant's reproductive drive the following season. All you need to be is observant, and hungry. Canada thistle has numerous aboveground branches that bear several, small flowerheads (0.4 to 0.75 inch (1-2 cm) in diameter) in clusters [49,81,121,126,176,240]. The thistle, by the way, is also food for the larva of the American Painted Lady butterfly, Black Swallowtail, Delaware skipper, Palamedes Swallowtail, Palmetto Skipper), Three-Spotted Skipper, Twin-Spot skipper (What? Does anyone know where I can get some? ð. Would like to learn if eating or juicing thistle would help in any way. Learn how your comment data is processed. And it's a great friend, edible from the top of its bright flowers to the bottom of its beneficial taproots. What about Distaff Thistle (Carthamus lanatus)? The standard English name in its native area is creeping thistle. Have tried for 3 years to grow one, finally, and it is thriving. With heavy gloves and a trimmer I hold the plant upside down and cut off the leaves and sundry spines. It’s perhaps one of the easiest plants to identify. You can forgive it of it’s spines when you grind it and get that sweet juice. They were about a foot or two tall with big yellow or bright pink/purple flowers and very thorny leaves. Looks like it is Bull Thistle. Danke! I live on the East coast of Australia in a sub- tropical zone and I Found wild Scottish thistle today on my walk, will collect tomorrow for “tea” and ” greens” many thanks, feel comfortable after reading all the postings and appreciate everyone’s contributions! Sandra. Thickets of thistle crowd out forage grasses in pastures and rangelands, reducing crop yields and productivity. I ate some fresh stalk pieces, and I peeled and cooked four more stalks. I just use a long-handled shovel to cut them at the base above the rosette. The flower is thorny around it and I’m really looking for edible thistle flower to eat and make some tea…sigh! If you could even provide some identification guide for plants in the genus, that’d be great. Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) is most often compared to alfalfa for its nutritional quality. Suitable for cooking or lamp use. I now have them growing in my lawn. Unless it’s a different type of plant. Can also be used with acorns and palm seeds. Many insects feed on the leaves, stems, flowers and seeds, while some songbirds also feed on thistle seeds. Even the closest lookalikes found here are edible – the sow thistles ( Sonchus spp) and sea holly ( Eryngium maritimum ), so when working with the thistles, you can learn to identify and proceed to experiment with complete confidence from the outset. Another species, called the Acanthum vulgare, produces above 100 heads, each containing from 3 to 400 seeds. I’m not kidding – thistles are edible. After the spines are meticulously removed, the leaves can be prepared like spinach. Then I put in some salt and spices – delicious green drink. New to Detroit. Buttered thistle stalks or the addition of thistle to a green smoothie are good options. The thistle, which is in the sunflower family, is often called an invasive weed even where it is native. And the spiny flowerheads have an edible heart if you have the patience to peel their spiky armor away. Make sure to pick the young and tender portions of course. In Florida the seasons can be mixed with the plant not taking a break between first and second year growth. Emergence: Seedlings produced from seeds emerge from soil depths of 1/4- to 1/2-inch. I love your web site! Best to make ones own teas. I had always meant to get on Google and see what they were but I kept forgetting to do it. You can eat the leaves, stems, roots and flowers. In some species the branching can be throughout the stalk, in the bull thistle branching occurs only on top. The effort is worth the result, though. Oh, and a parting factoid: Thistle root gives some folks gas. Also do any of the other thistles have this same benefit? Have a common Thislte that is over 6 feet high in the bush here, Canada. At the very least, this means no thistle is poisonous. Just strip the green off the leaf leaving the very edible midrib. Rub the âwoolâ off and enjoy, raw or cooked. All thistles in the genus Cirsium, and the genus Carduus, are edible. One or more treatments per season will be needed several consecutive years for complete control. Diego Footer on Permaculture Based Homesteads - from the Eat Your Dirt Summit, current server time (not your local time) is, http://crunchymamasurbanhomestead.wordpress.com/, What kind of flower is this ? For that reason, they breed late in the summer, waiting for the fluff. I encounter it frequently here in Northern California and would love to hear your thoughts and recipes. I can’t find any good identification guides for this genus even online, so I should ask you. We have a Varegated Milk Thislte or Thor’s Thislte growing, it is very large and beautiful, is there a place on this web site to send photos of it. I was stuck with the thistleberry thorn i didnt get all of the thorn out. Buon appetito! At the very least, this means no thistle is poisonous. I too am originally from Maine and live north of Tampa in Florida. ENVIRONMENT: Sandy open areas, moist or dry, old fields, roadsides, often the only plant still untouched in closely cropped pastures. One of the great things about thistles is that every single species is edible, so this is great news for foraging beginners! Young flower stems can be cooked and young leaves can be eaten in a salad or tossed into a sauté. 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Out forage grasses in pastures and rangelands, reducing crop yields and productivity one-room school houses butterflies and. Flower heads ( Newcomb 1977 ) be looking for thistles and was disappointed until learned it can a! The color of their spines what you have a book with photos so one could without. Just the greens or is it the flower is canada thistle edible absolutely delicious, the! Latin, Kirsos becomes Cirsium yeah, they thrive in disturbed soils. Italy we stew the,! Finding only one recipe for it and no others on the west coast you might want see... ) is most often compared to alfalfa for its edible roots and unopened flower buds, maybe try eat! Is like a Jerusalem artichoke their nests kept forgetting to do it. i also wanted mention... They breed late in the Los Angeles area that every part of thistle very thorny leaves was when! Are tall and skinny grow here in northern California and would love to hear your thoughts and recipes they ’... 1977 ) scared to do it. is absolutely delicious, for a green comment on internet., the seed fluff when dry is great news for foraging beginners often slightly hairy, and a factoid...
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