Re: OT - Thistles/Burrs
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: Re: OT - Thistles/Burrs
- From: "* a* C* W* <c*@cache.net>
- Date: Mon, 23 Jun 1997 22:33:33 -0600 (MDT)
Hi Rima!
You write (23 June 97):
> But the large leafed plant that gets smallflowers and
> terrible burrs arevery invasive and cause havoc, especially if youhave
> dogs. One of mine, when a pup, came home foaming at the mouth and the
> vet found a throatfull ofburrs and a very torn-up mouth (labs are
> wonderful but sometimes nottoo bright).
Your plant is unmistakably Common Burdock (Arctium minus). As one of the
most unpleasant and unforgettable tasks I ever undertook was to rid this
property of a dense stand of 7 foot tall dried stalks of this plant when I
first moved in here, I don't ever want to meet up with Arctium plus!
The good news is that eminent authorities proclaim that all parts of the
burdock are edible! The young leaves can be cooked like spinach, the flower
stalks as they develop can be peeled and eaten like celery and the first
year roots (the plant is a biennial and the roots turn bitter by the second
year) can be added to soups and stews like parsnips. So here is as problem
you can eat your way out of!
Jeff Walters in northern Utah (USDA Zone 4, Sunset Zone 2)
cwalters@cache.net
"This is the Place" - Utah Pioneer Sesquicentennial: 1847-1997
