HOW TO COOK LAMBSQUARTERS: EASY

Lambsquarters has a huge background in the lives of southern Americans. Whenever I mention plants to Southerners, somebody always has an interesting story about Lambsquarters. Enjoy this simple and elegant Simple Lambs Quarters Recipe.

Lambsquarters was the bed for my Amazing Bluegill Fried in Butter to lay on. Lambsquarters and Bluegill are seemingly always available to the forager.

Shout out to my second post ever! Fried Lambsquarters is my favorite Lambsquarters recipe to speak of.

Table of Contents

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO COOK LAMBSQUARTERS

• Lambsquarter greens
• Butter
• Salt and pepper (optional)
• Other seasonings I like to use are garlic powder, paprika, and seasoning salt!
• Other flavor enhancers I like to use are balsamic vinegar, red or white wine vinegar, white wine, and green onion!

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Equipment Needed

• Cast Iron Pan or the pan you have.
• Spatula
• Salad Spinner (optional)

HOW TO MAKE LAMBSQUARTERS IN BUTTER

Now mind you, these leaves I have here are from the top of a lambsquarters plant. So, they are going to be a bit more narrow than the basal leaves.

Here is a good shot of the basal leaves when the plant is nice and young.
the white powder on top of the new growth is mineral salt from deep within the ground!
Notice the base of the leaf flares out. The leaf has wider bases.

• Start by picking more leaves than you think you will need. They shrink when you cook them!
  
• Wash them under cold water in a colander.
  
• Let them drip dry briefly while you move to the next step.

• Melt butter on medium heat. Be careful not to burn it!

• Sautée the Lambsquarters until they have shrunken down and are tender.
  
• At this time you may add salt and pepper or any other seasonings you wish to use.

• Making way for my fresh blue gill. You can cook thin pieces of fish or meat now as well. Anything that will cook fast.

NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF LAMBSQUARTERS

• Surprisingly, Lambsquarter greens contain fats, proteins, and carbohydrates, 19 vitamins and minerals, 18 amino acids, and a solid amount of fiber.
• 100 grams or about 1/4 cup of greens gives you your daily value of vitamin C, half of your daily value of vitamin A, and a surprising 4.2 grams of protein!
  
• For more information on the nutrient content of lambsquarters visit USDA Food Date Central.

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO HARVEST LAMBSQUARTER GREENS?

• Lambsquarter is similar to many plants in that the younger the leaves the better they taste. The older they get, the more tough and bitter they get.
  
• However, when it comes to Lambsquarters, the greens are quite fine to eat at any stage of the plants growth. I had mentioned I picked them from the top of the plant when it was flowering and they still taste great!
  
• The seeds of the Lambsquarter plant have been used as a grain for centuries if not longer and can be popped like popcorn. That is the subject of a later post.

OTHER POSTS YOU MAY LIKE

• HARVESTING MARIGOLD SEEDS
  
• HOMEMADE WILD BLACKBERRY JELLY
  
• HOW TO IDENTIFY CHANTERELLE MUSHROOMS
  
• GRASSHOPPER RECIPE

Yield: 2 SERVINGS

SIMPLE LAMBSQUARTERS RECIPE

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I can't think of a plant that has more of a background in the lives of southern americans. Whenever I mention plants to some southerners, somebody always has an interesting story about lambs quarters. Enjoy this simple and elegant Simple Lambs Quarters Recipe.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

• Lambsquarters
• Butter
• Light sprinkle of salt and pepper (optional)
• Additional seasonings or vegetables (optional)

Instructions

1. Harvest lambsquarter leaves. Wash them and drain the water out.
2. Melt butter and sautée lambsquarter greens.
3. Add the optional salt and pepper or other vegetables to the mix.
4. The leaves are ready to be eaten when they are soft and wilty. You can choose to brown the leaves slightly if you want them a bit more crispy.

Notes

• Harvesting from young plants will lend you more mild flavored and tender greens. It is also more pleasant to eat them raw this way.
• Wash the leaves to get any dirt or insects off of them.
• This entire plant can be eaten raw or cooked including the seeds.
• It is easy to identify when you put a leaf under water and it comes out completely dry. The underside of the leaf is hydrophobic and will not get wet.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

100 grams
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 49Total Fat: 0.8gSodium: 43mgCarbohydrates: 7.3gFiber: 4gProtein: 4.2g

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Eligh Miller-Polivka

Hello everyone, welcome to my neck of the woods! My name is Eligh, I was born in Portland, Oregon, and I love to forage! From when I was very young, my father took me out picking mushrooms, fishing, and camping. He loved to forage for mushrooms, and so naturally, I developed a keen eye for mushroom identification. After meeting my lovely wife on the Oregon coast, I started spending all of my free time out in the woods with plant, mushroom, and tree identification books. After some time I was able to identify every tree, plant, and mushroom that I came across. I learned their uses, both by native Americans and settlers alike. At this time, I also began fishing for salmon, trout, and different species of coastal rockfish. I always felt a strong sense of pride to be able to harvest a wide variety of wild edibles to suit my palate, and then harvest some natural bait and catch a fish, even how to make hooks and line using plants and trees that grow on the river bank.
I started cooking at a very young age. In middle school, my friends and their parents would ask me to cook food for them because I could make something out of nothing. I love to cook up new concoctions and see what everyone likes. When I became of working age, I started as a buss boy at a barbecue restaurant, and then moved on to work all positions of the restaurant industry. From head chef of a Jamaican restaurant in Tulsa, OK, to sous chef at a highly accredited bistro on the Oregon coast, all before I turned 21.
I Inherited land in southeast Oklahoma and now spend my days working a Fedex delivery route and working with my wife and 3 young boys on our rural homestead. We raise many different kinds of animals and some vegetable gardens. I hunt all manor of large and small game, and butcher all of my own meat. We harvest wild edibles of all kinds and enjoy to cook with them and eat them.
I am grateful that you stopped by to see how we are doing and hope to see you again very soon. We would love to be friends and hope you enjoy all of the recipes and information that I can manage to put out.
Thank you, and much love!
-Eligh

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