Lambsquarters: How We Prepare It

Lambsquarters (also Chenopodium album) is commonly considered a weed and is often cast aside and attention is diverted to more conventional plants. However, it is actually an incredibly nutritious plant as well as very accessible because as a “weed” it grows exponentially and in places that would be inconvenient if you weren’t planning on eating it–so in actuality, it’s very convenient if you choose to take advantage of it.

So, how do you eat it? Great question! It’s actually a very easy plant to prepare considering it’s mild which makes it very versatile. Wherever you would use spinach in a recipe, you can use lambsquarters instead. You can put it in casseroles, spaghetti sauce, mixed with meat and eggs for a yummy breakfast–use it anywhere in place of spinach! My one exception to that idea is I personally refrain from putting it in salads because the plant has a natural chalkiness to the leaves which can be removed but takes more washing time. A great way to use it raw is in smoothies instead.

When we go out to harvest it, we cut off the stalks (it can get thick pretty fast–the younger it is, the better) at the bottom and bring it inside where we remove the leaves from the stem and rinse to be sure there aren’t any dirt or bugs. We like to prepare it ahead of time and keep in plastic bags in the fridge until we’re ready to use it.

One of our favorite ways of using this plant is in smoothies which we have all the time for breakfasts, lunches, and snacks.

Smoothie w/ Lambsquarters
1 3/4-2 cups water
1/4 cup hemp seeds
2 large handfuls of lambsquarters leaves
2 bananas
2 cups frozen fruit

Yields: 2 large or 3 medium servings

Our other favorite way to prepare lambsquarters is to make creamed greens. We also use this for other greens such as kale or swiss chard.

Creamed Greens
10 ozs. greens (in this case, lambsquarters)
4 ozs. cream cheese
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
salt, to taste
4 heaping tbs. Parmesan cheese
3 heaping tbs. sour cream

1. Wilt the greens with a few tablespoons of water in a pot at medium-high heat.
2. Reduce heat to medium and add cream cheese and seasonings to taste.
3. Combine Parmesan and sour cream in separate bowl. Stir into greens and cook until heated.

The options go on and on for how to use this plant. We’re always looking to discover new ways of preparing our food and these are some tried and true recipes that we wanted to share with you.

If you try either of these recipes, let us know how you liked it! What are your favorite ways to prepare lambsquarters? Have you ever even cooked with this food before? We’d love to hear your thoughts!