If you’re like me, when you hear the word tumbleweed, you immediately are transported to a dirt road with a saloon on one side and general store on the other. Two cowboys are standing face to face, ready to draw their guns at a moment’s notice. The only sound that interrupts the silence is a quiet rustling as a ball of dried twigs rolls through town….that’s what usually comes to my mind when I think of tumbleweeds, but they’re so much more than that. In fact that’s just the dead bush rolling around to spread it’s seeds…and to make western movies look cool.
As you’ve probably guessed from the title you can eat tumbleweed, or at least some kinds. Cameron had eaten it as a kid and wanted to try it again, so he went out and picked the tops of some small green tumbleweeds. We rinsed them off, picked off some of the tougher parts and steamed them in my steam basket.
The Results
Like most foods, with some butter, salt and pepper, they actually tasted pretty good. Kinda reminded me of eating other greens. If we were to do it again we’d be more careful of taking the tough steam parts off, that part reminded me of the bottoms of asparagus when they’re really woody. Also there were a little poky at the ends of the leaves (I’m not sure if they’re really classified as leaves, but whatever you want to call them). I guess the younger the plant the better in that regard.
Would we eat tumbleweed again?
Even though I don’t plan on making it a part of our weekly menu, we might do it on occasion just for the fun of it. It’s also nice to know that if there ever was a zombie attack, we wouldn’t die of starvation, since we know how to eat tumbleweed! 
WARNING!!!!!! I am not responsible if you go out and forage for tumbleweed, or any other food and end up getting sick!!! Make sure to always thoroughly research it and forage at your own risk!
With that in mind, I will give you a couple of pointers.
- Make sure the plants you’re foraging are in a safe place, like not where chemicals are sprayed or a sewer pipe leaks.
- Make sure you are allowed to forage at that location. I wouldn’t recommend foraging here:
For more info on tumbleweed eating check out Eat The Weeds (and other things too).
This is the first time I’ve ever foraged from the wild (other than berry picking in State game lands with my Grandma as a girl). Have any of you done any foraging? What kinds of things can you find where you live?
This post is linked at Frugally Sustainable.
