As many of you know, I ran a food blog for a couple of years, and I posted quite a few recipes featuring foraged plants (a.k.a. edible ‘weeds’). I love ramps and stinging nettles and purslane. Dandelion greens. Fiddlehead ferns. And mushrooms – I LOVE mushrooms. When reading Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass, I was surprised and delighted to learn that common milkweed pods are edible too. And I’m not talking about hungry monarch caterpillars – humans can and do eat milkweed pods! Plant Asclepias syriaca in your garden, and feed not only monarch cats, but also yourself!

Check out this great article that shares info on how and when to harvest milkweed pods, as well as how to prepare them for your dinner table –

https://www.gardenista.com/posts/milkweed-pods-native-vegetable/

I must admit, I haven’t yet dared to try them. The comparison to okra seems apt, and okra has always given me pause. Okra’s texture is off-putting to me unless it’s deep-fried. Perhaps I should deep fry some milkweed pods! Everything tastes good with a crispy coating and an aioli dipping sauce, right? Hmmm. Tempting, but I’m still mulling it over.

If you follow the link posted above, and if the gardenista article inspires you to try cooking and eating milkweed pods, please let me know your thoughts. You may embolden me to try it too.

Happy native plant gardening!

– Melinda