Using The Plantain Leaves And Seeds.

First off, let me say that there are at least two plants that are called plantain. One is a green, leafy plant, and the other is a species of banana. We are going to discuss the green leafy plantain in this thread.
There are two types of plantain leaves; but both of them are edible, and contain about the same properties and nutrients. One type has almost round leaves, similar to lettuce leaves, and the other type has long leaves more like a spear or dandelion. Both grow long stalks with the seeds on the top.
I will post pictures of both types.

Plantain grows wild all over the United States, most of Europe, and some Asian countries, so there is a good chance that you might have seen it , possibly even growing in your yard.
It has been used for centuries both as a medicinal plant and as a food, plus the seeds can also be used. The seeds are called "psyllium ", and may be found as part of a laxative or stool softener. Usually the husks are used as a non-digestive form of fiber in these products.
When using the plant medicinally, it can be used as a poultice, or made into an herbal tea. The young leaves can be eaten raw in a salad, and the older (tougher) leaves are better when cooked into a soup or stew.

This is one of the first plants that comes up in the spring, and is often found growing in lawns, and even along roadways, or through cracks in the cement in parking lots.
If you are picking the leaves to eat, be sure not to get them from somewhere close to a road where they can be contaminated by car exhaust or oil.
I like to use a few of these plantain leaves to add extra vitamins to my green smoothies, and this seems like a great way to use them raw if they are a little too tough to put in a salad.

 

My family ate weeds.

In hard times? No. Always we were eating broad-leaved plants that grow wild. First weed that jumps to my mind is poke-weed. Dock (a.k.a dockry, sp?) is edible and grows everywhere. If people were to get the phrase, "oh, that's just a weed" out of their heads, they would behold more food.

Dock grows everydangwhere. We called it "dockry".

Do you have to cook-up greens? Yes. They are more digestible that way and you want to kill-off the bacteria that is on them. Poke weed must be boiled twice to get out all of the "poison" component (causes severe gut cramps). Gotta pick poke leaves when the plant is extremely young -- no red stems, pick'em young when the stems are solid green. When you see the red/purple of poke limbs and berries, think poison. Poke berries are loved by birds and are mightily avoided by humans. Poke berries can be used as a fabric dye. Eat the berries and you'll get cramps unto death -- and if you don't die, you'll pray to the Lord to just go on and take you now.

Found this rather informative link:

https://www.tyrantfarms.com/16-common-edible-weeds-growing-in-your-yard/

Yes you can eat wild garlic. We call them "wild onions". This plant is considered a pest plant to most folk because they want to have the "perfect lawn". A perfect lawn provides zero nutrition to human beings ... unless you have morphed into an ungulate. Ramps are considered a delicacy, a much sought-after bulb-forming plant. It's a super seasoning critter and is good for your health.

http://thegoodliferevival.com/blog/edible-wild-onions-garlic

"Bulbs can be used to impart a sweet allium flavor to dishes like eggs or beans, but use in smaller quantities than you would store-bought onions or garlic as the wild counterparts can be pretty potent."

Ramps are super-potent in aroma / flavoring. Local saying goes, if one person in a family eats ramps, they everybody has to eat them. This is because YOU will smell of ramps. Your breath, your sweat, you will reek of ramp. You will however be smiling because it almost acts as a tonic. It's really good nutrition, super nutrition.

Don't destroy weeds. Eat them.
.

 

Watch out for poisonous plants.

https://www.bobvila.com/slideshow/10-ways-your-backyard-can-hurt-you-50383

https://csuvth.colostate.edu/poisonous_plants/Plants/Details/90

https://www.architecturelab.net/poisonous-garden-plants/

 

Speaking of weeds ......

I have a cache of seaweed here.

No iodine deficiency in this household.