Herbs: Potherbs, Salad Herbs, and Teas

Lamb’s-quarters (Chenopodium spp.) are related to spinach, and their leaves are cooked in much the same way. C. album is native to Europe, while C. berlandieri is indigenous to North America, where it was once a major part of the Native American diet, from Alaska to Mexico. Both species are found in waste places and roadsides everywhere in the temperate zone, and as unwanted guests in our gardens. In Mexico, both species are used as potherbs, known, collectively, as quelites.

Waterleaf (Talinum triangulare or T. fruticosum) grows in Florida and Hawaii. Like purslane and sorrel, it gets its tangy, lemony flavor from oxalic acid. It is usually eaten as a salad herb.