Pigweed Wild Edible Food

Pigweed is the common name for a number of plants contained in the genus Amaranthus. Pigweed is a small annual plant that grows throughout almost all of North America and much of the world.

Most pigweeds species are tall, sometimes bushy plants with simple, not compound leaves. The leaves will be oval to diamond-shaped, arranged in an alternate pattern. The small green flowers grow in clusters in spikes at the top of the plant. These flowers will produce small black seeds.

Pigweed starts to appear after the last frost has passed and grows rapidly and then is killed back when the first frost of the fall occurs.

Some species of Amaranthus are actually grown commercially such as Redroot Amaranthus, but Pigweed, although in the same genus is a subgroup that is not cultivated and just grows as a pesky weed.

The leaves, stems and seeds are all edible. Young leaves can be eaten raw or cooked. Fresh or dried pigweed leaves can be used to make tea. The seed is very small but very nutritious and is great after roasting.

You can hang and dry the plants and then separate the seeds from the chaff once the plant has dried. Once you have harvested the seed it needs to be completely dried if you plan on storing it or it will mold.

Dry in the sun or inside near a heat source. Move the seed around occasionally until they are completely dry. If you store the seed in an airtight container in a cool, dry area it will last for up to 6 months.