Lambs Quarters

Also known as Mexican spinach, this is a super hardy nutritious forageable.  I love the flavor of this plant.  It tastes to me a bit like artichoke.  As a substitute for wherever you would use cooked spinach, this is a versatile forageable in many pasta dishes, stews, or casseroles.  The only caveat is that it must be boiled 2 to 3 times.  It has a high level of oxalic acid, which is not lethal, but can interfere with the absorption of nutrients.

Oxalates are considered anti-nutrients and are present in many of the wild foragable plants. Oxalates exert their effects by binding calcium, magnesium and other trace minerals such as iron, making them unavailable for assimilation.  But when these plants are boiled, and the water is changed, these compounds are negligable.  So don't hesitate to use Lambs Quarters in all your recipes. Just don't eat it raw.

One thing to note about anti-nutrients is that magnesium stearate falls into this category.  Magnesium stearate acts like a barrier substrate on many of the active nutrient absorption sites.  So where do we get magnesium stearate, and how can we avoid it?  The number one source of magnesium stearate is in over-the-counter vitamin and mineral supplements!  

​Read your labels!