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The New Gourmet Greens: Weeds
Experts tout health benefits; consumers pay top dollar
By Evann Gastaldo
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Posted May 27, 09 11:30 AM CDT
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(Newser)
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One man’s weeds are another man’s delicacy. The bane of American gardeners has a new home on gourmet dinner plates, the Wall Street Journal reports. “These are as good a yuppie green as you can get,” said one buyer who paid $9 a pound for dandelion greens, a very common weed. As avant-garde chefs lead the way, wild greens have become “trendy items,” said one farm owner.
Weed cuisine taps into the organic and local food movement, because weeds require no pesticides and little water. Some farmers have seen annual sales increase by as much as 25%, while supermarkets experienced a 9% increase—a growth rate more than twice as high as that of vegetables overall. And health food lovers appreciate the benefits to the immune system these “wonder foods” provide, a dietitian says.