Mealy Goosefoot (Chenopodium incanum)

Family: Chenopodiaceae | Edibility: Edible (3/5)

Chenopodium incanum is a ANNUAL growing to 0.5 m (1ft 8in). It is in flower from July to October, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Wind. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Nuts/Seeds, Leaves, Shoots

Harvest Seasons: Spring, Early Summer, Late Summer, Fall, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

Leaves and young shoots - cooked and eaten like spinach. The raw leaves should only be eaten in small quantities, see the notes above on toxicity. Seed - cooked. — Leaves and young shoots - cooked and eaten like spinach.; The raw leaves should only be eaten in small quantities, see the notes above on toxicity.; It can be ground into a powder and mixed with wheat or other cereals in making bread etc.; The seed is small and fiddly, about 1mm in diameter, it should be soaked in water overnight and thoroughly rinsed before it is used in order to remove any saponins.

Habitat & North American Range

Dry soils in waste ground. Sandy soils and hills, limestone and gypsiferous soils, waste areas at elevations of 500 - 2500 metres. (Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8, Zone 9)