Red Goosefoot (Chenopodium rubrum)

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

Chenopodium rubrum is a ANNUAL growing to 0.6 m (2ft). 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

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

Flavor & Culinary Uses

Leaves - raw or cooked as a spinach. The raw leaves should only be eaten in small quantities, see the notes above on toxicity. Seed - ground into a powder and used with cereal flours to make bread, cakes etc. — Leaves - raw or cooked as a spinach.; The raw leaves should only be eaten in small quantities, see the notes above on toxicity.; Seed - ground into a powder and used with cereal flours to make bread, cakes etc.; The seed is small and fiddly, it should be soaked in water overnight and thoroughly rinsed before it is used in order to remove any saponins.

Habitat & North American Range

Waste and cultivated land, often near the sea, also in farmyards and rubbish tips. (Zone 3, Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8, Zone 9)