UF/IFAS Okeechobee County Extension Service

458 Highway 98 North

Okeechobee, FL 34972-2578

Phone: (863) 763-6469

E- mail:  dfculbert@ifas.ufl.edu

March 15, 2007

Feature Article - for release the week of March 18, 2007

Dan Culbert - Extension Horticulture Agent

 

Blue Ribbons and Edible Weeds

We did it, Okeechobee!  What a fun run at the first ever County Fair! While a lot of our office’s activity was centered on 4-H and the Youth Livestock Show, we shouldn’t forget there were a number of brave souls that displayed their handiwork in creative exhibits and in the Horticulture Division.

Today’s column gives the results of the Fair’s Vegetable Contest, and will highlight a vegetable related question from one of the exhibitors.  It turns out that a common weed in one of our local gardens can also be eaten.

 

Vegetable Exhibit Results

At this year’s Fair, we had three different competitions for local vegetable gardeners.  The first exhibit category was to put together a table exhibit using a variety of produce raised by the exhibitor.  First place award went to Sal Varri for his market basket of various shots and roots; second place went to Laurie McClosky’s salad green plate, and third place was earned by John Lane for his market basket of assorted vegetables.

The second exhibit category was for individual vegetables, which were evaluated on their maturity and usefulness.  First place for her head of Cabbage went to Janice Trent; second place was earned by Sal Varri’s unusual red-meat radish bunch; Third place was earned by Laurie McClosky’s onion bunch.

The final category was the first year of what will be an on-going list of our county’s largest vegetables.  These records will stand until beaten by someone else in a future edition of this contest.  Entries in this competition are weighed and then multiplied by an “equalizing factor” that allows small items to be compared with bigger vegetables.

Our biggest vegetable this year was “giant” Green Bell pepper grown by John Lane.  This 9 oz. fruit (multiplied by 6.3) produced a “score of  56.7.  Second place was Sal Varri’s carrot, tipping the scales at 12 ozs. (times 2.0) for a score of 24.   Our third place winner was Janice Trent’s 2 pound, 14 oz. cabbage (times 0.3) with a point value of 13.8.  Congratulations to all our vegetable exhibitors!

Click here to go to our Fair Photo webpage

 

An Edible Weed

Sal Varri helped our office with his donations of vegetables for the Vegetable Identification and Judging contest, held last Friday at the Fair.  While I was picking up his specimens, he presented me with a bag of unknown greens, and asked the questions, what is it and can you eat it?

The plant in question is common lambsquarters (Chenopodium album).  This annual weed grows all over the US and is seen in gardens, lawns and roadsides.  It has sprung up all over his vegetable garden and competes with the intended crops for space, water and nutrients.   UF researchers have determined that commercial lettuce yield losses from competition from this weed could be between 16% and 27%, depending on how fertilizer is applied to lettuce crops.  

But here’s the rub: The nutritive value of the succulent green tops from Lambsquarters are greater that many common vegetables that it competes with in the garden.   This is not surprising when you consider that Lambsquarters is a relative of spinach, beets and Swiss chard. Another kind of lambsquarters, C. quinoa, is actually cultivated in South America for its seed which is used as a grain product.

 

As a weed, there are recommendations available for controlling this plant in commercial settings.  In the home garden the better approach may be to hoe them out when small if the goal is to grow something else.  But if you wanted to try this as a new nutritious green, be sure to harvest the tops well before they begin to flower for best quality.  According to one source, Lambsquarters greens should be rinsed and the tender leaves can added to a green salad, or may be steamed, sautéed or stir-fried.

I’ve placed more information on our Okeechobee web page, http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu.  If you would like to see photos of our vegetable exhibits or need additional information on lambsquarters, please email us at okeechobee@ifas.ufl.edu or call us at 863-763-6469.  Local residents can stop by our office at 458 Hwy 98 North in Okeechobee, and visit our Okeechobee County Master Gardeners from 1 to 3 PM on Tuesday afternoons.   GO GATORS!

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Trade names, where used, are given for the purpose of providing specific information. They do not constitute an endorsement or guarantee of products named, nor does it imply criticism of products not named. The Florida Cooperative Extension Service - Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer authorized to provide research, educational information, and other services to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap, or national origin.  Florida Cooperative Extension Service / IFAS / University of Florida.  Larry A.  Arrington, Dean Last update: 03/23/2007 .  This page is maintained by Dan Culbert 

 

references

COMMON LAMBSQUARTERS Science Page.   Ithaca: Cornell University, undated. http://www.gardenmosaics.cornell.edu/pgs/science/english/pdfs/lambsquarter.pdf 

NJ Weed Gallery. Lambsquarters Chenopodium album.  New Brunswick: Rutgers University, 2007.   http://njaes.rutgers.edu/weeds/weed.asp?lambsquarters