A weed loved equally by humans and hens, Fat Hen (Chenopodium album), also known as Lamb’s Quarters, is valued for both its culinary and nutritional benefits. An inoffensive texture and flavour makes it the perfect entry level weed for novice foragers. Fat Hen can be found in most climates but grows best in temperate zones.
Foraging And Harvesting
Plants are upright with multiple stems. The tiny flowers form in clusters at the tips of mature plants and can be green/blue through to grey, often with a magenta tinge.
When foraging Fat Hen, look for sage coloured rhomboid leaves with a white dusty film, in particular on their undersides. The alternative common name ‘white goosefoot’ gives you some idea as to the shape of the leaves, as they’re said to look like a webbed foot (this is more clearly exaggerated when the plant is going to seed).