[runfiverun]

dandelions were originally brought to this country for their roots.
you dry them grind them and brew them like coffee.

the yellow heads are mostly eaten around here by dipping them in a loose beer batter and then deep fried.

i got an 8' X 4' box full of leaf lettuce, i don't need to eat dandelion leaves, but they taste about the same... LOL.

 

[runfiverun]

i believe it's also good for settling your stomach down.
i don't know the specifics, but it shouldn't be too costly to experiment.

i'd bet they can be dried in the Sun or even slowly over a camp fire, the Pioneers used to use the stuff and they were living about as primitively as you can get.

 

[runfiverun]

it's just the rhubarb leaves that contain the junk.
the stalk is clean, put a little salt on it and mow it down.

NC.
mint can be controlled and even removed if you grow it in a raised box.
i transplanted some from the front of my place to a 3'X3' box out back and raised it for about 3-4 years.
then i ended up enough dried [and jellied] mint to last me forever and just removed it in the spring.

the key is to wait till it wants to go to seed, then cut the stalks off and tip them over in the box till they dry, then strip the seeds off directly in the box, bag the stems and trash can them.
that'll bring them back year after year.

if you want to remove them, cut and trash bag while green or after stripping the leaves.
then in the spring as soon as the ground thaws just shovel the roots out and discard.

as far as the horseradish contain it and just dig up what you need.
if you try to rototill it or mess with the roots in any way you just end with more and more of the stuff.

 

[runfiverun]

2 seconds of looking at those leaves and they are 100% a not even gonna make it to October around here.

Elderberries are an absolute struggle here, and they have about a 10-20% chance of actually putting any berries on the Bush.
heck most Blue berries and any fruit tree that flowers before late June is in danger of not producing a crop 50-60% of the time.
I'm trying to get some Viking berries from Siberia to get over 3' tall, they are supposed to grow from the desert to a swamp type setting in zone-2 to 5.... yeah good luck,,, but maybe, they only been there for 3 years now.

service berries do good in the right spot, some raspberries do well, some just keel over.
forget black berries, it's super hit and miss with the Tayberries [cross between black and rasp]
the goosberry i just put in is looking fat and sassy, and some of the Current bushes seem to be doing well while the ones 3' away ain't so happy.
it seems anything that's sour or doesn't need the time to produce any sugars when ripe are a good bet here.

 

[runfiverun]

those ramps will be a bi-annual plant.
seed one year and producers the next from the fallen seeds.
many of the leek/onion family do that.
i have a few leeks going in the greenhouse that started when i was harvesting the seeds last fall, they are surrounded by garlic chives, and one fennel plant that got there the same way.

i can't figure out how to get a Beet to go to seed, but if i put one single plant in under the bench out there it will Bolt every single time.
i'm cool with that, i really love the way they smell when in flower, and you get about 500 seeds from the one plant.
i also plant a few carrots in late fall so 1-2 of them will flower [they don't quite get to the seed point before the fall freeze]
i really like their flowers too, so maybe i'll try a few in the green house this fall and see what happens.

 

[runfiverun]

aspen i also useful.
they used [still do?] to make aspirin from the inner bark.
good dry aspen is also a great fire starter, peel some bark and scrape at the inner lining to foof it up.
a little spark and it'll get going, we use it all the time when out hunting and packing.

 

[runfiverun]

the roots are the best, but you gotta watch what time of year you take the various parts.
too late and they are more bitter than that milky sap stuff you get from a dandelion.

oh and those are NOT wild hot dogs, but they do poof something marvelous in december when you hit them with a load from a shot shell.