Healthy Cooking with Lamb's Quarters (the Vegetable)

Lamb’s quarters, also known by its less appetizing name pigweed, is an odorless, branching, annual herb, with stalked, opposite, simple leaves. There are many medicinal herbs that look like lamb’s quarters. The general rule for distinguishing them is, if it’s odorless, it’s a food, but if it’s pungent, it’s medicinal.

Lamb’s quarters is available for vegetable gardeners in many varieties, including a highly attractive magenta-lilac cultivar sold by Seeds of Change. Red markings on lamb’s quarters, however, should be avoided, since they are likely to be spider mites or spinach leaf borers.

Lamb’s quarters is an extremely rich source of vitamin C, a single serving of lamb’s quarters containing 155 mg, more than a glass of orange juice. They are also an extraordinarily concentrated source of oxalic acid, and should be avoided by anyone who has a history of kidney stones or who has any kind of active kidney disease. If you take the high blood pressure medication lisinopril (Zestril or Prinivil), you should eat lamb’s quarters in moderation, since the combination of the medication and lamb’s quarters can make you very sensitive to sun.

Need a way to cook lamb’s quarters? Try this:

Lamb’s Quarters with Cheese

Lamb’s quarters are a rich source of calcium, but due to their high content of oxalic acid, the calcium is not available to be absorbed with an added “oomph” of a second calcium source, such as cheese. This recipe makes all the minerals in lamb’s quarters bioavailable in a delicious way. Monterrey Jack adds good flavor, but the less widely available Sonoma Teleme melts easily and blends beautifully into the dish.

1/2 pound (250 g) of lamb’s quarters, with stems removed
1/2 cup (about 65 g) Monterrey Jack or Sonoma Teleme cheese
1 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
Freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Wash the lamb’s quarters well, then steam them until they are well wilted. Remove from heat, and chop coarsely.
2. Melt butter in a medium pan, add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until onion becomes translucent. Add greens and heat through until any water has evaporated. Add half the cheese and season with nutmeg and salt to taste.
Scrape the greens into a bowl and cover with remaining cheese. Add freshly ground black pepper and serve