Wild Thistle as Food and as Medicine

[heavyhitterokra]

After watching the following short video about how to clean and eat wild thistle, I'll never look at that plant the same as long as I live. 

Chopping wild thistle is a never ending battle around here, and in Oklahoma, it is actually against the law to let thistle go untreated on your property, as it is a highly invasive weed that spreads by downy seeds, having the potential to ruin your neighbor's cattle pasture if left to go to seed.

Though this law is rarely enforced, due to lack of interest, it still exists on the books and can be added as a misdemeanor to other felony charges during sentencing in cases involving land and animal abuse.

Just FYI, these are a few brief excerpts of that law, titled:
Oklahoma Noxious Weed Law Title 2 Agricultural Code.  §3-220. Noxious weeds - Eradication.

It shall be the duty of every landowner in each county to treat, control, or eradicate
all Canada, musk, or Scotch thistles growing on the landowner’s land every year
as shall be sufficient to prevent these thistles from going to seed.

4. Failure of the landowner to treat, eradicate, or control all musk, Canada, or Scotch
thistle may result in a fine not to exceed One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) for
each violation per day.

5. Upon written complaint, the State Department of Agriculture shall inspect the type
of thistle infestation, assess the nature and extent of the thistle infestation on the
property of the landowner and determine the most appropriate thistle treatment,
control, or eradication method available for the type of thistle and location of the
property.

Part B, 4 c. A statement informing the landowner that failure to remove musk,
Scotch, and Canada thistles may subject the landowner to legal
action requiring the treatment, control, or eradication of these thistles.

35:30-34-1. Degrees of infestation

The degrees of infestation that may require treatment, control, or eradication of
musk, Scotch, or Canada thistle shall be defined in the following terms:

(1) Light infestation Less than two (2) plants per acre.
(2) Medium infestation Two (2) to nine (9) plants per acre.
(3) Severe infestation Ten (10) or more plants per acre.
EffectiveDate: May 11, 2000

Now, for the cool video showing how to clean and eat these thistles:

[chrysanthemum]

That’s interesting about Oklahoma law. I tried a quick search to see if Texas has something similar but didn’t turn up anything to suggest that it does, but I’m no expert on searching the law.

After watching the video, I’m not planning to try to eat any of our thistles. The only thing I really considered was making a tea from the seed heads. Most of my search results were about Milk Thistle, but I did come across an interesting article with a different perspective that I thought I’d post here. I still don’t have ideas about a “thistle tea,” but I just might steep some as an experiment.

practicalselfreliance.com/edible-thistle/

[heavyhitterokra]

I'm gonna have to peel one of these out and eat one. They just sound too good not to give it a try. "I'll be wearing gloves though. I'm not as tough as the girl in that video.

I'm guessing thistle tea decomposed for your plants has got to be some really good stuff for them. That sounds like a very good idea to me.

[chrysanthemum]

Give us a report if you eat a thistle stalk, please.

I spotted another thistle going to flower but forgot about it till I just saw this thread. I need to get out there and get those heads.

[heavyhitterokra]

I ate a prickly pear cactus fruit today, but haven't mustered the energy to dress a thistle yet.

[chrysanthemum]

Did it taste like banana to you? We tried one from our fence line a couple of years ago, and my kids all thought it tasted like banana. The three oldest don’t love bananas, so it wasn’t worth the effort to get more for us. I got a prickly pear thorn in my foot once all the way through my shoe sole. Ouch. I still think I dislike the thistles more, though, probably because at this point they’re more invasive on my property.

[macmex]

When we lived in Mexico we ate prickly pear fruit all the time. There are different varieties each with its own flavor and even color. I never thought of them as tasting like a banana. Come to think of it, I don't know how to describe their taste other than good.

[heavyhitterokra]

I can't taste anything, so everything tastes like bananas to me.