Another “weed” that is the bane of hikers, gardeners and lawn owners alike. These non native plants live for two years producing purple bulb shaped flowers in their second year. These flowers mature to become those wretched burrs that are impossible to comb out of your hair (I should know).
Leaves of burdock are very healthy but like most vegetables, this means it is also very bitter. The real value for me is the two foot root that seems impossible to pull out. Chinese medicine says that burdock roots can help prevent arthritis, removes toxins from the body (making you pee a lot) and is good for skin. I first realized the real value of burdock when I was at a Taiwanese grocer store and saw a huge painting of the plant I had always thought as a weed on the wall! These roots are sold in many asian supermarkets but are usually shipped from across the globe in countries like Taiwan and Japan! Talk about a HUGE carbon footprint while loads of people are just trying to kill it!
I actually started to grow burdock in large crates because I love the roots so much. These here are some of the younger plants.
So, hunker yourself down to dig up a root and enjoy it in stir fry, soup or whatever else you fancy. And if you really don’t want to dig it up, get your kids to do it! There’s nothing that says childhood like digging holes and getting dirty.