Broadleaf plantain

Plantago major

leaf · nuts & seeds

Young leaves cooked like spinach or chopped raw, and seeds cooked as porridge or sprouted; their husks swell like psyllium.

Origin

Europe and Asia, widespread

Season (United States)

April to September

Preparation

The young leaves are washed and their veins pulled out; the seeds are winnowed before cooking.

Molecules

Beta-carotene (vitamin A) · Lutein and zeaxanthin · Vegetable nitrates · ChlorophyllIn small amounts, not counted Mucilages

Did you know?

Native Americans called it “white man's foot”: it grew wherever the settlers went.