5 wild edible greens
Channel: Happy Holistics
Date: 2017-06-08

Vietnamese vermicelli recipe: https://happyholistics.wordpress.com/2017/05/23/cold-rice-vermicelli/

Studies
Lemon Balm:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091305702007773
http://search.proquest.com/openview/519339e258d61e03261888c1595b4918/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=33935

Mugwort: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jamc/2015/916346/
Plantain: https://www.grassland.org.nz/publications/nzgrassland_publication_658.pdf

Garlic Mustard invasion, control, recipes: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/eating-garlic-mustard-a-tasty-way-to-fight-invasive-plants-1.3074137
PDF: http://www.ontarioinvasiveplants.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/unwantedlettersGarlicMustardFINAL.pdf

Books: 
Free Food and Medicine Worldwide: Edible Plant Guide by Markus Rothkranz
Power Plants by Frankie Flowers & Bryce Wylde

Apps:
GardenAnswers
Plantifier
Leafsnap

1) Lemon balm smell kind of minty and lemony at the same time and are actually the plant that Melissa essential oils are derived from.  So they can improve sleep, mood and cognition.  I use them raw in Vietnamese vermicelli.  I’ll leave a recipe link below - However be warned, I know people who don’t like raw mints because they’ve got such a strong flavour.
2) Mugwort is used in East Asian countries and has blood sugar regulating capabilities as well as anti-tumour properties.  I’ve left all the references in the description box below.  The underside of mugwort leaves are silvery white and the stems of my plants are hairy.  Mugwort pollen can be allergenic - so obviously stay away if this is you.  It also looks like the allergen ragweed, however, a difference is that mugwort smells fragrant while ragweed doesn’t really have a smell.  But if you’re allergic, I highly doubt that you’ll be smelling these plants anytime soon.
3) This is a broad-leaf plantain weed and is unrelated to the banana version of plantain.  Eating the smaller leaves is like spinach and has been reported to contain antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties.  If you get bitten by a bug, crush a leaf and rub the juices onto the bite.
4) Stinging nettle has tiny needles all over their leaves and stem that make your skin reddish and feel like burning if you accidentally get pricked, which makes you wonder how desperate people had to be to eat it.  However, it’s great for reducing allergy and hay fever symptoms, so there’s that.  You should probably harvest this with gloves, a bowl and scissors, but since the hairs all run in one direction, if you move from the base of a leaf towards the point, you can easily pluck it off - here I am petting the pointy leaf.  Understandably, If you’d rather not harvest nettle yourself, you can purchase it online but just to let you know - once it’s cooked, it no longer stings or burns you, so you’re safe.  I make tea out of it.
5) Garlic mustard is one of the hardiest weeds ever - however, their roots emit chemicals that sabotage the growth of neighbouring plants, so garlic mustard should definitely be removed and preferably eaten because it is good for you.  It smells garlic-y, has a mild taste and contains nutrients like vitamins A and C.  While foraging is technically not allowed in Toronto public spaces, it IS one of Ontario’s most unwanted plants, so I’m quite certain no one’s gonna mind if you pluck it at a park.  You do want to be careful not to purposely plant this in your garden because that’ll contribute to the invasion problem as seeds can fly with the wind, be transferred from a pet or the bottom of your shoe and grow elsewhere.