Poor Man's Pepper
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This common European weed of sunny, disturbed habitats, poor or sandy soil, and roadsides, grows throughout the US, from spring to fall. Use the spicy leaves, flowers, and seedpods in salads, soups, sauces, casseroles, and for making prepared mustard.
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Poor Man's Pepper with Seed Pods
The mature plant has lots of branches with alternate (arising singly) leaves, and seed stalks with alternating, flat, circular seed pods. |
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Poor Man's Pepper Basal Rosette
Strap-shaped leaves spread in a circle along the ground early in the spring. Note the teeth pointing toward the leaf tip (dandelion leaves teeth, usually much larger, point downward). |
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Poor Man's Pepper with Immature Flower Stalk
The alternate (single) leaves on the flower stalk look the same as the basal leaves, even though the plant is getting taller by mid-spring. |
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Poor Man's Pepper in Flower
Tiny, 4-petaled, white flowers alternate along the slender flower stalk, with flat, circular seed pods below. The upper leaves are more narrow than the basal leaves. |
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Poor Man's Pepper Flowers and Seed Pods
Note the flowers' 4 tiny, white petals, and yellow-green centers, above; developing into flat, green seed pods below. Other similar peppergrasses, also members of the mustard family, are edible as well. |
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Poor Man's Pepper Seed Stalk
Grind the green pods with vinegar, miso, garlic, turmeric, and salt in a blender to make a superb prepared wild mustard. |
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Poor Man's Pepper Gone to Seed
The seed pods, which mature from the bottom up, turn white when mature. Each pod releases tiny, orange-brown, oblong seeds. |
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Poor Man's Seeds and Split Pods
The seeds are much to tiny and insubstantial to use as food. |
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