This is such a pretty little plant, and delicious, too. Chickweed (Stellaria media) is one of those nice wild greens that never gets bitter and can be good to eat all through the growing season. The flavor is mild and tastes like summer. I see it in a variety of places – alongside an old barn, out in a pasture, on the edge of the woods. The long, leafy stems like to lay down, but if they get crowded with other plants, they will grow upright.
At first glance, the Chickweed flowers look like they have 10 petals, but a closer look shows that there are really 5 deeply lobed petals. This is a common trait in the Pink family, which Chickweed belongs to. You might see a very small, sort of fuzzy plant that looks just like this, with the same kind of flower – that would be Mouse-ear Chickweed. That one is edible, too. Fuzzy food is not my favorite, so I just leave that one be.
I usually eat Chickweed raw in salads and smoothies. I’ll go out and snip some stems with a scissors, then pull the leaves off the lower, tougher end of the stem. The stem tips are usually tender enough to use.
I see you there, baby Chickweed, growing in my strawberry bed, lol!! It’s okay, you will make a nice ground cover, and since this is right out my back door, I won’t have to walk very far to pick some tender leaves for my salads.
The Friendly Forager 