3 edible "weeds" to let grow in your garden

 Why spend countless hours pulling out nutritional and delicious greens, and hours more cultivating ones that might not be as nutritional or as delicious? Here are three edible "weeds."

• Lamb's quarters have high levels of vitamins C, A and K. They're also a great source of calcium and manganese. One cup, raw, offers 4 grams of protein. All this for about 40 calories.
• Being a hardy, adaptable plant that restores nutrients to the soil, it's seen flourishing in much of the United States and Canada.
• If you let it, it could grow taller than you and come back every year due to the prolific numbers of seeds it produces, providing you with plenty of volunteer greens.

• Before you read any further, get your gloves on or remember this method when picking nettles with bare hands to avoid being stung.
• Hold the plant by the stem, firmly grab the leaf from the underside (as there are fewer stingers on the bottom) and use a firm grip to reduce the friction that typically leads to stinging. Once cooked or dried, they lose their sting and can be easily handled with bare hands.
• Now onto the glory of stinging nettles. For generations, this medicinal and edible plant has been used to stop internal bleeding, aid in producing breast milk, help clear acne, purify the blood, as well as many other uses. As far as nutrition goes, dried nettle contains a staggering 40% protein, and is a good source of iron and vitamins A and C, among other nutrients.

• Purslane is also an edible weed. Some experts say the nutritional composition of purslane is comparable to spinach.
• Purslane is rich in Vitamin E and C and Omega-3.

• Before getting started, make sure that you have clear photos of each plant so you don't pick something poisonous. Always wash them thoroughly and avoid picking those that grow next to the road.