Chenopodium murale is a plant you can harvest through every season, though its real value lies in its seeds. It’s a close relative of quinoa, sharing the same botanical lineage. The leaves contain saponin, which makes them unsuitable for eating raw — the substance foams in water much like soap. Because of that, the plant can even serve as a natural cleanser, a quiet reminder of how many uses wild herbs once held.
A walk through the fields with Mr. Barak Sagi in Kfar Yehoshua turns into a quiet masterclass in wild gathering. Our first stop was Iris Ben-Zvi’s organic farm, where the soil itself feels like a guide. Sorrel, Galium aparine, Lamium amplexicaule, wild beet, green arum, Chenopodium murale, and bright, lemony Oxalis — each plant adding its own note to the early-season palette, and all of them reminding how alive the landscape becomes when you know where to look.
