Farmers Friend or Cobblers Pegs

Description:

Of all the wild food available in Australia the Cobblers Peg, otherwise called Farmers Friend because the seed sticks to you, would have to be amongst the most unpopular with folk who work in gardens. And yet, in many other parts of the world - mainly the Southern hemisphere interestingly enough, it is a popular and widely-used foodstuff and medicine. It's therapeutic uses are extraordinarily comprehensive (as the list below demonstrates).

Notes:

As a foodstuff, it is in daily use as a vegetable in Africa. The leaves can be dried and stored for the future or cooked. Some folks advise draining and refreshing the water often during cooking to purge the bitterness from the taste. We use the leaves straight from the plant in salads or direct to the mouth and experience no bitterness. The taste is a slightly nutty flavour and, like all herbs, our bodies will tell us exactly and unambiguously when we have eaten enough in one session.