6. Wild Turnips
The leaves from a wild turnip plant can be used in the same way as bok choy leaves. Be careful not to steam or fry them for more than a few seconds or else you they will rapidly lose volume. Additionally, their hot, distinctive flavor begins to erode quickly as the leaves are cooked. You can use the flowers as a broccoli-type food, but again, do not cook them for very long.
This vegetable source is most commonly found in abandoned fields, on the side of a road and in suburban lawns that are not mowed frequently. A wild turnip plant will range in height from two feet to as tall as one yard. If you want to harvest the flowers for food, be sure to do so in the early spring or early fall. The leaves are at their best before they have become fully mature.
Photo by TANAKA Juuyoh