# Foraging as an important part of localization plant breeding
**URL:** https://goingtoseed.discourse.group/t/foraging-as-an-important-part-of-localization-plant-breeding/2423
**Category:** General Discussions
**Created:** [April 24, 2024, 4:52pm UTC](https://goingtoseed.discourse.group/t/foraging-as-an-important-part-of-localization-plant-breeding/2423 "2024-04-24T16:52:08Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@UnicornEmily](https://goingtoseed.discourse.group/u/UnicornEmily)
#### Post date: [May 5, 2024, 11:36pm UTC](https://goingtoseed.discourse.group/t/foraging-as-an-important-part-of-localization-plant-breeding/2423/41 "2024-05-05T23:36:34Z")
I’ve heard of elephant garlic, which is a leek that is supposed to taste like garlic. Is that what you mean?
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### Author:  [@Lary](https://goingtoseed.discourse.group/u/Lary)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2024, 12:18pm UTC](https://goingtoseed.discourse.group/t/foraging-as-an-important-part-of-localization-plant-breeding/2423/42 "2024-05-06T12:18:06Z")
No that’s not what I mean it’s sweet garleek I haven’t grown out yet
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### Author:  [@UnicornEmily](https://goingtoseed.discourse.group/u/UnicornEmily)
#### Post date: [May 6, 2024, 12:39pm UTC](https://goingtoseed.discourse.group/t/foraging-as-an-important-part-of-localization-plant-breeding/2423/43 "2024-05-06T12:39:29Z")
Huh! I wonder if it is an interspecies hybrid! That would be interesting. I’ve never heard of it before.
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### Author:  [@UnicornEmily](https://goingtoseed.discourse.group/u/UnicornEmily)
#### Post date: [May 9, 2024, 4:03pm UTC](https://goingtoseed.discourse.group/t/foraging-as-an-important-part-of-localization-plant-breeding/2423/44 "2024-05-09T16:03:13Z")
Update on the tansy mustard, a.k.a. flixweed (Descurainia sophia).
The stems are _very_ woody right now (while it’s flowering and setting pods), which makes them highly unpleasant to eat. The leaves are kind of rough, too. It’s probably decent as an early spring green, eating the stems while they’re soft enough to eat, but at this point, nah. There’s not very much food, and what food there is isn’t all that tasty.
I wound up pulling them out and tossing them into the middle of my grass. They’ll almost certainly make some seeds and drop them in that spot, and I’m willing to give them a second chance when they’re young next year. But I’d rather have only ten or twelve of that plant next year, instead of eight hundred million, so I see no reason to let them stay rooted and maturing every possible seed to completion.
The madwort, I left in. The leaves are quite nice right now, while they’re fully flowering. I probably wouldn’t mind having a lot of them next year.
I’m leaving the alfalfa alone, too. I’ll probably pull out the alfalfa that’s growing in my garden bed, but only when I want to eat it. Those grow liberally all over my lawn, so they’re already a great groundcover to outcompete grass and bindweed.
. . . For a certain definition of “groundcover.” They _are_ bushes, drought tolerant bushes, and their stems can get hard and thick. When you use them as chop-and-drop, the leftover stems are fine to step on with shoes, but they may be uncomfortable for bare feet.
That doesn’t bother me because I always wear shoes. For someone who wants soft groundcovers that are comfortable for bare feet, something like dandelions would be better.
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