Size: 3-5 feet high
Asclepias Syriaca and Asclepias Speciosa
There are several common species of Milkweed. I'm only describing the two most common edible species. That's right, you can eat these things, if they are good enough for butterflys, then why aren't we eating them?
That's a very good question, because every part of the plant is edible, and tasty. A. Syriaca is found throughout the eastern United States, while A. Speciosa grows throughout the western United States. Both species look very similar. The plants are tall with long, oval leaves that come to a rounded point at both ends of the leaf. The leaves are found in opposite pairs along the stem. The undersides are slightly paler than the top, and covered with fine hairs.
Milkweed features small purple or white flowers which bloom in summer. After flowering, they bear green seed pods about 4 inches long and covered with soft spines and hairs. They eventually split open and release a number of seeds with streamers of silk.
The stem of milkweed is covered with fine hairs. This should be your way to make sure you aren't confusing it with the poisonous Dogbane.
Making a Most Memorable Meal of Milkweed
In spring, the young shoots may be eaten raw or cooked as asparagus. If you gather shoots longer than 6 or 8 inches they will be tough and bitter, so stick to shorter plants.
Leaves may also be collected in spring, up until the point at which flower buds form sometime during summer. They are a potherb, but make sure to cook them with at least two changes of boiling water, otherwise they will taste rather bitter.
The unopened flowers and young seed pods may be cooked the same way as the leaves. The unopened flowers may be collected thoughout summer and into early fall. They are dull and wooly before cooking, but afterwards they turn a bright green similar to broccoli. The pods are a little trickier, you need to collect them before they feel elastic when you press them with your fingers. Once you boil them everything kind of congeals into a glue-like mass, but it tastes good. It makes a very good thickener in soups.
Lastly drying the milky sap from the leaves or stems provides something similar to chewing gum. You dry the sap in one of two ways, the first, and in my oppinion, best, is to put the sap in a covered container, such as a cookie tray. You should cover it with cloth, otherwise bugs will get in and ruin it. Take it in at night so the morning dew does not undo all the time it spent out in the sun. After a few days, it should be done. If you don't have that kind of patience, it can be be dried over a slow fire.
Have fun eating Milkweed! Mmm.
Sources:
Hall, Alan. The Wild Food Trail Guide. Holt, Rhinehart, and Winston. 1945.