Finding, Growing and Eating Milkweed Pods - Picking, Prepping and Recipe!

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Did you know that you can actually eat milkweed pods and they are absolutely delicious? I’ve always loved having milkweed around simply because monarch butterflies depend on it, but I recently found out that some people eat milkweed, especially the pods.

While I was fishing, I noticed the area around me was covered in milkweed… so I grabbed a few pods. After a lot of research and debate I decided to try them. I’ve eaten them a few times now. They have a okra kind of texture and just taste like a very hardy, yummy vegetable. I've heard it referred to as a wild okra.

Milkweed (common milkweed) does need to be prepared properly. I’m sharing the information, growing and cooking technique that I learned while deep diving before eating milkweed along with a simple recipe that I used. (It was approved by my better half, who is clearly skeptical of my food adventures. “It would be good with sour cream.”)

Here's what we're touching on:

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What are milkweed and where can I find them?

Common milkweed (Asclepias Syriaca) is a perennial, flowering plant that begins sprouting up in fields and along roadways and bush-lines in early spring. The plants enjoy open spaces so you probably won't stumble upon too many in the bush or woods.

Milkweed seems pretty hardy. I often see it in the middle of dry fields or along tractor paths in the direct sun. It seems to thrive even if we are experiencing a dry summer.

The plants have long, deep green, long oval leaves a sturdy green stem. The stem and veins of the plant will ooze a white milky substance when broken. This sap is very sticky and becomes like latex when wet.

You may also notice a beautiful pink or purple cluster of small, unique flowers on some of the plants. If you look closely, the flowers really are fascinating. They’re typically dark pink, getting lighter around the edges with six petals each. I find they have a waxy texture.

The plant itself will stand anywhere from two to three feet in height. 

The milkweed pods are what we are going to harvest to eat. Pods can be extremely tiny, or near 5'' in length. The pods hold the milkweed seeds with silky attachments or "floss". When the pods dry out in late summer, the seeds are released for growth next year.

When the pods are in the earlier stages, the seeds will be white and soft and look almost identical to the floss inside. 

You want to find medium sized pods. The size of the milkweed pods we are collecting to eat are between 1’’ to 2’’ in length, firm but not hard, a healthy light green and the interior should be silky and white with no hard brown seeds or pieces.

Too small, the pods might have too much sap and be too bitter. Too large, and the pods will be woody, stiff and bland. We’re looking for a happy medium here. 

The pods are soft, with soft pliable barbs. The pods are also spongy and should resist a bit when you try to open them up. 

The sap that pours from the plant is sticky and bitter. Wash your hands after harvesting, I’ve read that getting it in your eyes is dangerous. Don't rub your eyes if you do get it in them.

To pick the pods, you can gently pinch the base of the pod to remove it from the plant.

Don’t strip the plants of their tear-drop shaped pods, we want the “crop” to stay healthy and these pods hold the seeds. Monarch butterflies rely on these weeds.

Why are Monarch Butterflies important as well as milkweed plants?

The Monarch Butterfly population has been in a steady decline for years. Habitat and resource loss is a huge factor in their decline. Always watch for monarch butterfly eggs, cocoons or caterpillars when picking. The cocoons look similar to the pods and the caterpillars are hairless and are a gorgeous striped yellow, black and white.

Milkweed plants host the Monarch Butterfly caterpillars – it’s the only thing those little guys eat. That’s why – just like any other plant or animal – we harvest mindfully. You can even consider growing the plant if you have the space and interest.

Some feel that if the public learns that milkweed is both important, essential and delicious – they may let the weed grow more for the butterflies to enjoy.  Some also fear that the public will go on a picking spree and cause the plant to become extinct, but I am not personally afraid of the latter.

Monarch Butterflies are pollinators that travel all across North America. The Canadian Wildlife Federation has great info and resources to help protect this species.

In the fall, monarch butterflies venture over 4,000kms from Canada to the mountain forests of Mexico. This is said to be one of the world’s longest insect migrations. Unfortunately, adult monarchs only live about four to six weeks, unless they are of the migration generation. The migration generation will live up to seven months in Mexico.

Basically a poor monarch is SOL if they hatch too early.

The medicinal and practical uses of the common milkweed plant.

Milkweed seems to have a long history in North America. Settlers were taught how to properly prepare this weed for safe consumption and various parts of the plant have been used throughout the years for both practical and medicinal uses. 

The floss (the white silky part that holds the dark, woody seeds in mature bods) is apparently very buoyant and was used in the second World War to stuff over a million life jackets. The floss from the milkweed pods was also used to stuff bedding and clothing.

People have used milkweed roots to treat warts, coughs and digestive issues as early as the late 1800s. This plant was also used to make salves to reduce swelling and expel tapeworm from a host.

As for modern day, I don't believe it's our most common resource.

How to cook and consume the pods from a milkweed plant.

I don’t think milkweed is necessarily harvested or consumed for it’s nutritional value. Although, it is good to know what you can and cannot consume, as well as how to properly prepare it. The pods contain a moderate amount of fiber as well as Vitamin E, but, taste great!

The white sap from this plant is bitter and should not be consumed. Before cooking, I wash the pods in water and remove any stems and as much sap as possible. The pods are then boiled or blanched.

Blanching, in my opinion and the opinion of many, is essential before consuming these yummy, veggie-tasting weeds. The pods must be blanched to neutralize any bitter sap. Basically, it turns them from weeds into vegetables.

You can bring a medium sized pot of salted water to a boil and place the pods in the water to blanch. Let them sit at a rolling boil for at least 8 minutes. The pods may bubble and hiss as air escapes their spongy texture. 

After 8 minutes, you can take a slotted spoon or strainer and remove the pods from the boiling water and place them in fairly cold water to stop the cooking process. You just blanched the pods. The water may be green and a bit cloudy afterwards.

Remove the pods from the cold water and gently dry them off with a paper towel or clean cloth. You can either chop the pods up and sauté them in butter and garlic now, or batter and fry them in light oil (recipe below). 

If you wish to fry the pods, mix together your flour, paprika, salt, pepper and garlic powder into one shallow dish, and whisk the egg in another. You can get creative with the spices if you’re feeling a bit wild. 

Roll each dry, blanched milkweed pod first in the scrambled raw egg, and then in the flour mixture. The first time I made these, I only did this step once. The second time, I repeated this step once to “double batter” them. In my opinion, they do not need to be double dipped or battered.

You may now heat a small amount of oil in a pan over medium heat. I used olive oil in my beloved cast-iron pan. Depending on what sort of pan you’re working with – you will need to watch your heat level to ensure the oil doesn’t burn. You want the oil to sizzle when the pods are placed in it but not burn. 

Gently place each battered pod into the pan, leaving space between each so they do not touch one another. If the oil is hot enough, the oil that’s touching the batter and pod will sizzle and the batter will brown within a minute or two. You should only have to leave the pods for one or two minutes per side before flipping.

The battered pods will cook quick enough, so watch them closely. You want the entire pod to be a light, crisp brown.

Remove your cooked pods from the pan and allow them to rest on a paper towel. The spongy texture tends to hold the heat, so if they aren’t cut open they do stay fairly warm.

Time to try them! The taste is almost like asparagus or okra. It’s a delicious “vegetable” flavor that’s crisp and fresh. The texture of the full pod is almost like a stuffed jalapeno, with the white silk coming out like melted cheese. They would be phenomenal with sour cream.

Scroll to the bottom for a full recipe. 

How Can You Grow Your Own Milkweed Plants?

I think that it’s a fantastic idea (if you have some yard or field to spare) to try to grow a small batch of your own milkweed. It gives resources to the monarch butterfly that are clearly lacking and you’ll also have an annual crop of milkweed pods to experiment with. 

Milkweed seems to be a fairly resilient plant. It does require nearly full sunlight though, so don’t expect a good “crop” of milkweed in a shady area in your yard. 

You can harvest the pods of the milkweed in the fall when they turn brown and the seeds are dry.

Find an open area that will get a good amount of sunlight and lay a loose layer of soil down. 

Crack open the pods to expose the brown seeds. You can place as many groups of milkweed as you please, placing about ten seeds per group. Each group of seeds should be about 10’’ apart. 

Sow the seeds into the ground by gently pushing them into the soil. It’s not necessary to cover them, but you should mist them to make the soil damp. 

You can do this in the fall, and lightly mulch the area with dry grass clippings. In the spring, your monarch butterfly and milkweed pod garden will begin to sprout up! If you'd like, you can also start them indoors by sowing them in pots in late fall.