Mallow grows like crazy in my garden. Instead of fighting it, I decided to make it a food source. Because I garden organically, and we don't spray our lawn, there was no worry about chemical contamination. My in-laws, who are expert gardeners, got quite the chuckle when my husband informed them I had been 'harvesting' our mallow and drying it. They were humoring me and I'm sure they thought I was nuts.
Mallow is packed with nutrition. The whole plant is edible, leaving no waste. The leaves, flowers, 'fruits/seeds', and roots can each be processed differently for a variety of medicinal and nutritional uses. Mallow is happy to grow in the poorest of soil, and makes an excellent survival food in times of famine. But why wait for a famine when we can enjoy the benefits of Mallow now?
I harvest the younger mallow plants just like any other green leafy vegetable. The younger ones are tastier and milder, but the older ones are still edible. Eat them raw or cook them like spinach. I like to dry the leaves in a dehydrator, mildly crush them and store them in a big mason jar. Then they can be made into teas, go into smoothies, breads, salads, pasta, or anything else I want to sprinkle in extra nutrition for. Mallow can have a mild diuretic and laxative effect, so go easy until you find the right balance.
Magickal uses for Mallow are plentiful. This is a plant ruled by Venus. It attracts love when carried, the flowers are used in Beltane rituals, ritual baths and workings that encourage fertility and lust. Mallow can be dried and burned as an incense, made into an anointing oil for candle magick or applied to the skin.
Mallow has many medicinal qualities.
Do your own research to decide if using Mallow in this way is right for you.
I urge you to open yourself to the wonders of Mallow, and add them to your list of weeds to protect and partner with come Springtime!
