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Chenopodium album Melganzenvoet bloeiwijze

Chenopodium album L. lambsquarters  USDA NRCS

Goosefoot, Lambsquarters, Wild Spinach   

Navajo Name: Tł'oh łigsii, "grass white"

Genus: Chenopodium Contains 50 Species and 78 accepted taxa overall

Species: 

• Goosefoot or lambsquarters,  Chenopodium album L.
• Blite Goosefoot,  Chenopodium capitatum (L.) Ambrosi
• Fremont's goosefoot, Chenopodium fremontii
• Fetid goosefoot, Chenopodium graveolens Willd.
• Mealy goosefoot, Chenopodium incanum
• narrowleaf goosefoot, Chenopodium leptophyllum
• New Mexico goosefoot, Chenopodium neomexicanum
• Desert goosefoot, Chenopodium pratericola

Description: Common lambsquarters is an erect, annual herb under 4 feet. Herbage is mealy but not hairy, stems may have lengthwise, red streaks. Small greenish flowers open from mid-May to mid-October

Distribution: From 8000 ft to lowest part of reservation ~3000 ft disturbed soil in depressions

Ceremonies: Mountain Chant, Nightway

Ritual Use:  

• Dried leaves bruised, then stirred in water and used for Mountain Chant liniment (Franciscan Fathers 1929:405. Elmore 1944:44) 
• Seeds winnowed, ground with maize, made into bread and used as a ceremonial food in Night Way (Elmore 1944 44; Vestal:1952:25).
• Fetid goosefoot used as a liniment in the Mountain Chant
• Used as equipment in other ceremonies (Mayes and Lacy 1989:43-44)

Medicine: 

• chopped up finely and put on arms and face for mosquito and fly repellent (Elmore 1944:44)
• Mealy goosefoot or lambsquarter stem, three inches long, made into snake figurine for snake infection (Vestal 1952:25)
• Fetid goosefoot used as an emetic at Acoma and Laguna (Swank 1932:36)
• Poultice of lambsquarters applied to burns (Wyman and Harris 1951:20)
• Blite Goosefoot, used as a lotion for head bruises and black eyes (Wyman and Harris 1951:21)
• at Zuni Fetid goosefoot steeped in water and vapor inhaled for headache (Stevenson 1915:45)

Food: 

A major food plant. Seeds considered among the most important food plants when the Zuni reached this world (Castetter 1935:21)

Mayes and Lacy (1989:43) describe preparation: dried plants are threshed on a blanket to winnow the seeds, ground lightly to loosen the perianth, winnowed again, washed, dried and ground with corn. Meal had a bitter taste if used alone. Seeds stored for winter (Vestal:1952:25). 

• seeds threshed from the plants, then eaten (Reagan 1929:156; Bailey 1940:287; Buskirk 1986:192)
• ground into meal and used in recipes similar to corn (Franciscan Fathers 1929:209)
• made into porridge (Standley 1912:458; Franciscan Fathers 1929:209; Bailey 1940:287; Elmore 1944:44; Hocking 1956:149)
• made into bread or cakes that are pit-baked (Bailey 1940:287 Elmore 1944:44; Hocking 1956:149)
• made into griddle cakes (Bailey 1940:287)
• made into tortillas (Elmore 1944:44)
• ground with corn and made into ash bread, dumplings boiled in water or goats milk, mush (Mayes and Lacy 1989:43)
• used to flavor corn cakes (Bailey 1940:287) 
• ground seeds used in stews (Hocking 1956:149)
• ground into meal, parched, and then eaten (Elmore 1944:44)
• raw greens eaten when young and tender (Elmore 1944:44; Hocking 1956:149)
• greens boiled with other foods or alone (Elmore 1944:44; Hocking 1956:149)
• Leaves cooked with green chile and meat or animal bones (Castetter and 1936:46)
• washed, then parboiled, set out to dry, and used in recipes like corn (Franciscan Fathers 1929:209)
• dried, then "treated after the manner of corn" (Elmore 1944:44)
• at Hopi, leaves packed around yucca fruit when baked in earth oven (Colton 1974:300)
• at Hopi, seeds ground, mixed with corn meal and made into small dumplings wrapped in corn husks (Fewkes 1896:18)
• at Zuni, ground seeds mixed with corn meal and salt, made into a stiff batter, formed into balls and steamed (Stevenson 1915:66)

Other Uses: 

• Cold infusion of Fetid goosefoot taken to give protection in warfare (Vestal:1952:25)

References: 

• Buskirk 1986:192
• Castetter 1935:16, 21
• Chamberlin 1911:366
• Colton 1974:300
• Elmore 1944:43-44
• Fewkes 1896:18
• Franciscan Fathers 1910:185
• Hocking1956:149
• Jones 1931
• Matthews, W 1886:768
• Mayes and Lacy 1989:43-44
• Reagan 1929:156
• Stevenson 1915:45, 66
• Swank 1932:36
• Vestal 1940 :161
• Vestal 1952:25
• White 1945:560
• Whiting 1939:73
• Wyman and Harris 1941:33,38
• Young 1938:6