What Do Thistles Taste Like

Look for the younger thistles that are short and don’t have flowers yet. Those are tender and taste the best. Children in south Louisiana say thistles taste kind of like celery, only a little sweeter. They love the freedom of running through pastures in search of the spiky plants.

Are thistles good eating?

The first-year root and leaves are edible, but there isn’t much of a root for a while. … Just strip the green off the leaf leaving the very edible midrib. Rub the “wool” off and enjoy, raw or cooked. All thistles in the genus Cirsium, and the genus Carduus, are edible.

What happens if you eat a thistle?

But my favorite part of the thistle to eat is the long stem. … The best way to tell if it’s tender is to grab the top of the stem in a gloved hand and bend it. It should be springy and flexible, not rigid. Once found, I’ll leave my gloves on to carefully cut the stalks at the base.