Have you ever heard of a plant called Wild Chamomile? Let me introduce you to this amazing plant, otherwise known as Pineapple Weed. Don’t let the name fool you, this plant is anything but a nuisance weed! Pineapple Weed is in the same family as Chamomile and actually has a similar scent and flavor, only slightly sweeter. Pineapple Weed makes a delicious herbal tea and can be foraged quite easily around your home! 
What is Pineapple Weed?
Pineapple Weed has a yellow green cone shaped flower head. The leaves are lacy and almost fern like. Pineapple Weed is native to North America but most often found on disturbed soils such as roadsides, pathways and fields. Although this plant has “weed” in its name, it can actually be found in several of my wildflower identification books.
Pineapple weed has some medicinal properties. According to several of my wildflower and wild edibles identification books, Pineapple weed is helpful in treating colds, intestinal upset and menstrual cramps. It is also considered a mild sedative similar to chamomile.
My favorite wild edibles book (this is the one I use the most) says that Pineapple Weed flower heads can also be eaten. They are most commonly used in salads, breads and muffins. I tasted one and it had a light citrus flavor. Next time I make a salad I’m going to add in some Pineapple Weed flower heads for a little added flavor!
Making Pineapple Weed Tea
I’m sitting here drinking a warm glass of pineapple weed herbal tea and feeling so relaxed. About an hour ago, Little A and I ventured outside and foraged for pineapple weed on the north side of our barn. I love walking through this area because the huge patch of pineapple weed growing there sends such a lovely fruity scent in the air. It is slightly sweet and always makes me smile when I walk through there.
To make Pineapple Weed tea, harvest the flower heads in an area where you know no pesticides have been sprayed. I initially used scissors to cut the flower heads off but quickly found that it was easier to pull the heads off the flower stem. 
Place the flower heads in a cup or pot and pour boiling water over top. Let them sit and steep for five to ten minutes. Strain the flowers from the tea. We used about two tablespoons of fresh flowers in 8oz of water. I drink a lot of foraged and homegrown herbal teas so I invested in this french press that works amazing for loose leaf herbal teas (you can find it here).
The tea had a wonderful light pineapple flavor. Little A wanted hers a little sweeter so we added a small spoon of honey from our beehives. Either way, it is a delicious free foraged herbal tea from the homestead!
I grew quite a few chamomile plants at our old house and would harvest and dry them to use in tea throughout the year. Unfortunately even though I transplanted the plants and their seeds into my herb garden at our new homestead last fall, they didn’t make it through the winter. I enjoy having a relaxing cup of herbal tea in the evenings and was disappointed about the chamomile not growing. Now I have a plethora of Pineapple Weed I can forage for free around our homestead to harvest, dry and use instead of chamomile!
We also made a Pineapple Weed herb infused oil (this is how to make an herb infused oil) and used it to make our homemade lotion and homemade lip balm (recipe coming soon!)
References:
–Wildflowers of Montana
–Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Rockies
Have you ever harvested pineapple weed? What do you use it for?
We used to find this in our yard and eat it, my Mom called it Dog Fennel. As children we loved it, this and something we called sheeps shour.
Thanks for sharing that, it is wonderful to hear from other folks who have harvested this herb!
My parents have this growing in their lane and I have always loved the smell when you walk or ride over it. Unfortunately we don’t have any at our place but your post makes me want to find some to forage somewhere. I would love to try it in tea and adding it to muffins sounds rather fun too.
Oh sa-weeeeet! I have TONS of this. Thank you for sharing. I absolutely adore finding things in the yard that I can harvest, especially since the garden is drowning out. I am trying to learn more about the medicinal side of herbs and foraged goodies.
I love this. I have seen it before and didn’t know what it was. The chamomile in my garden hasn’t bloomed yet. I hope I have some around so I can give it a try. Thanks for sharing at Green Thumb Thursday.
I just discovered this at a park near me because I thought it looked like chamomile. I checked out this app I have for identifying wild edibles (called Wild Edibles) and realized it was. OMG it smells soooo amazing. I couldn’t stop smelling it. I made tea and a tincture. I happened to have a jar of red clover syrup I made a few weeks ago so I added that to my tea and it was amazing! Here’s the recipe for red clover syrup. http://cantabfoodie.com/?p=72
Thank you for sharing this. We have it growing around our property and I had always assumed it was an old planting of Roman Chamomile that had gone wild. The flower heads are the same as in your photos though, so I am sure it is Pineapple Weed. I enjoy drinking borage tea and might mix some of these flower heads in with that.
I tried transplanting the seeds for this several times without success until I just scattered the seeds where I found them – all throughout our driveway and roadsides. Now this spring it was all over the place – Happy ! – I have loved the smell of it for years and was pleased to find out its many uses. There are so many great plants we can find and use 🙂
I love the way you described your trip to the barn, where the flowers grow. I could just picture it in my head. And I felt the same joy. What a lovely article. Next summer I will definitively make som herbal tea from wild chamomile. It grows everywhere, also here in the south of Sweden, although mainly alongside pavements and walkways. I have an old Bodum French Press just waiting for it!
Edit: Sorry, I write UK English, with pavements I mean sidewalks.
I am from eastern Montana and enjoy some of the same things you mention on your site. I’d love to keep track of your adventures.
I never thought about making a tea with this. Great idea. Since childhood I’ve always just eaten the flower cones as I’ve come across it.
This is another very beneficial local”weed” that grows in my yard. Since we moved to the farm 3 years ago I’ve discovered motherwort, shepards purse, spiderwort, mullein, catnip, plantain and a few others. It’s so cool to have them growing wild and not have to plant them! Lol. I am an herbal geek and use so much of what grows here. Even the rose hips. Never overlook a “weed” until you make sure it’s actually useless 🙂
My daughter and I have been learning to forage this summer. I’ve seen these everywhere and heard somewhere that they could be picked for tea. It wasn’t on the top of my list to research but now I know. I’ll be trying this out tomorrow :).
We have had this growing in our backyard for years now and I always thought it was Chamomile or related to chamomile. It just looks a little different …anyway I am excited to know that I can forage it and make tea and that my kids can eat it they are going to be really excited too. THANKS!
I too am very familiar with this wonderful and delicious weed. I can remember going out in the woods and pastures collecting this pineapple weed. This was then dried with wild rose petals collected from the roadsides and bushes around our farm. This made such a delicious tea that was so refreshing served hot or cold. Our grandmother called it chamomile tea. This was to us like “pop”.
When we were sick that was the drink and supposed cure all. I still crave it
today.
When I was little, a local Native American taught us about this. He said it was good for a tea to calm and relax. We have been drinking it since then and I’m 62. I raised my kids on it. And they theirs. Thanks for sharing.
Anyone tried drying it? I pulled a ton today & wanted to save the seed heads for trying tea & reseeding another location. Thank you, so happy to use my “weeds” for the forces of good.
Hoping someone knows 🙂
It dries as well as Chamomile – which is is well!
what part of the plant do I dry? My husband just found some and want to try drying it in the dehydrator. Would appreciate some feedback on how to harvest this as I am kinda new in this area of wild edibles. Thank you.
We harvest just the flower head and not the leaves. Good luck!
I’d like to try making a jelly with it. Bet it would be amazing! ?
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This was my chamomile tea growing up in the backwoods in the mountains of BC. You can use the leaves too (dried) as a medicinal (digestive disorders) tea but the flowers are the tastier part.
God has put everything OUT THERE for our health and happiness. . . I have always felt akin to Sacagawea and would love to spend a year with her learning how to live off the land. The amazing thing about this plant as I read the stories above; and also have this plant in our driveway, is how resilient it is, along with so many other plants such as Dandelion. It’s walked on, driven over etc and still exists for our benefit. Thank you Lord for our amazing world of Nature. May we never take it for granite or abuse it.
Just had pineapple weed tea for the first time ever following your recipe and it was delicious! Thank you.
I’m boiling some and infusing my soaps with it!