Common Lamb's Quarter's (Chenopodium album) are coming up quickly all over the garden now that the soil is warming. They're a wild weed that sprouts wherever soil is turned up.
The tender young plants are delicious cooked like spinach and are very rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron and protein (they have a relatively high protein-to-calorie ratio, making them an excellent plant-based protein source). They are best cooked in any way spinach is used; when eaten raw they have a very granular texture. Spanakopita made with them is super!
 
We pull the whole young seedling as shown in the 3rd photo, and just pick off the super tender tops.
 
Note that the tender young plants have no significant stem yet, so a quarter pound is a large number, each plant is pulled up and the root trimmed off. Like any spinach family leaf, it cooks down a lot!!
 
$6/half-pound bag ($12/pound)
 
Be aware that like spinach they contain oxalic acid so should be eaten in moderation and are not recommended for anyone with kidney stones.