Tumbleweed Chowder - cooking recipe

Ingredients

water, to cover
salt & pepper
1 jalapeno pepper
1/2 cup diced smoked ham
1 lb tumbleweed shoots

Preparation

The computer threw a fit but then how many tumbleweed recipes do you see on here.
Missing ingredient 1 POUND TUMBLEWEED SHOOTS, young about 4 inches.
Note as written by poster Jim:
Do NOT edit.
Gather enough plants to make you a sizeable chowder. I guess maybe a pound or two for about 4 people is good. Wash the plants and chop them up real fine and put in a saucepan with enough water to barely cover. Salt and pepper to taste. I added a little fresh chopped jalapeno pepper to mine but that's optional. Throw in about 1/2 cup of finely diced smoked ham chunks, cover with lid and simmer until the tumbleweed is tender. Then you can run it all through a blender or food processor to puree. You should have a thick soup as an end result that tastes very well. I've tried it using bacon instead of ham and it's ok but I prefer ham. If you want a chunkier soup you don't have to puree it. There are quite a few variations. Any split pea soup recipe will do, substituting the tumbleweed for the peas of course.