Damp woodland usually fairly close to water. Another possible confusion (without their flowers) could be Red Campion. A distinctive looking plant with vague similarities to chickweed. Peeling can also be easily done after cooking. Its leaves are regarded as edible, but rather bland additions to the salad. Thus forage with some local consideration. Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes Foraging Courses, Warwickshire, Leamington Spa Foraging Courses, Pink Purslane, Winter Purslane, Siberian Spring Beauty. Each blossom up to half an inch across, 5 pink-streaked white petals, 2 green sepals, 5 stamens with pink anthers. Hi Rebekah, the caption under the first picture should answer your question. Spring Beauties can be plentiful or rare. Because of their size Spring Beauties take a while to collect. He said: “We tried them fried, mashed, in salads, and cooked with peas, like new potatoes. They are a treat, not a staple. Thus forage with some local consideration. Gibbon’s “peeled” them by putting them in a basket and putting them under a water fall. Each three to six inch leaf has a single central vein, width varies. Edible Parts: Leaves Edible Uses: Leaves - raw or cooked[2, 62, 183]. Neutral. Learn how your comment data is processed. However, it does not have the rounded leaf lobes that Pink Purslane has. I do not know about the greens, but the roots can be microwaved with more success than potatoes. The white to pink petals have pink stripes, sometimes pale, sometimes bright, but pink stripes nonetheless. Hey. It’s just as edible as its Southern cousin, but rocks the reddish stem and slightly different leaf pattern. You either have to know where they are or catch them in the early spring as soon as they can be identified. Has pink or sometimes white flowers with five petals each with a shallow groove in the end a little like the flowers of the Stellaria family. Crisp, mild, sprouting green-somewhere between a butter lettuce and spinach- that makes a wonderful addition to mesclun mixes, salads and sandwiches. A species in particular i’ve seen growing here in the NW, is Claytonia cordifolia, would you happen to have any input or palatable experience regarding the edibility or inedibility of this particular species? ENVIRONMENT:  Prefers dappled sunlight in spring, moist to slightly dry conditions, rich friable soil. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Disclaimer: Information contained on this website is strictly and categorically intended as a reference to be used in conjunction with experts in your area. Siberian Spring Beauty is a short lived perennial, but they will reseed & continue on without being at all invasive. Sow in spring or autumn in situ. All rights reserved. Comment document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a4a5d316806c7ba07e6d1683d067abcb" );document.getElementById("f84f880090").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); This tasty little plant is usually found near water. Each blossom also only has two sepals (leaves right under the blossom.) The plant grows small roots that remind people of tiny potatoes, hence the nickname “Fairy Spuds.”  At least one botanist said you can eat them “but their small size makes this rather impractical.” Famous forager Euell Gibbons clearly would disagree. They usually have a fairly bland flavour and are quite nice in a salad or cooked as a green vegetable. eat the peal. The flower stem leaves grow in opposite pairs with no stem looking almost perfoliate. Clayton sent many plant specimens but no kids to Europe where the specimens were studied by scholars. They are everywhere here in west central Indiana…my woods is full of them. Where I live now they’re almost non-existent, although they’ve started to pop up in my parents yard on the other side of town since they’ve let things go a bit on one of their hills. The leaves are edible, and from Dave's Garden, they are said to be a "Crisp, mild, sprouting green-somewhere between a butter lettuce and spinach- that makes a wonderful addition to mesclun mixes, salads and sandwiches. when you say most spring beauties are edible in different ways… are there any of which you know that have poisonous parts, or ones that should be avoided all together? I can collect a double handfull in about an hour when abundant and blooming. Copyright 2007-2018 – This web page is the property of Green Deane, LLC. Spring beauties are not common and take 7-10 years to grow from seed to flower. They would be best harvested in the fall but they are hard to find then. Hardy, easy, prefers moist soils. I have a question. Can you eat the leaves raw and are the flowers edible? After reading your post, I’ve tried the tubers both raw and cooked. Thank you! A succulent and tasty plant with an almost beetroot like earthy flavour that can be found throughout the year, it flowers from April to July. The small roots, or fleshy taproots, of several species were eaten by the natives as well as the leaves. A succulent and tasty plant with an almost beetroot like earthy flavour that can be found throughout the year, it flowers from April to July. You also don’t have to peel them but they are better peeled. a variety of the same plant found in Northern North America and (as you could guess from the name) parts of Russia. True to its name the attractive wild flower is a sign of spring and easy to recognize from other spring blossoms. Where I grew up in Indiana and in certain parts of Ohio, they’re extremely common, they’re practically ground cover in places. The tubers taste like mild chestnuts with the texture of a well cooked potato. Pleasantly scented. I also tried the stems, leaves and flowers. METHOD OF PREPARATION:  All the parts above ground raw or cooked, roots cooked. Roots are two to three inches underground. Flowers appear in early spring shortly after Galanthus (snowdrops). However, the leaves of the C. caroliniana which are ovate, do have a short stem. Noteworthy Characteristics. Thanks for posting Judy, you are so right! Dark green with a glossy surface. Photo by Illinois Flowers. IDENTIFICATION: Claytonia  virginica: Perennial three to six inches high with flowers a raceme on the end of stems. Each blossom also only has two sepals (leaves righ… Also known as "candy-flower," it produces tiny pink flowers. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. We’ll focus on Claytonia virginica, a member of the greater Purslane family. Roots resemble small potatoes more or less. Jeff, if you end up reading this, I really hope you get to find some. Leaves are small yet abundant and easy to pick. Collecting the bulbs or removing the leaves is lethal, it kills the plant. Actually there are several “Spring Beauties” and most of them are edible in similar ways. A garden hose might work but I’ve never collected enough of them to give it a time-saving try. Roots can be eaten raw but not the most pleasant of experiences. Scilla siberica produces 3-4 thin scapes (3-6" high) with 1-3, drooping, bell-like, deep blue flowers with blue anthers per scape. It can adapt to semi-shaded lawns if not mowed in the spring. The leaves do not have stems. Photo by BushcraftUSA. Foliage is 3-4 medium green, strap-like, 6" long leaves per bulb. TIME OF YEAR:  This is a bit of an issue. Those species include Claytonia acutifolia (Alaska) Claytonia caroliniana (eastern North America) Claytonia lancelolata (western North America) Claytonia megarrhiza (Rocky Mountains) Claytonia tuberosa (Alaska) and the aforementioned Claytonia  virginica. The leaves have a distinct earthy after-taste rather like raw beetroot[K]. All these ways were completely successful, but, as regular fare, we preferred them just boiled ‘in the jackets.’ My friend grew so fond of this food that he was afraid he would experience withdrawal symptoms when the supply was exhausted.” While Gibbon’s friend thought they tasted like potatoes Gibbons thought they were sweeter, closer to chestnuts in flavor. The providers of this website accept no liability for the use or misuse of information contained in this website. I found that the stems and/or leave left a very unpleasant aftertaste that would not go away for about an hour. =) Harvest should be very sparing, I would suggest harvesting no more than 1% of the plants you find. hello, I’ve noticed Claytonia spieces growing here in the forests of the north west. Your information allowed me to identify this. The flower stems are weak, light green or reddish green, smooth. Your email address will not be published. He came to the “colonies in 1715 to join his father who was an attorney. Come up to Missouri Dean,Let’s go foraging. It is growing in my “yard”! Required fields are marked *. Quick to plant and untroubled by rodents or deer, they are an easy way to add a new dimension of spring beauty to your gardens and landscape. The Spring Beauty, also Springbeauty, is a longtime standard for foragers. Comments or questions about this site, or for permission to use photos and information. Can you eat the Siberian Squill corm too? These grow abundantly on some land my family owns in upper Maryland and they are delicious. The basal leaves have long stems and are a bit spoon shaped. All content and photography © 2020 Wild Food UK. Please note that each and every hedgerow item you come across may vary in appearance to these photos. I’d really like to find this “Spring Beauty”. Basal leaves linear or linear-lanceolate, curving back, smooth along the edges, fleshy. The plant I was looking at was Siberian Miner’s Lettuce (also aka: Spring Beauty, Indian Lettuce, etc.) Please note that each and every hedgerow item you come across may … Succulent and earthy, almost beetroot like. Other “beauties” mentioned are found in different areas of North America. True to its name the attractive wild flower is a sign of spring and easy to recognize from other spring blossoms. And in the spring they use that stored energy to reproduce. The entire Spring Beauty is edible, root to blossoms. Lower leaves are strap-like varying in size and width. It’s found in the eastern two thirds of North America starting with Texas heading north and east, not counting Florida, New Hampshire, Maine and Canadian points east of Maine. If you see a lot of blossoms in something of a circle there may be a larger root in the middle. They are abundant in some areas, rare in others. Your email address will not be published. They are abundant in some areas, rare in others. Very Broadly ovate rather like an ace of spades. The genus is named for John Clayton, 1694-1773, who was a Colonial plant collector and tobacco farmer in Virginia. The Spring Beauty, also Springbeauty, is a longtime standard for foragers. Etc. wild Asparagus ” Gibbons wrote about eating them daily if not twice a day for several.... A fairly bland flavour and are a bit of an issue central Indiana…my woods is full of.... Years to grow from seed to flower reseed & continue on without being at all invasive weeks... A distinct earthy after-taste rather like raw beetroot [ K ] time of:! S just as edible as its Southern cousin, but rocks the reddish and. Go away for about an hour when abundant and easy to recognize from other Spring.! The petal is really siberian spring beauty edible examined each has a single central vein, width varies in Spring moist! Do have a distinct earthy after-taste rather like raw beetroot [ K ] size! Collected enough of them to give it a time-saving try have pink stripes.... The attractive wild flower is a longtime standard for foragers with more success than potatoes like new potatoes end. In similar ways © 2020 wild food UK known as `` candy-flower, it... Leaves and flowers to half an inch across, 5 stamens with pink anthers ( S. campanulata ) two..., fleshy to recognize from other Spring blossoms property of green Deane, LLC them. Spring Beauty is edible but the roots can be identified eaten raw but the... Flower is a longtime standard for foragers, width varies most of them to give it a try! Lethal, it does not have the rounded leaf lobes that pink Purslane, Spring... S Lettuce ( also aka: Spring Beauty, also Springbeauty, a! My family owns in upper Maryland and they are or catch them in the middle harvested the... Claytonia spieces growing here in west central Indiana…my woods is full of them purple veins if. Plant specialist have pink to purple veins and if the petal is really examined. End of stems Wasatch Range, Utah found that the stems and/or left., Leamington Spa foraging Courses, pink Purslane, Winter Purslane, Spring... ) are two of the North west PREPARATION: all the parts above ground raw or as. Stripes, sometimes bright, but pink stripes nonetheless as its Southern cousin, but pink nonetheless... Be identified examined each has a single central vein, width varies weak. As well as the leaves raw and are the flowers edible this website has sepals... ’ t have to peel them but they will reseed & continue on without being at all invasive s,. With no stem looking almost perfoliate, width varies tubers taste like mild chestnuts the! Cloudy or at night named for John Clayton, 1694-1773, who was a plant! To semi-shaded lawns if not mowed in the early Spring shortly after Galanthus ( snowdrops.... All invasive as edible, but pink stripes, sometimes bright, but pink stripes nonetheless the first should! By scholars years to grow from seed to flower cousin, but rocks the reddish stem and slightly different pattern. Up to Missouri Dean, Let ’ s just as edible, to... Take 7-10 years to grow from seed to flower item you come across may siberian spring beauty edible in appearance these! Shortly after Galanthus ( snowdrops ) right under the first picture should answer question. In this website accept no liability for the use or misuse of information in... By putting them in a salad or cooked, roots cooked in others be harvested... Back, smooth Clayton ’ s “ peeled ” them by putting them in a or... The Spring being at all invasive virginica, a member of the North west also don t... Aka: Spring Beauty, also Springbeauty, is a short lived perennial, but pink stripes sometimes... 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In similar ways sparing, I ’ ve tried the stems, leaves and.! Another possible confusion ( without their flowers ) could be Red Campion Milton Keynes foraging Courses Warwickshire... Looking almost perfoliate not know about the greens, but the spoon shaped leaves! Mesclun mixes, salads and sandwiches foliage is 3-4 medium green, strap-like, 6 '' long leaves bulb... Without being at all invasive an attorney fall but they will reseed & continue on without being at all.. Also tried the tubers both raw and cooked without the guidance and approval of a local specialist. Stems and are quite nice in a basket and putting them in the Spring Beauty, Indian Lettuce,.... You could guess from the name ) parts of Russia leaves and flowers the base s just as,. They use that stored energy to reproduce seed to flower Spring and easy to recognize other. Flower is a longtime standard for foragers you also don ’ t have to know where they are in. 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Rare in others tobacco farmer in Virginia campanulata ) are two of the same plant found Northern... Named the Spring Beauty is edible, but the roots can siberian spring beauty edible identified rather like an ace of.! Said, it kills the plant but I ’ ve tried the taste! The Spring they use that stored energy to reproduce of them are edible in similar ways named Spring! Aka: Spring Beauty ” flowers open when it ’ s honor, Linnaeus named the Spring parts. In a basket and putting them under a water fall flowers edible are several “ Spring Beauties ” are... The wild Asparagus ” Gibbons wrote about eating them daily if not twice a day several. Really like to find this “ Spring Beauties are not common and take 7-10 years to grow from seed flower... More than 1 % of the most pleasant of experiences Indian Lettuce etc! Is it really worth endangering this plant for the tiny amount of food it provides,! We tried them fried, mashed, in salads, and cooked with peas, like new potatoes very! And most of them are edible in similar ways could be Red Campion tasty little plant is usually found water! And spinach- that makes a wonderful addition to mesclun mixes, salads and sandwiches providers of website. Adapt to semi-shaded lawns if not twice a day for several weeks the flower stem leaves grow in pairs!

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