Page 90 - The Forager’s Guide to Wild Foods
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Miner’s Lettuce/Spring Beauty,

       Claytonia (Montia) spp. (MONTIACEAE)                      KEY MEDICINAL USES: It’s a gentle and nutritious
                                                                 laxative, often used as a spring tonic.
        MINER’S LETTUCE/SPRING BEAUTY or Candy Flower            HOW  TO  HARVEST  AND  EAT: Pick young,  bas-
        has quite a few common edible species. 5-petalled flow-  al  leaves  for  salads or  cook as a green. Leaves  are
        ers are usually pink or white and opposite leaves often,
                                                                 best picked in the spring, but can be eaten anytime.
        but not always, clasp the stem. It is an easy to identify   Flowers  can be picked with the leaves. Tubers are
        tasty green. Edible species include C. perfoliata, C. sibiri-  best  harvested  in  fall,  after  identifiable  by  flow-
        ca, C. virginica, C. acutifolia, C. tuberosa, C. caroliniana, C.   ers. Keep bigger tubers and always replant smaller

        lanceolata,C. megarhiza.                                 ones. The root has a radish flavor when eaten raw,
        EDIBLE PARTS: flowers, leaves, and roots (entire plant  tastes like a cross between a water chestnut and a
        is edible)                                               potato when cooked, and is rich in vitamins A & C.


        COMMON MINER’S LETTUCE, C. perfoliata   grows up to
        16 inches (40cm) but can be as short as ½ inch (1.3cm).
        It has 2 fused leaf-looking bracts with a stem of white
        flowers  that  protrudes  from  the  center.  It  is  found  in
        winter and early spring, in shady spots and moist banks.
        FLOWER: The small white ⅛ inch (0.3cm) flowers are
        5-petalled and bloom in February-May. They appear in
                                                                 leaves that  range  in size  from ½ inch (1.3cm)  to
        small clusters and are ½ inch (1.3cm) or more across.
                                                                 2 inches (5cm) or more across. The stem passes
        LEAF: Leaves are basal, on long and narrow stems that
                                                                 through the center of the opposite clasping leaves.
        widen into oval  or triangular  bright  green succulent

        SIBERIAN  MINER’S  LETTUCE,  C. sibirica, Siberian
        Springbeauty, Candy Flower, or Pink Purslane is a long-
        lived, flowering perennial, biennial, or annual that can
        be found growing in moist, rich soils of deciduous for-
        ests and along  shady streambeds. Plants  can reach 8
        inches (20cm) tall, spreading like a ground cover.
                                                                                             yakovlev.alexey, CC-BY-SA-2.0
        FLOWER: Flowers  bloom in April- July and measure
                                                                 smooth, purplish-brown petioles, lanceolate with en-
        0.5-0.8 inches (1.3-2cm) in diameter. They have 5 pink
                                                                 tire margins. Stem leaves are opposite and they ei-
        or white, candy-striped petals with 2 divided lobed tips.
                                                                 ther meet or overlap at the base with entire margins
        LEAF: Fleshy, bright green leaves are present from Janu-
                                                                 and pointed tips.
        ary through mid-October. Basal leaves are on very long,

        VIRGINIA SPRING BEAUTY, C. virginica,  Fairy Spud, or
        Grass-Flower is found in wetlands, wet forests, riparian
        hardwood forests, and prairies. Plants have little  pink
        flowers and can grow up to 8 inches (20cm) tall with an
        8 inch (20cm) spread.
        FLOWER: Flowers grow in a raceme of 5 or more per
                                                                                               Ivy Main, CC-BY-SA-3.0
        cluster in spring.  Each white to pink flower measures
                                                                 LEAF: Green leaves are opposite, lanceolate and grow
        0.5 inches (1.3cm) across and  has 5 petals  with  dark
                                                                 1.25-5.5  inches  (3-14cm)  long and 0.2-0.5  inches
        pink veins  and 2 green sepals. They close on cloudy
                                                                 (0.5-1.3cm) wide on 2-8 inch (5-20cm) long petioles.
        days and at night, and are open and erect on sunny days.
        MIXED  WILD GREENS SALAD: Mix  Miner’s Lettuce,  wild garlic or watercress, and wildflowers. Season to
        Chickweed, and Purslane. Add chopped, wild herbs, like  taste and dress with vinegar and oil.


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