Page 93 - The Forager’s Guide to Wild Foods

Mountain Sorrel, Oxyria

digyna (POLYGONACEAE)

MOUNTAIN SORREL is one of the hardiest plants and
can be found growing on mountaintops where nothing
else will grow. They are 4 to 12 inches (10-30cm) tall
with reddish, hairless stems. They are found in moun-
tain ranges south to New Mexico and California and
north through Alaska, the Yukon, and across the arctic.
FLOWER: Flowering depends on elevation and can be
from June to August. The small, green flowers are hard
to see. They cluster along 4 to 24 inch (10-60cm) tall,
narrow flower stalks. Each 0.06-inch (0.15cm) flower Walter Siegmund, CC-BY-SA-3.0
has 4 petals. Fruit is a small ¼-inch (0.6cm) red-winged,
add sour interesting flavor to salad or to cook as a
shiny nut.
potherb.
LEAF: Leaves are fleshy, kidney shaped, and hairless.
SOUR RICE: Boil one cup of rice with 1 ½ cup water.
They form a basal rosette with stalks 1 ½ to 3 inches
Place lid and let rest for 10 min. Gather 3 to 4 moun-
(4-8cm) long holding up leaf blades that can be ½ to 2
tain sorrel leaves. Rinse and chop into thin strips.
inches (1-5cm) wide.
Place in rice pot with a splash of lemon juice and a
EDIBLE PARTS: leaves (raw or cooked) pinch of salt. Replace lid and let stand 10 min. more.
Stir and serve warm.
HOW TO HARVEST AND EAT: Leaves can be picked
at any time they are out of the snow, being careful not WARNING: High in oxalates, moderation is recom-
to damage the flower stalk. Use in moderation. Nice to mended.

Mullein, Verbascum thapsus
(SCROPHULARIACEAE)

MULLEIN is a biennial and prefers sunny, dry areas. It
is a large rosette of leaves in its first year, sprouting a
tall 3 to 6 ft. (1-2m) unbranched stem in its second year.
The plant is covered in soft hairs giving it an almost vel-
vet-like feel (often called “bush toilet paper”).
FLOWER: The large flower spike or central stem termi-
nates in a dense spike of pale-yellow flowers. This spike
can be 4 inches (10 cm) to 4 ft. (1.2 m) long. Each flower
is about ¾ inch (2cm) across. They have 5 petals, and 5
hairy green sepals. They bloom in summer for about 6
weeks until they turn into a seed capsule.
be used in salad, but tea is the most enjoyable way to
LEAF: A velvety, gray-green rosette of long-oval leaves use this plant. Harvest leaves in the plants’ first year
that can grow up to 20 inches (50cm) long and 4 inches early in the spring for best results.
(10cm) wide appear in the plant’s first year. In the sec-
MULLEIN TEA: Use 1 tsp. dried leaves and 1 tsp.
ond year the leaves grow alternately up the main stem,
fresh flowers. Boil in 1 to 2 cups of water. Steep for
becoming narrower and smaller towards the top.
10 min. Filter out the tiny hairs. Enjoy warm or cold.

EDIBLE PARTS: flowers and leaves
WARNING: Leaf hairs can be an irritant. Contains ro-
KEY MEDICINAL USES: Leaves and flowers are anti-in- tenone, an insecticide and coumarin, a blood thinner.
flammatory, antiseptic, antispasmodic, astringent, and POISONOUS LOOK-ALIKES: Foxglove, Digitalis pur-
expectorant. purea
HOW TO HARVEST AND EAT: Leaves and flowers can

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