Claytonia Perfoliata
I remember picking up a copy of Euell Gibbon’s “Stalking the Wild Asparagus”- a foraging “classic”, if you will, about 15 years ago, my fascination with his meandering through the woods and his unconstrained experiments with wild foods- the beginning of a slippery slope at the bottom of which I often find myself knee deep in mud cutting cattail stalks, or (much to the chagrin of my husband) shrieking “Pull over now!!” at the suspected sight of a Lobster mushroom on the side of a highway in Northern BC. Many years (and many more books) later my fascination only continues to unravel. One of the best parts of moving to BC, is finally being able to harvest so many wild edibles I had only seen in books while living in Eastern Canada. Claytonia Perfoliata..too stunningly beautiful to even contemplate as a salad. This gorgeous succulent is part of the Purslane family (it’s sometimes called Winter Purslane). Like all purslane, it provides us with a high level of omega 3s, calcium, vitamin C, and acts as an anti inflammatory and blood cleanser. It is as delicious as it is beautiful, a small rosette with spade shaped leaves developing into delicate five petaled flowers that sprout up in the center of each bright green leaf, gently enveloped by the cup it eventually forms. It loves sunny hillsides and feels especially welcome to rise after a wildfire has devoured the woods. The wild offers us diversity in nutrition, much more than the few vegetable varieties that are mass produced on factory farms, sprayed with pesticides, grown in depleted soil. There are thousands of foods that are nourishing for human health that are classified as “weeds” or have become unrecognizable as we rely more and more on industrially processed “foods”. Many of these plants formerly played a significant role in our nutrition, being resilient and adaptable and nutrient dense. I encourage you to get to know them ❤️#claytonia #minerslettuce #seasonaleating #wildforaged #wholefoods #purslane #omega3 #antiinflammatory #foraging #wildharvest #gratitude #beautifulbritishcolumbia #nourishingtraditions #nutrition #nourish #eatrealfood #wildfire #nutrientdense #wildgreens #wildfoodlove
Claytonia Perfoliata
I remember picking up a copy of Euell Gibbon’s “Stalking the Wild Asparagus”- a foraging “classic”, if you will, about 15 years ago, my fascination with his meandering through the woods and his unconstrained experiments with wild foods- the beginning of a slippery slope at the bottom of which I often find myself knee deep in mud cutting cattail stalks, or (much to the chagrin of my husband) shrieking “Pull over now!!” at the suspected sight of a Lobster mushroom on the side of a highway in Northern BC. Many years (and many more books) later my fascination only continues to unravel. One of the best parts of moving to BC, is finally being able to harvest so many wild edibles I had only seen in books while living in Eastern Canada. Claytonia Perfoliata..too stunningly beautiful to even contemplate as a salad. This gorgeous succulent is part of the Purslane family (it’s sometimes called Winter Purslane). Like all purslane, it provides us with a high level of omega 3s, calcium, vitamin C, and acts as an anti inflammatory and blood cleanser. It is as delicious as it is beautiful, a small rosette with spade shaped leaves developing into delicate five petaled flowers that sprout up in the center of each bright green leaf, gently enveloped by the cup it eventually forms. It loves sunny hillsides and feels especially welcome to rise after a wildfire has devoured the woods. The wild offers us diversity in nutrition, much more than the few vegetable varieties that are mass produced on factory farms, sprayed with pesticides, grown in depleted soil. There are thousands of foods that are nourishing for human health that are classified as “weeds” or have become unrecognizable as we rely more and more on industrially processed “foods”. Many of these plants formerly played a significant role in our nutrition, being resilient and adaptable and nutrient dense. I encourage you to get to know them ❤️#claytonia #minerslettuce #seasonaleating #wildforaged #wholefoods #purslane #omega3 #antiinflammatory #foraging #wildharvest #gratitude #beautifulbritishcolumbia #nourishingtraditions #nutrition #nourish #eatrealfood #wildfire #nutrientdense #wildgreens #wildfoodlove