It's early March and many of the flowers that we anticipate with the coming of spring are already beginning to bloom! Let's take a look at some of the flowers blooming in the Atlanta area and explore their edible and medicinal uses throughout history!
Remember NEVER eat something if you don't know 100% what it is. ALWAYS keep in mind where you are foraging from. I never forage near roadways, on grounds sprayed with herbicide, plants soaked in pesticide, or from low grounds where the water runs in urban areas. Many people downplay the amount of pollution absorbed by plants, but we have found that plants actually are amazing at absorbing pollutants like heavy metals and may be one of the more efficient ways of remediating polluted soils.
1) EASTERN REDBUDS (Cercis canadensis) offer some of the most beautiful pink spring blossoms that we see in the city. This tree is often used in streetscaping due to its smaller stature. The blossoms of the redbud can be eaten raw or used in cooking or pickled. They taste similar to sweet pea blossoms and contain vitamin C, antioxidants, and other beneficial minerals and acids.
2) SWEET VIOLETS (Viola odorata) are a lovely groundcover with little pops of sweet purple blossoms. The edible leaves and flowers of this plant are high in vitamin A and C. It is a moistening and cooling herb offering a wide range of medicinal actions and applications from lymph stimulation to an expectorant or mild laxative.
3) SAUCER MAGNOLIA (Magnolia x soulangeana) petals can be eaten raw or pickled in vinegar and sugar and have a bitter sour spicy taste. There are several species of magnolia that are known to be edible, but I see this Magnolia x soulangeana the most frequently around the neighborhoods of Atlanta. It's such a show stopper.
4) DANDELION (Taraxacum officinalis) flowers are edible along with all other parts of the dandelion plant. These plants are very high in important minerals and the sunny flowers may be eaten raw, used in baking, fried as a fritter, pickled, brewed as tea, or made into liquor.
5) CHICKWEED (Stellaria media) is a delicious edible spring green and blossoms. Their little flowers are so cute and if you look extra closely you will notice what appears to be 10 white petals are actually 5 white petals in the shape of a deeply Vd heart. They also have a small mohawk of fine hairs that runs along the stem. You can use all the above ground parts in a salad, as a side, or pesto. They taste vegetal like a mix of green bean and sweet corn to me. These are another nutritive spring herb offering a variety of essential vitamins and minerals to nourish the body while also stimulating the lymphatic system to move toxins out.
6) WOOD SORREL (Oxalis) flowers and leaves are edible and offer a lemony tart accent to dishes. You will see a variety of species with a range of blossom colors from pink to yellow to white. Many people mistaken wood sorrel for clover, but if you look closely, you will see that the leaves of wood sorrel are heart shaped, whereas clover leaves are rounded. I do not recommend consuming them in extremely large quantities due to the high oxalic acid content as it can lead to the formation of kidney stones and gallstones.
Adding just a small amount of wild foods into your diet can give you significant amounts of essential vitamins and minerals! Accessing foods directly at the source means more nutrient rich foods! Stay safe and be well my friends! Happy spring!
Comentários