Oxalis Stricta or Lemon Clovers

JoanMcWench

JoanMcWench

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I'm not sure how many people are aware of this weed but it's delicious. A great compliment to what I refer to as a 'yard salad'.

The reason I'm posting about it is because I collected an immense amount of these little guys & I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions as to what I should do with them? They taste slightly of lemon. Quite tart & a tad bitter at times.
 
It's common yellow woodsorrel. You can do all sorts with it from adding the leaves and flowers to salads, just eating it as is, or even making a kind of lemonade with it.
The younger leaves are better for you and contain less oxalic acid, and you will find them much less tart and bitter. Don't let the little bugger take over though, it is a weed and eradicating it is not easy!

You can also wilt the leaves and stalls and serve them similar to spinach or other wilted greens.

But all members of the oxalis family come with a warning about oxalic acid. It does require considerable consumption but excessive amounts of it are unhealthy and can lead to digestive issues and or kidney problems. However, oxalic acid occurs naturally in other veg such as spinach, broccoli, brussel sprouts, grapefruit, chives, and rhubarb for example and we are talking about considerable quantities over a very long period, so don't get too worried up about it. Just make sure where you collect them from is a clean source, so not alongside a road or where dogs are frequently walked!
 
It's funny. Someone came into the garden section of store this evening looking for weed and feed. I went inside to look for it, and when I located it I noticed that the bag said it eradicated clovers and dollar weed. I wanted to tell her that dollar weed was edible and that clover were important, but I knew I would just be wasting my time.

I've never heard of lemon clover before. One of the guys in the plant swapping group I am in on Facebook is a big fan of eating the "weeds" (which I prefer to call wild plants). I will have to ask him about it.
 
I have been thinking more and more about edible plants that grow in the wild. We don't have a lot of areas where I live to collect things, but I know that it can be done. I would really enjoy learning more about foraging for food...
 
Amanda said:
I have been thinking more and more about edible plants that grow in the wild. We don't have a lot of areas where I live to collect things, but I know that it can be done. I would really enjoy learning more about foraging for food...
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Depending on where you live, you may be able to find a foraging group. If there is a large park near you, there may be tours or classes on what edible foods grow there. In heavily trafficked areas you may not want to eat the stuff, though. They would e exposed to everything from car fumes to er, animal waste.
 
I have this all over the front and back yards. I leave it for the deer to munch on, as the neighbors have informed me that they come and graze outside my fence in the middle of the night.
 
We have some type of golden oxalis at work that is quite pretty. I'll have to see if the plant tag includes its botanical name so I can look it up and see if it's the same plant you've mentioned here.

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
It's common yellow woodsorrel. You can do all sorts with it from adding the leaves and flowers to salads, just eating it as is, or even making a kind of lemonade with it.
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How do you make lemonade with it?
 
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