Skip to main content

Foraging Miner's Lettuce


While I've been more inspired this Spring, after having attended the Cooking Class at the Big Sur Foragers' Festival, I am still wary of foraging edibles unless I am absolutely certain of what it is. Maybe I need a pocket guide book for my area. In any case, I know what miners' lettuce is. So, when we came across a verdant patch during a Sunday morning hike, we paused for a nibble and plucked a small bag full of them for salad later that afternoon.

Miners' lettuce. Claytonia perfoliata. If you've never tried it, it's mild, pleasingly crunchy, and is so loaded with vitamins it  can stave off scurvy. The plant took its common name from Gold Rush miners who ate it to avoid a massive vitamin C deficiency.

Typically when I make a salad, I mix greens to create a variety of flavors and textures, but I prefer to eat miner’s lettuce alone. All it needs is a light coating of vinaigrette.

I whisked together a light mustard vinaigrette and added some freshly ground green peppercorns and a little fleur de sel for texture and crunch. The result is a tart, smooth, crunchy, and very Spring-tasting salad.

Miners' lettuce is also known as winter purslane (they’re both in the portulaca family). If you have ever eaten summer purslane, you can appreciate - and recognize - the succulent texture of this plant.

The best leaves flourish in the shade. Once picked, miners' lettuce leaves will last in a bag in the fridge for up to five days. Keep a damp paper towel in the bag to keep everything nice and fresh. I've included an affiliate link to the reusable produce bags that I use for miners' lettuce and other produce.


Do you forage? Have you ever had miners' lettuce?

Comments

  1. I don't know where you find all the hours in the day.....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha, Wendy. My friends say that I have a condition!

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our  Pinterest board  right here. Links are also updated after each event on the  Bread Bakers home page .  We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love  is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir

Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'MaƮtre Bonhome' VirƩ-ClessƩ #Winophiles

This month the French Winophiles group is looking at affordable wines from Burgundy.  Host Cindy of Grape Experiences wrote: "Burgundy, or Bourgogne, is known for its wines of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir... as well as Aligote, Gamay, Sauvignon, CĆ©sar, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, Melon in lesser quantities. Many of the well-known wines are quite expensive, but there are plenty of values to be found." Read her invitation here. And there won't be a Twitter chat for this event, so you will have to dive into the articles themselves to read about our pairings and findings. Here's the line-up... Wendy Klik from A Day in the Life on the Farm enjoys Domaine Chevillon Chezeaux Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits, 2018 Paired with a Maple Pecan Chicken . Camilla Mann from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares her love of Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'MaĆ®tre Bonhome' VirĆ©-ClessĆ©. Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick! explains why we should Look t

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce