Tag Archives: Claytonia virginica

Early May Edible Flower Bouquet

A posey of edible flowers:
Primula denticulata 
Primula elatior (oxlip / hagenøkleblom)
Primula vulgaris hybrid (primrose / kusymre)
Claytonia virginica (spring beauty)
Arabis alpina (Alpine Rock Cress / Fjellskrinneblom)
Arabis caucasica (Wall Rock Cress / Hageskrinneblom)
Allium paradoxum (Few-flowered leek)

Spring beauty time in the garden!

My spring beauties are flowering in the garden, appearing a little before wood anemones (hvitveis).

The one I grow is Claytonia virginica and last summer I found this monster tuber:

(see http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?p=18443)

I still haven’t got round to eating the tubers (Euell Gibbons was a fan!), but I regularly eat the spring leaves and flowers in mixed salads. I would love also to try  other tuberous species like Claytonia caroliniana and C. tuberosa but have never seen a source  :-(

More about spring beauties in Green Deane’s article here: http://www.eattheweeds.com/spring-beauty

Spring Beauty

Monster spring beauty tuber!

I was transplanting some Allium canadense bulbs today and disturbed this large spring beauty (Claytonia virginica) tuber only just below the surface! I’ve tried growing this species from different sources and in different parts of the garden, but it’s only in this shady place has it grown well, sourced from a woman in Marathon, Wisconsin in 2004! It has been spreading slowly in recent years and is totally hardy! So this tuber could have taken 14 years growing to this size! Must have a taste this autumn!

Fast Slow Edimental Lunch!!

15 minutes from garden to table must qualify as fast food, but unlike its namesake this is highly nutritious and with a few flowers becomes gourmet edimental food…
The greens were boiled and then stir fried quickly in olive oil with chili and garlic.
Inspired by traditional Mediterranean village food!
Yes, cooking is FUN!!

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Flowers: Trillium grandiflorum, Claytonia virginica / spring beauty, Claytonia sibirica / Siberian purslane, Primula veris / cowslip ( 2 cultivars), Taraxacum officinale / dandelion, Allium zebdanense, Allium humile, Alchemilla spp. / lady’s mantle

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The greens: Honckenya peploides, Rumex acetosa / sorrel, Carum carvi / caraway, Humulus lupulus / hop shoots, Cryptotaenia canadensis / honewort, Hosta “Red October”, Hablitzia tamnoides, Caucasian spinach, Allium schoenoprasum / chives (flower bud and leaves), Clematis vitalba / Old Man Beard shoots (must be cooked)