Spring foraging

Tama Wong (author of Foraged Flavor, about which I posted, recently) left a comment on that post saying that I really should eat lesser celandine - Ranunculus ficaria. I had mentioned that some other local foragers are wary of it. But they have not eaten it, to my knowledge. It is eaten in Europe.

And I could not be happier. I know of several patches of it within the five boroughs, nice and clean, and I have always wanted to eat the young leaves as salad. She says to catch them before they bloom, when they turn acrid.

Here they are in bloom, in Pelham Bay Park.

It is a wonderful forageable because of how invasive it is. Yet another weed. And its flowers ain't bad, either. I am quite excited about early spring. It's just around the corner, waiting for the slow curtain to rise.

On the 29th I'll be doing an informal foraging walk, by the way, in the woods of Manhattan - we could easily accommodate one or two additional walkers, as long as they like picnics and field garlic, and perhaps owls, too.

Let me know if you would like to join us.