Fairy Spuds? An excerpt from May/June '22

 

From the article:
Spring Beauties! The forgotten spring edible!
By Jennifer Sutherland Cline

So, what are Spring Beauties?

Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica L.) is part of the Purslane family. Sometimes referred to as groundnut or fairy spuds, they are native to Eastern North America, from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean. Mostly found in deciduous forests, forest edges and meadows, It thrives in moist woods in rich soil, wet to mesic soil conditions. They bloom from March to April, and the seeds ripen in May. Each fertile flower produces an ovoid capsule containing several seeds; this capsule is enclosed by the two persistent sepals. Like so many tiny wildflowers, they tend not to survive in a dry spring and die back in the hot summers. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by butterflies, bees and other Insects. The delicate herbaceous perennial springs from a thumb-sized, edible corm. A corm is a bulbo-tuber that is a short, vertical, swollen underground plant stem. Unlike in bulbs, corm's do not appear as visible rings when the corm is cut in half. It serves as a storage organ that spring beauties use to survive winter or other adverse conditions. For example, water chestnuts and Water lilies have corms.

Please use responsible & ethical guidelines when wildcrafting any medicinal plant. Each can do their part to ensure these wonderful plants do not go extinct.

One of several recipes from the article:

Roasted Rosemary, Potato & Spring Beauties

INGREDIENTS

 1-part prepared spring beauties

 2-parts cubed potatoes

 Season with salt, pepper and dried or fresh rosemary

Add some melted butter or olive oil

 Add some Parmesan Cheese (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1.       In large bowl - Toss or stir until potatoes and corms are coated well

2.       Place on a baking sheet, be sure to spread evenly

3.       Bake until crisp brown

4.       Cool for 5-10 mins before serving

5.       Enjoy!

 

 

Jen Cline is the founder of Cline Apothecary and director of Sewanee School of Herbal Medicine, a center for herbal studies in Sewanee, Tennessee.
Jen seeks to connect community with botanical medicine by providing education and carefully crafted products. Over the years, Jen has transformed nature's wisdom into herbal formulas, combining science and tradition to create proprietary blends rooted in purity, potency, and integrity.
She believes this is a bridge that will empower our community to reclaim their health & our collective environment.