Ahhh, Spring already? It's only January, but we've been having unseasonally warm weather, balmy high 60's, almost nice enough to pull out the bathing suit - well, almost. On a recent hike out in beautiful Point Reyes, it seemed an odd juxtaposition to see wild strawberries starting to leaf out and Irises already
in bloom next to mushrooms pushing their heads out from underneath pine needle laden forest floors. All and all, not that unusual, this little sneak preview of Spring. When the Trillium start to leaf will be the real test to whether it will be early this year.
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| Claytonia perfoliata, Miner's Lettuce, sharing space with a young Milk Thistle sprout. |
For me, one of the best features of this time of the year is Winter Purslane (Claytonia perfoliata) commonly known as Miner's lettuce. These wonderful kidney shaped leafy greens are loaded with vitamins C & A, and purportedly saved the California gold miners from scurvy way back when. I've known about this herb for a long time, and even knew it was edible, but had actually never tried it, that is, until last week.
I know, being into plants and all, how weird it is that I'd never tried this wonderful herb, and so dived right in when my hiking partner Suzanne bent down and grabbed a handful, chomping it down right there on the trail. I figured, why the hell not. So I followed suit and was pleasantly surprised how mild and delicate the leaves were, not too grassy, more spinach-like than anything, really. Pristine first of the season leaves are the mildest and the best (as is with most veggies, wouldn't you agree?). There was also a butter lettuce quality to their taste as well. Dressed with a light vinaigrette and tossed in with other salad greens, there is no way your dinner guests would suspect you didn't get them at the local Whole Foods; I can keep a secret if you can!
