Wild Food Foragers of America - Wood Sorrel Page 1

Vol 1, No 7
Page 1

Wood Sorrel (Oxalis)
Family (Oxalidaceae)
OXALIS FAMILY

November/December 2003

A clump of Violet Wood Sorrel,
in flower.

A clump of Yellow Wood Sorrel,
in flower.

Wood sorrel is easily identifiable by the three heart-shaped leaflets that are attached to the tip of a long stem (petiole), which we've all come to call the "shamrock". Flowers of wood sorrel can be found almost year-round and have five small petals (1/4 to 1/2-inch long). Single flowers occur in clusters of one to ten, at the end of a slender flower stalk. Flowers come in a variety of colors from violet to pink to white to yellow, depending on the species.

What makes wood sorrel a nice addition to the diet is it's strong lemony flavor, which qualifies it more as an aromatic herb than a "green". "Sorrel" comes from a French word for sour, and it's family name, Oxalis, is derived from "oxys", the Greek word for sharp or acidic. Oxalyc acid is what gives wood sorrel it's distinctly tart burst of flavor. Because of it's high oxalic acid content, eating large quantities is not recommended, and people with certain health conditions should avoid it altogether. You can learn more about oxalic acid, which is contained in many foods we eat, here.

One could confuse wood sorrel with clover, but clover lacks that lemony flavor which permeates the leaves, stems, and flowers of wood sorrel (all varieties of which are edible). Also, sorrel flowers look nothing like the round turban top heads of clover flowers.

One might also confuse wood sorrel with sheep's sorrel, not because they look alike but because they have the same name. Both can be used interchangeably in recipes, they say, and both taste lemony, but sheep's sorrel is an entirely different species (RUMEX AGETOSELLA), looks totally different, and is not the plant this issue talks about.

Wood Sorrel is also known as Shamrock, Sleeping Beauty, Sour Trefoil, Sour Grass, Hearts, Toad-Sorrel, Lady's-Sorrel, Indian-Sorrel, Wood Sour, Hallelujah, and by many other names.

Scientific classification: There are about 8 genera and 1,000 species of wood sorrel, primarily found in tropical and subtropical regions. Several are cultivated as ornamentals, and some species are easily transplanted from the wild. One species, a tree-like plant found in the tropics, produces gooseberry-like, edible fruits.

The species pictured in this issue, Violet Wood Sorrel (oxalis violacea), is a low-to-the ground plant which grows widely throughout the temperate regions of the world, which sometimes also has white flowers. Yellow wood sorrel (oxalis europaea), and Common wood sorrel ((oxalis montana) are also low growing and widely distributed, with only slight differences in size and growth patterns. There is also the low growing Creeping Wood Sorrel, considered a lawn pest. All are perennials, lasting several years. All are equally edible. They tend to grow in clumps that can range from one foot to several feet across, similar in look to patches of clover. They grow mostly in lawns and fields in sunny to semi-shaded areas.

		Compare clover flower to the 5 petaled sorrel. No way to confuse them, really. But they're both edible, anyway!
The 3 leaf "shamrock" of Violet Wood Sorrel is more heart-shaped than of Yellow Wood Sorrel, but with each, the leaves fold up like a book at night along the central crease. Both taste very lemony.	5 petaled flowers grow singly or in clusters atop spindly single stems. After the flowers drop off, the seed pods hang down, and pack a whallop of tangy taste!

There's lots of lore about these plants, and many medicinal properties as well as its use as a yellow dye. There are records of its use by the Menominee, Omaha and Pawnee Indians for a variety if ailments, and recipes from Africa. I've included this information in the links on Page 3 (see below), along with a few recipes of my own. We're going to have fun making our own herbal pasta in this issue.

Also in this issue is a Holiday Gift to all my subscribers. It's a hide and seek game, though. You'll have to search through 4 pages to find it. Also, I hope you'll do some of your holiday shopping through the links on these pages, and consider giving a book on wild edibles!

Identification, Harvest and Preparation:
ID tips, slide show and colorful photos are on Page 2, linked to below.

History, Botanical info, and Recipes: on Page 3, linked to below.

Information Exchange : Subscribers and visitors, please add your knowledge of this weed here--recipes, experiences, anecdotes, questions, opinions. (A unique thread is posted with every issue to gather more information. Please do check out our Wild Edibles Info Exchange.

Archived issues: Thistles, Chickweed, Spiderwort, Wild Green Onions , Plantain, Elder, Hawksbeard, Wild Green Onion, Wood Sorrell. Dock, Hedge Nettle are in progress. Sign up for notice when the next issue comes out.

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Thanks, and enjoy!

Standing knee deep in abundance!

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Disclaimer:

Information given in the newsletter is educational but should not be considered definitive. Every effort is made to present clear testimonials from personal experience, however, different people may have different reactions than the author's experience. The author makes no attempt to identify every plant. If you choose to eat weeds, start out with a small amount and notice your reaction. Considerable effort is made to provide readers access to additional materials for the positive identification, harvesting and preparation of wild edible weeds, BUT you are ultimately responsibe for your own education, actions and diet.
To avoid poisonous look-alikes, foragers should always identify by SEVERAL indicators (by leaf, flower, seed pod, root and stem, by shape, texture, veination, color, hairiness, growth pattern, season, etc.) before eating from the wild. Different plants might look very similar to the untrained eye.
You should not pick weeds in polluted areas--along roadsides, near trash dumps, in fields or gardens likely to have been sprayed with pesticides or commercial fertilizers, etc.
You should not over-pick. The general rule of thumb is to harvest no more than 20% of an area, leaving the plants ample opportunity to regenerate for the next year, the next generation, and leaving something behind for the next forager. Becoming familiar with propagation methods can assist you in determining the most prudent conservation techniques for each plant.
You should always wash weeds before eating them. Dust is everywhere, insects and slugs naturally make their homes in vegetation, and birds do fly overhead! Let common sense be your guide.
Do not hesitate to call a doctor if you should have an adverse reaction to anything you touch or ingest in the wild. If you can bring the physician a sample, or identify the offending plant by name, all the better.