Miner's Lettuce
Queen among wild edible salad greens, succulent with a sweet mild flavor
High in chlorophyll, vitamins C and A as well as iron, beta-carotene, and amino acids (aka “protein”)
Cooling and Alkalizing
Purifies Blood and Lymphatic System;
Helps to eliminate environmental toxins and heavy metals from the body
Harvest the leaf and flowers in spring; Eat alone, in salads, or juices
High in chlorophyll, vitamins C and A as well as iron, beta-carotene, and amino acids (aka “protein”)
Cooling and Alkalizing
Purifies Blood and Lymphatic System;
Helps to eliminate environmental toxins and heavy metals from the body
Harvest the leaf and flowers in spring; Eat alone, in salads, or juices
Claytonia Perfoliata, aka Miner's Lettuce, Winter Purslance, Indian Lettuce, and Spring Beauty
Miner’s lettuce is a succulent edible green with a sweet mild flavor. It is Queen among edibles of wild salad greens, and an excellent source of vitamins C and A as well as iron, beta-carotene, and protein. Miners lettuce, or winter purslane (a very common name in areas besides California) grows in abundance in California and is native to the western coastal and mountain regions of North America, Canada, Alaska, and Central America, and has also made its way all over the world where growing conditions are adequate.
Botanically classified as Claytonia perfoliata, Miner’s Lettuce is an annual trailing vine that is a member of the Montiaceae family. Also known as Winter Purslane, Indian lettuce, and Spring Beauty, Miner’s lettuce is found in the wild more than it is cultivated and grows prolifically in shady areas in coastal sage, fields, gardens, woodlands, and forests. Miner's lettuce is favored by foragers and home gardeners for its rapid growth, ability to be harvested multiple times throughout the season, and its mild, sweet flavor to be used in both fresh and cooked applications.
Miner’s lettuce gets its name from the workers who traveled to California during the Gold Rush. Needing a source of vitamin C, gold miners quickly discovered from the Native Americans that Miner’s lettuce could be consumed both raw or cooked to prevent scurvy and other vitamin C related issues. Gold miners ate the plant in abundance as it was widely found growing wild in California.
Miner's-lettuce is an important food for cattle in blue oak (Quercus douglasii) savannas in California. It is also grazed by pocket gophers.
Mourning doves, California quail, and other seed-eating birds consume the fruits.
Botanically classified as Claytonia perfoliata, Miner’s Lettuce is an annual trailing vine that is a member of the Montiaceae family. Also known as Winter Purslane, Indian lettuce, and Spring Beauty, Miner’s lettuce is found in the wild more than it is cultivated and grows prolifically in shady areas in coastal sage, fields, gardens, woodlands, and forests. Miner's lettuce is favored by foragers and home gardeners for its rapid growth, ability to be harvested multiple times throughout the season, and its mild, sweet flavor to be used in both fresh and cooked applications.
Miner’s lettuce gets its name from the workers who traveled to California during the Gold Rush. Needing a source of vitamin C, gold miners quickly discovered from the Native Americans that Miner’s lettuce could be consumed both raw or cooked to prevent scurvy and other vitamin C related issues. Gold miners ate the plant in abundance as it was widely found growing wild in California.
Miner's-lettuce is an important food for cattle in blue oak (Quercus douglasii) savannas in California. It is also grazed by pocket gophers.
Mourning doves, California quail, and other seed-eating birds consume the fruits.
Benefits
Spring greens including Miner's Lettuce, Dandelion, Cleavers, and Nettle reflect our bodies natural rhythms that harmonize to the Earth and her natural cycles. Medicinal and edible wild greens are offered during this time of year specifically to be gathered and used to nourish and cleanse the body.
Miners lettuce is purifying green that helps to fortify and filter our blood and lymph systems when consumed.
Being high in chlorophyll, in addition to mentioned antioxidant-rich nutrients, like Vitamin C, it's a great purifier, helping to eliminate environmental toxins and heavy metals stored in the liver.
Miner's lettuce can be juiced for concentrated effects during a juice fast. Cleansing teas using liver herbs can also be ingested during this time to adjunct the benefits of this wild springtime cleanser.
Miners lettuce is purifying green that helps to fortify and filter our blood and lymph systems when consumed.
Being high in chlorophyll, in addition to mentioned antioxidant-rich nutrients, like Vitamin C, it's a great purifier, helping to eliminate environmental toxins and heavy metals stored in the liver.
Miner's lettuce can be juiced for concentrated effects during a juice fast. Cleansing teas using liver herbs can also be ingested during this time to adjunct the benefits of this wild springtime cleanser.
Identify
Claytonia perfoliata is quite easy to identify after you have experienced it up close and personal for the first time. It has a distinctive round shaped leaf with the stem piercing through the center and flowering mid way up. This stem can get quite tall and has one main leaf branching off of it along with several small flowers and seed pods.
There are usually a few tiny five-petaled white or pink flowers opening up in early spring in sunlit areas. These flowers, as well as the stem, are edible, but it is best to harvest the leaves before it starts to seed.
There are usually a few tiny five-petaled white or pink flowers opening up in early spring in sunlit areas. These flowers, as well as the stem, are edible, but it is best to harvest the leaves before it starts to seed.
Nutritional Value
The nutritional composition of miner's-lettuce has been determined to be
37.1 percent protein, 42.5 percent total carbohydrate, and 12.4 percent
crude fiber. The calcium:phosphorus ratio is 0.66:1.0
Harvest
Harvest Miner's Lettuce in Spring as it is emerging from Winter's cool, moist temperatures. The entire plant is edible. The most optimum time to harvest this green is as it begins flowering and throughout its flowering process. Miner's Lettuce is an annual, and will re-seed itself. Please leave plenty behind so it may re-seed properly as well as provide seeds for the many birds whose food is the seeds.
Resources & Recommended
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Additional Sources Cited:
https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/forb/claper/all.html
https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/forb/claper/all.html