Miners Lettuce and Ferns. Almaden Quicksilver Park, California. April 12, 2009. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.
A single miners lettuce plant in bloom among ferns, Almaden Quicksilver Park, California.
As a kid growing up in central California I always heard how one could “make a salad” out of miners lettuce, so this is one of the first wild plants I can remember. (By the way, I have no idea if this plant is actually edible – or deadly poison – so don’t go eating it because you saw my post – ask an expert first!) This single leaf and stem of the plant was growing in a very lush section of a trail at Almaden Quicksilver Park every spring during wildflower season.
This photograph is not in the public domain. It may not be used on websites, blogs, or in any other media without explicit advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.
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Hi Edie:
I’m going to have to try it. Several people wrote to say they have eaten it – and a few claimed to like it quite a bit!
Say “hi” to Howard for me. :-)
Dan
I have eaten miner’s lettuce–no ill effects. It’s got a rather grassy flavor, slightly muddy. But I bet it was delicious after a long winter with nothing but salt pork and biscuits to eat.