Lemony Sour Fresh Wood Sorrel

 This post will be quick! 

Whew! What a year it has been! All the way up and through this wind blown holiday season. I'd intended to have more content on here this week but life and chaos got in the way. Anyway!

Winter greens are abundant here in North Texas! I am planning my next few posts about them. They are easy to spot sticking out of the otherwise winter-worn grass and have a range of flavors from bitter to lemony. Learning to identify your winter greens is definitely an easy way to start getting to know your yard. 

For instance:

Wood Sorrel is a great lemony addition to your salad or garnish to a meat and potato dish (or what whatever protein source you are consuming). And I'm SURE you've already spotted sorrel many times in your life. It looks a LOT like clover. In fact, it's probably more often what we spot when we say clover: small triple lobe scalloped greenery.

If you're like me you have thought that all the things that look like 'clovers' are in fact 'clover' at some point your life. But this year has taught me different! Actually, there are many kinds of plants that have leaves we might generically call 'clover' or shamrock like in shape. And one of the most prevalent around here turns out to be absolutely delightful in a salad!

This is wood sorrel (oxalis species): 

Wood Sorrel is characterized by this triple hear shaped, shamrock-like green leaf at the end of long stems, and five-petal flowers (that I rarely ever noticed before) that can be small and yellow (the case for the plant shown in this photo) or larger and pink-purple. 

As ForagingTexas states, this green is harvestable YEAR-ROUND and stems, leaves, flowers, seedpods, and roots are all edible. In fact, it's hard to get rid o this little gem from your yard, pots, and planters. But it turns out, maybe you don't want to!

There is no listed mimic to be concerned with on this one in any of my books or that I have found. And this little green will surprise you with the pack of lemony twang it adds to a green salad or garnishment. 

I also like to toss these kinds of greens into a simple flour tortilla or mixed with cheese wrapped in a tortilla, if a salad on your plate isn't your thing. 

As a side, Foraging Texas is diligent to warn that if you are susceptible to kidney stones you may want to avoid over indulging in wood sorrel due to small amounts of oxalic acid that can be problematic in certain circumstances. Otherwise, it's a green rich in Vitamin C and has been historically used medicinally for everything from mouth sores to urinary infections according to Wildedible.com.

Additional Recipes to look for:
Red & White Pizza with Wild Greens Pesto,
Wild Lemony Jello using Wood Sorrel,
Wood Sorrel & Onion Tart,

Tomato & Sorrel Soup, 

Pea & Sorrel Soup,

Wood Sorrel Cream Tarts, 

Sorrel Pesto,

and Wood Sorrel Soup.

Happy Foraging!

J