Written by: Matt Drake
Contributing Writer at www.kyoutdoorstv.com
@wildplantwoodsman on Instagram
It’s late spring in Kentucky and there are numerous foraging opportunities for free wild food. The topic of today is a small running plant known as Wood Sorrel. Some folks call it sour grass. There is said to be over 570 species of Wood Sorrel world wide. This plant thrives everywhere on earth unless you are in the colder regions.
Left: Wood Sorrel / Right: Clover
Photo Credit: www.dancingwithchickens.com
Often Wood Sorrel is mistaken for Clovers as they both share the trait of having three leaflets on each petite stem. The difference however is that the leaflets of Wood Sorrel are cordate or heart-shaped with a fold or seam down the middle of the heart-shaped leaflet and usually Wood Sorrel is colored in lighter shade of green. Clover has a fold too but notice in the photo above that Clover leaflets are more oval shaped and often have a white chevron on each leaflet, although not all clovers have this mark. Wood Sorrel closes its leaflets up at night and again flattens back out during the day to collect sunlight. The variety found here in central Kentucky grows small yellow flowers with five petals in while in bloom.
This particular species of Wood Sorrel is a running plant. It sends a running rhizome through the soil to spread and cover ground. Think of it as an underground stem. These underground roots, much like clover also help aid in holding the soil together and slowing erosion of topsoil. See the below photo for the root structure.
As for the taste, this plant is delicious. Most people that taste it describe the taste as lemony. To my taste buds it tastes like green apple peels, has mild sourness to it that is really good. So if you favor eating green apples with the peel on like me, i think you will enjoy this plant a lot. In the summer it goes pretty good with the cold water in your water bottle adding a mild flavor to change things up a bit.
This plant is safe to consume when foraged in areas free of pesticides and herbicides and other pollutants. In extreme large doses the oxalic acid in the plant from which it gets its name can prevent calcium from absorbing into the body. This is not a worry unless you eat it all day everyday. After all, too much of anything is bad for you.
In summary this is a great plant to know. Look for it in garden beds, front and back yards, as well as woodland edges and walkways. Wood Sorrel doesn’t seem to mind shade or full sun as I have seen it growing in various conditions and environments.
This is a also a great plant to introduce kids too. My daughter is four years old and she loves It. She is growing up learning to love plants and identify them. She also knows never to pick plants unless her mother or me is with her to verify it is safe. So if you teach your kids this plant that is a good rule to instill in them too until they are old enough to know for themselves.
As always stay safe, and always positively identify any plant with two or more sources and remember you are responsible for any thing you you put in or on your body. If you ever have any doubt at all, do not eat it. It’s better to be safe until positive identification is made.
You can always email me at wildplantwoodsman@gmail.com if you have plants that needs identified or follow me on Instagram @wildplantwoodsman and ask there. I am not an expert and there’s still a lot of plants I don’t even know yet. With that said, if I can help I will or I can at least point you in the right direction. Happy foraging friends! Stay safe!
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