We are just tickled to have eaten Miner’s Lettuce tonight for dinner. It grows wild all over our property and beyond. One of the most fascinating things about it is how this western “weed” got its name.
“Miners lettuce is named after the California gold rush miners who ate it to get their vitamin C to fight scurvy. Imagine how thankful the miners were when this plant came up in the spring. The winter has just past and they all have red bleeding gums and loose teeth. Many of them have sores that will not heal. Rejoicing that spring has come, feasting on a salad of miners lettuce that cures them of those miseries brought on by scurvy.”
– quoted from EdiblePlants.com
This is how it happened. We are out of grocery store salad greens and I’m not due to go shopping until tomorrow. But we rarely go a day without salad, so I sent the children outside to collect Miner’s Lettuce for our dinner tonight. They returned with four big basketfuls. I picked off the leaves and washed it up; it filled our crystal salad bowl. Now that I think of it, my choice of bowl didn’t quite fit the simple providence of our salad tonight.
In each person’s salad bowl, I tossed a big handful of the Miner’s Lettuce with some homemade alfalfa sprouts, raisins, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt and pepper. Delicious! We’re going to be eating salad almost for free until the season for Miner’s Lettuce is over. Or until our five and a half acres are all out of these delicious greens that God gave us for our nourishment.
Learn more about Miner’s Lettuce here.
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What a blessing!! It looks very pretty too!
Love
Karen
That’s some gorgeous leafy stuff. Interesting, all the wonderful things God has provided…
Dear Wardeh,
How fascinating! A history lesson and a healthy meal all in one. I read the link – I guess it grows in just that area of the country. How exciting that you get to have [mostly] free salads for a time.
I guess we could go out and pick a ton of dandelion greens. 
Hmmmmmm… Do you add dandelion greens to your salads ever? Fresh from the yard?
Love, Robin
Robin, so sorry I’m just now answering this. We have never added dandelion greens to our salad. I don’t think I’ll ever do that.
I have heard they are bitter. My dad likes them, but he buys them at the store. If you ever try it, you’ll have to let me know how it tastes! Love, Wardeh
[...] Wardeh over at Such Treasures has written about Miner’s Lettuce and how her family is enjoying the bounty of it on their property this spring. I love hearing about edible wild plants in people’s yards and on their property. I’ve always been very interested in incorporating wild foods into our diet. I thought along those lines I’d share two Middle Tennessee delicacies called Poke and Chickweed. I’ve eaten poke and chickweed as long as I can remember. [...]
We have always had Miners Letuce in our back acreage in Northern CA. Have used it often for salad addition. Our grnadikids love it. But have never used it when it starts to “flower”. This is mid to late May. Can you eat it at flowering time? THanks.
Bethe, I believe you can. We did! No adverse effects here and just as delicious. Thanks for stopping by!