#toothwort

#LATHREA SQUAMARIA - TOOTHWORT - SCHUPPENWURZ

Lake Trout, Toothwort and Garlic Ramp Wine Cream Sauce with Home Fries

I checked out my fave foraging spot and no morels or Gyromitras. Drat. So far anyway, it’s early still so I’ll be back. But as diligence I gathered a few Toothwort, ramp leaves, and Winter cress/creasy-Greens tops. The horseradish peppery flavor of the Toothwort and the bitter cress are perfect with trout.

Daffodils and other spring ephemerals are a sunny sight in early spring, but these plants benefit the ecosystem beyond their beauty and can benefit a permaculture garden too!

What are Spring Ephemerals?

Spring ephemerals are herbaceous plants that live in deciduous forests. Ephemeral means "lasting for a very short time" and these plants grow leaves, gather energy, put out flowers, and reproduce all before the trees leaf out in the spring.

This early season is the perfect time to pop up because they get access to the full sun while other plants are still dormant. This short period of activity fuels the spring ephemerals' energy needs for the rest of the year.

Daffodils and other spring ephemerals are largely animal resistant. They reproduce through seed as well as sending out new shoots from their root bulbs, which is why we often see daffodils growing in large clumps or patches. When the weather gets warmer and the trees begin to leaf out, spring ephemerals are signaled to go dormant until next spring and naturally die back for the season.

Ecological Benefits of Spring Ephemerals

Thanks to the nutrient rich rains in early spring, spring ephemerals are packed with nutrients. Their root systems catch and hold these nutrients and moisture and prevent them from washing away. Their roots also prevent soil erosion. When the plants die back, the excess nutrients they've been holding onto will enrich the plants and soil around them.

Gardening Benefits of Spring Ephemerals

Daffodils and other spring ephemerals provide nectar for early season pollinators. If you have other garden plants flowering during this time they'll improve the pollination of those too!

If you plant spring ephemerals on the high edges of your garden, all the nutrients and moisture they've been holding onto will enrich your garden soil and plants when they die back.

5 Spring Ephemerals (That do Well in The Garden Too!)

1. Ramps, Allium tricoccum: Ramps are useful spring ephemerals because they're edible and delicious! Cousins of garlic, onions, and chives, they're easy to grow in shady areas as long as they can access the early spring sun. Both the leaves and the roots are edible, but it's important to leave most of the root bulbs behind and only harvest one leaf off of each plant (they only grow two) so your ramps survive for next year!

2. Daffodils, Narcissus spp.: Daffodils are a common flower for landscaping and flower gardens. They are NOT edible, the bulbs are *TOXIC*, but still a useful plant for the garden! Daffodils leapt from the shady forest and evolved to live happily in sunny areas. They help with grass suppression and work well planted in a circle around a fruit or nut tree to keep grass from competing with it for soil or water. Daffodils also have huge bulbs which help repel digging animals like gophers and their above-ground leaves repel deer and other animals.

3. Camas, Camassia spp.: Another beautiful flowering spring ephemeral, camas are like daffodils and have evolved to live in sunny areas and they can also be used around trees to suppress grass. Camas bulbs are edible and were an important food for western Indigenous Americans. In order to eat the bulbs the entire plant must be harvested, so plan to replace the bulbs each year if you choose to harvest them.

4. Spring Beauty, Claytonia virginica: This dainty flower is an important source of nectar for early season pollinators. They are edible, but they're slow growing and rare in some areas so take extra caution in harvesting and be very sparing in what you take. The plant grows small roots that look like tiny potatoes or "fairy spuds", they can be eaten like regular potatoes if you don't mind their small size. The leaves and flowers are also edible raw or cooked. Spring beauties do well planted with strawberries because right as the spring beauties go dormant the strawberries leaf out.

5. Toothwort, Dentaria spp.: Toothwort likes rich, moist soils. In the wild it tends to grow in the deeper forest, but it makes a nice ground cover that dies back in the summer heat. The leaves and roots are edible raw or cooked. The leaves are nutritious and are tasty added to salads or soups. The fresh roots are crisp and peppery, they can be used to make a horseradish substitute.

Spring Ephemeral Harvesting Rules

1. Be positive that you've properly identified any species you intend to consume. Never munch on a hunch!

2. Never harvest more than 1/3 of a group of wild spring ephemerals. Taking less is always best when foraging in the wild. If you know a species is uncommon or over-harvested in your area, skip foraging it entirely for the sake of the ecosystem.

3. Don't collect seeds or whole plants from the forest. Source from native plant nurseries if you want to grow them.

Be safe and happy gathering and growing!

Finding calm in the storm.   

A beautiful morning walk along the Bull Run through a haze of bluebells.  Followed by a return trip at days end for some close ups of the ephemeral treasures.    

May everyone be safe  ~ prayers for those who have been lost, those who are fighting this illness, and, those brave souls who care for them.