Green Miners Lettuce
Estimated Inventory, lb : 0
Description/Taste
Miners lettuce is petite and delicate in appearance and on the palate. Its composed of thin, succulent lemon lime stems that support kelly green colored basal leaves. Its stems are thin, crunchy and equally edible as the tender leaves. The flavor is mild and sweet, with a subtle earthiness. At its height of maturity, miners lettuce produces numerous edible flowers from its stems. Once the plant flowers, it bolts to seed and no longer becomes palatable.
Seasons/Availability
Miner's lettuce is a wild variety and is found in spring time.
Current Facts
Miners lettuce, scientific name, Claytonia perfoliata, is a trailing annual vine that grows wild more than it is cultivated. It is a greater source of food for animals than it is for humans, providing a grazing source for gophers, flocking birds, quail, doves and cattle, while seed-eating birds eat the plant's fruits allowing for the plant to continue to flourish in the wild for centuries. Miner's lettuce is sometimes confused with purslane (Portulaca oleracea) which is also a cool season wild growing crop.
