Not as Good as I Thought it Was

I'm not a horticulturalist.  While I do enjoy growing things, it's mainly because of the thrill I get watching a 'dead' seed transform into a live plant, especially one that yields great food to eat and enjoy.  But I can't tell you the genus, family, etc.  Some people, like my son Russ, can tell you everything you want to know about different plants.

Take, for instance, the photo below that I took in my garden this weekend.  This plant comes up every year around St. Patrick's Day in my garden.

Aren't the lavender-colored flowers pretty?  Look at the big 'heart-shaped' leaves.  I always thought that these were in the clover family.  Clover sets nitrogen in the soil.  I've always let them grow in the garden for as long as I could so that they could 'fertilize' my soil for the spring crops like beans, squash, corn, and cucumbers.

The trouble with that is that I was wrong.  Dead wrong.  These are NOT clovers.  They are oxalis or wood sorrel.  Lots of people must get confused by the leaves, because it is also called false shamrock.  Many people grow these from bulbs and use them as ornamental houseplants.

While very pretty in the garden, they are invasive and spread all over.  When you try to dig them up, you discover many, little, copper-colored bulbs.  I over-looked the invasive nature of the plant as I thought it was setting nitrogen.  I thought wrong!  Not only is it not setting nitrogen, but it is using up my nitrogen!

I took another photo of the pretty (what I originally thought was) clover and then began to aggressively hoe it all up, tossing flowers, leaves, stems and bulbs over the fence to our goats and chickens who were all too happy to gobble them up.

I did read that the leaves and stem are edible by humans too, but that was after I had rid my garden of them.  They contain oxalis acid, so those with kidney stones or gout are warned to not overdo it, but in moderation it is fine.  It is said to have a tart, rhubarb-like flavor.  Next year no doubt, it will come up again.  Before tossing it all to the animals, I'll try a little bit.  "If you can't beat 'em, eat 'em!" I found this recipe that seems simple and interesting and I'll try it:

Below is an Oxalix Cooler recipe from Sunny Savage

Oxalis Cooler

1 quart water

1/2 cup Oxalis leaf/stem/flowers/seedpods

1 Tablespoon agave nectar or honey

dash of salt

Mix all ingredients in a blender. If possible, let sit overnight in refrigerator and enjoy!

Credit: EAT THE WEEDS