• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Forager | Chef
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Interviews
  • Partnerships
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Interviews
  • Partnerships
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • About
    • Recipes
    • Interviews
    • Partnerships
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Types of Edible Wild Greens

    Creeping Bellflower

    Published: Apr 8, 2020 Modified: Mar 22, 2023 Author: Alan Bergo

    Creeping bellflower is a common edible weed in yards and gardens. It spreads quickly, but thankfully, it's edible and tastes good. In this post I'll tell you all I know about harvesting and cooking the plant.

    Edible Campanula rapunculoides or creeping bellflower

    Creeping Bellflower is Invasive

    Creeping bellflower, also known as rampion bellflower, like a lot of edible wild plants that I like to eat, is a weed. A transplant from Europe and Siberia, it was apparently popular as a garden plant (like many weeds in the United States) and, as weeds will do, it rapidly spread from gardens to yards, to forests and fields.

    Now, the plant is widespread across the United States--bad news for native plants which it can crowd out and out-compete. It's a common yard weed in Wisconsin and Minnesota where I forage.

    Image via USDA

    Bellflower Is Edible

    The good news, is that you can eat it, and you should--as much as you can find. Like a lot of other greens you might forage, creeping bellflower is better cooked than it is raw, in my opinion.

    The leaves, in their fresh state, even when very young, are a bit chewy, and the midrib sticks out a bit. You could technically probably hide a few leaves in a salad, but I hardly see the point when it's so much better as a pot herb (cooked).

    Edible Campanula rapunculoides or creeping bellflower

    Cooking Creeping Bellflower

    As far as harvesting, it's easy. Just clip them like any other greens and add to the basket. One thing to mention is that I only harvest the basal leaves of the plant, which, if you're unlucky enough to have them in your yard, will probably look like a reasonably thick carpet of greens.

    The good news is unlike a lot of other greens, ground elder for example, creeping bellflower stays relatively the same throughout the growing season--it's not going to be horribly tough (or comparatively tender) throughout the season. I do only harvest the basal leaves though, as leaves growing up the flower stalks are relatively small and north worth mentioning.

    Edible Campanula rapunculoides or creeping bellflower
    Edible Campanula rapunculoides or creeping bellflower flowers
    Summer squash salad with edible creeping bellflowers and garden herbs
    They might be weeds, but they still make a beautiful garnish.

    The flavor is nothing fine, and just fine, it's not bitter, not incredibly sweet, not really anything too out of the ordinary. The good part, is that means it's a fine addition to a pan of wilted greens, and it will fade into the background just fine without overtaking other flavors. It's a good green for the table--typically I use it in a blend with other greens like Virginia waterleaf (hydrophyllum virginiana), violets, and mitsuba (Cryptotaenia canadensis).

    Edible Campanula rapunculoides or creeping bellflower flowersFlowers

    Besides cooking the basal leaves, the only other thing really worth mentioning is the purple bell-shaped flowers--they're a deep beautiful blue, and stand up well to an overnight stay in the fridge. Add some to a salad--they'll make a good conversation piece as well as a segue into different yard weeds you can eat.

    Creeping Bellflower Roots

    The tubers of related plants are harvested in France and eaten as a vegetable. Apparently they're quite good. C. rapunculoides should have edible roots too, but I haven't tried them yet, so you're on your own there.

    Resources

    USDA distribution map 

    MN Wildflowers: Creeping Bellflower

    « Anchovy Vinaigrette
    Cicoria in Padella (Greens with Garlic and Chili) »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Janene

      June 12, 2025 at 1:46 pm

      I love creeping bellflower! It’s the first thing ready in my garden. Yes it’s a weed and invasive. So I go to a spot where I don’t want it, pull about 15 plants, cut off the roots so I don’t get dirt in the batch. I then rinse and pull off the leaves so the rib stays on the stem if possible. Then into a pot with a little water, olive oil, salt and a diced garlic clove. When the water is mostly gone, time to serve and eat!

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        June 12, 2025 at 2:22 pm

        Thanks Janene, I keep a small patch on my property that’s not allowed to go to seed.

        Reply
    2. A.F.

      May 04, 2025 at 5:29 pm

      I've eaten the stems (basal, not flower) raw just now (mid spring) from what seems like overwintered plants. They are really nice. Thick, juicy, crunchy and mildly sweet. I think I'll be adding them pemanently to my early spring garden greens menu! Looking forward to trying a bigger bunch pan fried with some garlic.
      I have dug the tubers before and eaten them raw. They taste like a very mild, earthy carrot. Haven't tried cooking them yet.

      Reply
    3. DB

      May 02, 2025 at 6:21 pm

      I don't want to eat it, I want to kill it!

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        May 03, 2025 at 6:04 am

        You can do both.

        Reply
    4. Debi Ulrey-Crosby

      October 24, 2024 at 1:06 pm

      I have lots of this horrible weed as well. I'm going to try eating some. Maybe then it will just disappear. You know, kind of like other things do once they have a real value...they disappear. I would not be sad if it disappeared in my yard. Every spring I feel a little guilty about ripping out the flowering stems because the bees, especially bumble bees (my absolute favorite), love the flowers. But I try to make up for it by planting other flowers.

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        October 25, 2024 at 2:40 pm

        Hi Debi. Yes this plant is really invasive. You have to dig the roots out and go deep to really make a difference.

        Reply
    5. Ingrid

      July 14, 2024 at 9:41 am

      Wonder if anyone has tried making tea with the flowers 🙂

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        July 15, 2024 at 9:47 am

        They're not worth using, pretty but no flavor.

        Reply
        • Amanda

          August 05, 2024 at 11:28 am

          What are your thoughts on drying and making tea from the flowers themselves?

          Reply
          • Alan Bergo

            August 14, 2024 at 8:28 am

            Hi Amanda, the flowers aren't aromatic or interesting enough dried imo.

            Reply
        • Cathy

          May 30, 2025 at 8:23 pm

          I have dug out what I can, roots & tubers, from a patch in a front garden. Laid down a large piece of landscape material ,covered with bark mulch. Fingers crossed that in the spring of 2026 I won't be working at this project again.

          Reply
          • Alan Bergo

            May 30, 2025 at 10:28 pm

            Good luck. It can be a real pain as those pesky roots go deep.

            Reply
      • Lise Gray

        March 17, 2025 at 4:50 pm

        Have made tea with it! 🥰

        Reply
    6. Rachel

      April 26, 2024 at 11:46 am

      Yay! Making modified gluten-free green cakes with a Korean flavor tonite to try them out and welcome a new weed to the table. Thank you for inspiring.

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        April 26, 2024 at 11:49 am

        Hey that’s great. I’m actually going to go dig Bellflower roots finally next week and I’m so excited. Have fun.

        Reply
        • Lou Helf

          May 11, 2024 at 4:18 pm

          Did you try the roots? Also, I'm so excited to learn about this because I have SO MUCH creeping bellflower in my yard.

          Reply
          • Alan Bergo

            May 11, 2024 at 4:26 pm

            Yes! Thanks for the reminder. Unfortunately I wasn't able to dig them myself, so the roots my friend gave me were pretty thin. But, even at the thickness of a pen or your pinky they're pretty good. Very mild, not bitter, texture of a carrot with thicker skin, mild flavor that I mild describe as slightly artichoke-y, the way that salsify roots and scorzanera are. Boil clean, gently scrubbed roots for 2-3 minutes or until just tender, cut into 1/2 inch pieces, a little melted butter and a pinch of salt and they were pretty darn good for a first shot. I'll probably try them in soup next.

            Reply
    7. Julie Weisenhorn

      September 05, 2023 at 10:16 am

      Creeping bell flower is becoming public enemy #1 in gardens and natural areas. It spreads by seeds and rhizomes. So managing it to prevent it from spreading beyond your yards and gardens is important. Remove stems before they set seed and keep plants in bounds by removing the rhizomes around the perimeter of the plant . I'm glad to hear it has some edibility factors because there is a lot of it around!

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        September 06, 2023 at 9:31 am

        Yes I've seen it in large colonies. Definitely a tricky one to get rid of, but there's much worse, too. My new house has ground elder 🙁

        Reply
        • R. P.

          May 29, 2025 at 2:53 pm

          Ground elder is tasty, too!

          Reply
          • Alan Bergo

            May 30, 2025 at 4:59 pm

            Yep! I went over them a little this spring in my post on Ground Elder.

            Reply
    8. Desiree

      February 26, 2023 at 10:57 am

      I've eaten the roots- they are best in spring before they flower. To me, they are relatively bland- not bitter- not anything, really. They do well mixed in with other vegetables, such as in a stir-fry. I wouldn't bother, but creeping bell flower is abundant in my yard, and I'm assuming I'm getting some nutrition from the plant.

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        February 27, 2023 at 2:47 pm

        Thanks Desiree.

        Reply
    9. Shawn Scepan

      May 31, 2022 at 4:21 pm

      We’ve got some of this in the yard too! Just read that the roots have a historical spot on a traditional Korean table. After a blanch and a sautée with simple traditional flavors (ses oil, salt, sugar, garlic) it’s slight bitterness is welcomed, even among kiddos… kind of a ginseng-y flavor. Thank you for the wealth chef.

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        June 02, 2022 at 9:24 am

        Super cool Shawn. I haven't been able to have the roots yet, I think I need to find a larger species or get them in softer ground. Another question to ask Sam as they're supposed to be really good.

        Reply
    10. Kari Snyder

      May 24, 2020 at 4:48 pm

      I’ve read that the tubers are edible, too. Have you tried them?

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        May 25, 2020 at 10:10 am

        Nope. Haven't tried them. I do enjoy the greens cooked though. Just ate some last night.

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Chef Alan Bergo

    HI, I'm Alan: James Beard Award-winning Chef, Author, Show Host and Forager. I've been writing about cooking wild food here for over a decade. Let me show you why foraging is the most delicious thing you'll ever do.

    More about me →

    Get The Book

    the forager chef's book of flora
    The Forager Chefs Book of Flora

    As Seen On

    An image showing many different brands and media companies forager chef alan bergo has worked with.

    Footer

    Privacy

    Subscribe

    Be the first to hear what I'm doing

    Contact

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2025 Forager | Chef LLC® Accessibility Statement