Waterleaf makes lots of little flowers, I’ll add them to salads and use as a garnish
when they’re in season.
Another winter of cooking root vegetables nearly over, my mouth and psyche have watered dreaming of the first sweet, tender greens and shoots of Spring. A new one I’ve been adding to the mix is Virginia Waterleaf, and it’s a fun one. I learned about these on a plant walk with my friend Kenton of ReWild University, and after he’d pointed some out to me I started seeing them all over the place.
Specifically, what I pick should be a type of Hydrophyllum virginianum, and I know another common name for it should be Shawnee salad. Unfortunately for those of you living west of the Minnesota, these probably won’t be a new thing to find in your hunting spots, but East of the river they are plentiful, especially in Minnesota and Wisconsin along the St. Croix.
Another species of waterleaf, this one shows the white spots invoking it’s namesake.
Once I knew what it looked like, picking out the water spots on the leaves is a dead giveaway for them, although some species will have pure green leaves, as noted in the pictures.
As far as eating goes, they have a bit of a fuzzy texture, but mixed with other leaves or cooked they’re perfectly fine and to sweeten the deal, they have no bitterness at all. That being said whenever I cook with them I’m using a blend of greens, and am probably not going to sit down and eat a whole plateful of waterleaf, just like I wouldn’t sit down and eat a plateful of ramp leaves.
The tell-tale leaf of waterleaf, many of them will have blotchy white spots on them, these are pure green, however.
The really cool thing about these is that like some other plants, they’re a leafy green, but as they mature they also create a bud, similar to what I call the “raabs” of garlic mustard and bittercress. Mixed with the leaves and some other greens they make a fun, textural addition to a plate of wilted greens, or a salad.
Like a lot of my other favorite greens, these can be aggressive growers. in the Spring when the ephemerals are coming out and into summer depending on where I am, I can see carpets of these through the woods. Aggressive is as aggressive does though, so keep that in mind if you are transplanting them somewhere.
Multiple edible parts, the most fun being the unopened flower buds.
This year I’ve gotten on the war path about how I source things, and the volume of what I source. I used to pick all of the wild greens I would serve at the restaurant myself, but taking over Lucia’s last year, a restaurant that goes through 50lbs of salad greens a week during peak season (Summer) means that If I want to serve the salad greens I dream of (the wild greens I harvest) I have to figure out a way to source large amounts of them.
I sat down at the restaurant with some of my farmer friends from Wisconsin last week who have a habitat similar to where the waterleaf and other greens I like to pick grow and I asked them if they would experiment planting them as a crop to sell to me in a blend of all wild lettuces. In a month or two we should have an answer, hopefully I don’t have to pick all the damn greens myself again this year.
I have hundreds of square feet of waterleaf in my yard here in Saint Paul. Let me know if you want some. You can by anytime and forage it.
So, THAT is what that plant is! Yes, very common, indeed. My favorite ramp spot has that all over the place, mixed in with stinging nettles. I didn’t know that it was edible, although I will admit to having tasted a leaf or two.
Alan, they do grow west of the Mississippi and in large numbers. I find them all over southern Minnesota and they’re even growing in my Minneapolis yard. Are you using the blossoms as well?
Elizabeth
Thanks Elizabeth, what I should of said is “West of Minnesota”, I pick them in MN too. I’m amending the post.
Anyone have enough to send me some starts? I am trying to get a wild food forage garden together and do a walk through to teach others about wild edibles.
Diane,
If they take, they’ll really take! I love having them over the garlic mustard that also grows, but the range (sun, shade, part of either) seems little matter to Virginia Waterleaf. Beware is all.
Diane, I have plenty, and can give you a plant or two. I’m in Maplewood; I’d rather not mail them but you could pick them up. Best to email me; I can’t always check back.
They grow well here, west of the Mississippi by 25 miles or so. They love a lawn, they love the vegetable garden, and they love the woods. I haven’t come across them as an edible, so maybe I’ll eat them out of the veg garden. I’ll add them to the garlic mustard salad.
Anyone know whether whether the waterleaf species of the Pacific Northwest are edible? I see some references, one fellow on the web trying H. tenuipes rhizomes following a report of Cowlitz practices. I’m reluctant to dig wild rhizomes personally.
I can’t speak to it, but I would assume so.
I love your site. I’m a big forager & some of my favorites are on here. I like that you dive into some of the lesser known gems such as this one. These grow plentiful here in SE WI. They make great salad greens. These, along with some chopped leeks or other wild onion greens, some young dandelions, a handful of young garlic mustard & dame’s rocket greens make a killer salad. Throw in some morels and eat like a king. Please never stop adding to this site! Between you & Sam Thayer, I feel lucky to be able to read your guy’s work. You should think of writing a book! I’d buy immediately. Best of luck to ya & keep up the fantastic work!
-Mitch
Thanks Mitch, that made my day. I learned about the waterleaf from a friend who learned about it from Sam–it’s a good plant. Suffers a little in the texture area but great in a blend and cooked. As far as the book, Between you and me, If everything goes as planned this week, I’ll be announcing the details about my first book. Thanks for your support, and keep eating like a king. –Alan.
I just roasted the leaves and smaller steps at a lower-than-usual temp, and liked the outcome.
Waterleaf! Finally there’s a name to this beautiful plant with beauriful purple flowers that brings color to my early spring garden. Thanks for the info.
I have Virginia Waterleaf growing under my chinese elms at the back of my property. Have been removing them as weeds for 35 years and now I will start eating them. I live in Kingston, Ont. and have just started learning about wild edibles. I have at least 10 I now know about living on my property in the city of Kingston. Thanks for providing such good pictures which made it easy to identify.
Good for you, yes, some decent pictures help to ID it. Once you know it, you’ll see it everywhere!
I have a large plant of waterleaf growing between my rhubarb next to the house. Just found out TODAY what it was and now I also find out that it’s edible!! Thank you so much!!
I live in upstate NY and we have a TON of them on our property!