Thursday, April 7, 2011

more on coltsfoot, that spring herb

we found another patch of coltsfoot while out driving the other day. I could not resist picking and drying more to have available for ourselves and friends.  Coltsfoot is excellent for respiratory ailments, it is easily harvested now, it loves to have it "feet wet" so look in swampy, yet sunny locations. 
Small flowers are what you will find now, later in the season the leaves,that resemble a colt's foot:)  will appear.



My helpful foragers.

6 comments:

a little crafty nest said...

Hi Molly! I just took a little catch up visit here and i love love love it! First, I had no idea what coltsfoot looked like ~ so much like dandelions! Thanks for the tip. And your goats...oh goodness, they are Goodness. And you spin!!! Yay, so do I! Well, I am just a beginner and feel I have no time for it right now, but I also have an Ashford as well as my great grandmother's wheel from Norway. I look forward to another visit:)
xo Jules

Lacey (schoolhousefarm) said...

I would have thought that was dandelion! so interesting...we love our herbal remedies--but have so much to learn!

Unknown said...

Amazing herbs! My little helpers gather our herbs every evening for our healthy tea. We don't get coltsfoot here - I do try to grow what we can. Calendula, chamomile, comfrey, plantain and spilanthes grows well. Love the photos in your previous posts. It's too hot in the tropics to work with wool, our cool season is short and then i take advantage, maybe when we move to a cooler climate. Sweet bog.

Kim @ Starry Sky Ranch said...

And this is why I would starve to death as a forager. How in the world could you tell that wasn't dandelion?

molly said...

KIm you are so funny! colts foot is much smaller than a dandelion, it is up WAY earlier than dandelions, and it stems resembles asparagus when it when it first emerges. I also always found it along road sides in wet areas, where as dandelions prefer sunny grassy areas.

Anonymous said...

I am with the dandelion crowd. I HAVE seen these and thought they were another variety of dandelion.

I foraged for chanterelles once. Fortunately I was with someone who KNEW a chanterelle from a poisonous mushroom!