Sourgrass, or Oxalis, is a widely recognized wild plant known for its distinctive tangy, lemon-like flavor, courtesy of the oxalic acid in its leaves. This unique taste makes sourgrass an excellent addition to various dishes. Besides its delightful flavor, sourgrass is rich in vitamin C and antioxidants, making it a nutritious and vibrant ingredient in your culinary repertoire.

Identifying Sourgrass

Here’s how you can identify sourgrass in the wild:

• Leaves: Sourgrass features trifoliate leaves, each stem supporting three heart-shaped leaflets, resembling clover.

• Flowers: The plant produces small, yellow flowers with five petals that typically bloom in clusters.

• Stems: Its stems are often reddish and juicy, adding to the plant's unique look.

• Taste: The definitive way to identify sourgrass is by tasting a small leaf, which should have a bright, tangy, lemon-like flavor.

About the Recipe

A flavorful and hearty dish featuring fresh spinach leaves topped with sliced hard-boiled eggs, crispy bacon bits, sliced mushrooms, and tangy sourgrass leaves, served with a warm bacon-infused vinaigrette dressing. This salad is a perfect combination of textures and flavors, making it a delightful appetizer or side dish for any occasion.

Ingredients:

• For the Salad:

  • 6 cups fresh spinach leaves, washed and dried

  • 4 hard-boiled eggs, sliced

  • 6 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled

  • 1 cup sliced mushrooms

  • 1/4 cup sourgrass leaves, washed and chopped

  For the Warm Bacon Vinaigrette:

  • 4 slices of bacon, diced

  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

  • 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup

  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Prepare the Ingredients: Wash and dry the fresh spinach leaves thoroughly. Place them in a large salad bowl. Slice the hard-boiled eggs. Crumble the cooked bacon slices. Slice the mushrooms. Wash and chop the sourgrass leaves.

2. Cook the Bacon: In a skillet over medium heat, cook the diced bacon until crisp and browned. Remove the cooked bacon from the skillet and transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess grease.

3. Prepare the Vinaigrette: In the same skillet with the bacon drippings, add the red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey or maple syrup, salt, and pepper. Whisk the ingredients together over medium heat until well combined and warmed through. Remove from heat.

4. Combine Ingredients: Arrange the sliced hard-boiled eggs, crumbled bacon, sliced mushrooms, and chopped sourgrass leaves on top of the fresh spinach leaves in the salad bowl.

5. Add the Vinaigrette: Drizzle the warm bacon vinaigrette over the salad ingredients.

6. Toss the Salad: Gently toss the salad until all the ingredients are evenly coated with the warm bacon vinaigrette.

7. Serve: Serve immediately.

Join Our Foraging Classes & Explore More

Interested in exploring more wild plants like sourgrass? Join one of our foraging classes at forageSF to learn more about identifying and using wild edibles. You can also enhance your culinary skills with The Ultimate Sourgrass Cookbook: 100 Innovative Recipes for Nature’s Tangiest Herb.

Join our foraging class and consider buying the book for further inspiration!