Foraging for Wood Sorrel

Wood sorrel is a wild edible that grows in spring and early summer. It's easy to recognize and has a tart, lemon flavor. Learn how to identify this wild food, what it tastes like, and even how to use these edible plants in your cooking and some of my favorite wood sorrel recipes!

Jump to:

• What is wood sorrel?
• When is wood sorrel in season?
• How to identify wood sorrel
• Can I eat wood sorrel?
• Can wood sorrel be eaten raw?
• What can you do with wood sorrel?
• wood sorrel vs. clover
• How much wood sorrel is safe to eat
• 💬 Comments

What is wood sorrel?

Wood sorrel (also known as sour grass) is a perennial leafy green herb that's in the oxalis family. it's also reminiscent of a four-leaf clover

family. It has a sour flavor and is well known for its tartness.

The leaves are more than edible--they are delicious! Thye can be used raw or cooked in salads, soups, and stews. Wood sorrel is also an excellent source of vitamin C—one cup (30 g) contains about 8 mg of vitamin C—which may help boost your immune system when you're under the weather.

When is wood sorrel in season?

Wood sorrel is in season from April to June, May to July, and May to September. Its a great plant for beginner foragers

• April-June: Wood sorrel will be growing wild during this period. They are a great addition to salads or can be used fresh like spinach.
• May-July: The leaves are generally larger and have more flavor than their wild counterparts. You can also use wood sorrel as an alternative if you cannot find spinach or chard in your local market during this time of year.
• May-September: This is the ideal time for harvesting wood sorrel as it has very few bugs and pests that could damage it while being grown inside your garden.

How to identify wood sorrel

Wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella) is a perennial herbaceous plant that belongs to the buckwheat family. Wood sorrel is native to Europe and North America but now grows everywhere. It grows in lawns, gardens, woods, and many other places.

A wood sorrel leaf has three leaflets tightly folded together at the base of the leaf stalk. The leaflets have rounded tips and serrated edges on their upper sides. In contrast to red clover and yellow dock leaves, which have white undersides, wood sorrel's bottom has greenish hairs along its veins and is primarily white with some reddish blotches where there may be insect damage or disease.

there are several species of wood sorrels to look out for depending on your location. While the common sorrel in my area is yellow wood sorrel variety, other variations including sheep's sorrel

Can I eat wood sorrel?

Yes! Wood sorrel is edible and pleasant to eat raw. You can make a fresh-tasting salad by mixing wood sorrel with other wild greens such as dandelion, chickweed, and nettles.

Wood sorrel is a good vitamin C, iron, calcium, and magnesium source. Wood sorrel is high in oxalic acid (so don't overeat it at once), but this has no ill effects if you enjoy them in moderation!'

when cooking wood sorrel it's important to know that you will lose the bright green color when heating this delicate plant that said, the flavor

Can wood sorrel be eaten raw?

• Yes, wood sorrel can be eaten raw!
• Wood sorrel has a mild taste and is best when combined with a more potent ingredient. Try adding it to salads, smoothies, soups, stir-fries, or sandwiches. You can also incorporate wood sorrel into pestos and sauces for pasta (or any other grain) by blending it with oil and lemon juice until smooth.

What can you do with wood sorrel?

• simple syrup
• Iced tea or lemonade
• Wood Sorrel & Lemon Granita Recipe
• compound butter
• infused vinegar
• french sorrel sauce
• sorrel soup

A quick primer on everything you want to know about making this tasty ingredient.

Wood sorrel is a perennial herb that grows in the spring and summer. It's got a tart, lemony-tasting plant with pretty purple flowers. It can be used in salads and makes delicious sauces and roasted vegetables.

wood sorrel vs. clover

You might know it as a plant that likes to pop up in your yard or stick in your shoes. But lemony wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella) is also delightful to eat raw, with a tart, lemony flavor, and crunchy texture reminiscent of spinach. It's also pretty easy to grow in most areas, so if you've got the space and inclination, why not give this perennial herb a try?

Wood sorrel shoots up early each spring and grows quickly before dying back in midsummer (or earlier if the weather gets hot). The leaves are shaped like shamrocks with three heart-shaped leaflets per stem; they grow singly or together in pairs on slender stems above ground level. The flowers are small clusters of five white petals that bloom mid-spring through summer; the seedpods look like little green chilies hanging down from thin stalks just above the ground level (trust me—you'll be able to tell when they're ready for picking!).

How much wood sorrel is safe to eat

It is safe to eat a small amount of wood sorrel. However, it is possible to get sick from eating large doses of wood sorrel due to its oxalic acid content. In addition, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you should not eat wood sorrel. 

a word of caution: while all parts of the plant are edible, it's important to know that the oxalis species is named for oxalic acid, which for some people (specifically for pregnant people and folks with kidney stones) can cause issues when eating high quantities. That said, conventional foods such as chocolate, spinach, and rhubarb contain oxalic acid. As always, check with your doctor for any questions.

Well, there you have it! I hope that this has been a helpful guide to all of your wood sorrel questions. If you want to try cooking with wild wood sorrel, we recommend following our tips and trying out some of these recipes. We're sure they'll turn out great!