From the Spring Foraging Cookbook: Mallow and Marsh Marigold

Mallow

The leaves of several Mallows may be eaten in the spring, but the Common Mallow, often called “Cheeses” due to the cheese-wheel like shape of the flower, is most popular.  These buds may also be cooked and eaten or simply snacked on raw.  Mallows have an okra or purslane-like mucilaginous quality.  If you like that, as I do, you will love them.  They are very good as a cooked vegetable, served with vinegar.  The flower buds are excellent pickled – just like pickled okra, they lose their sliminess and may be enjoyed by all.  

The leaves of Mallows are also useful, especially in spring.  I usually toss the leaves and buds in a pan together and just cook them down with some bacon fat and salt.  This makes a nice potherb.  I like to cook some chopped onion with the Mallow and add some lemon juice and spice – Creole seasoning, black pepper, crushed red pepper, etc.  This makes an excellent bed for grilled chicken or fish, etc and a nice meal even with just some buttered rice and lima beans… I don’t always have to have meat, but I would generally have a couple of deviled eggs.





Marsh Marigold

This plant is mostly found in the northeastern United States.  But, its range does extend into the Appalachians in my region.  I have not had much experience with Marsh Marigold, but have found it to be an interesting spring edible, with a nice, cheery flower when most else is still dormant.  That said, this plant is somewhat toxic eaten raw.  The tender leaves and flower buds must be cooked to remove this toxicity.  Most experts recommend boiling them in 2-3 changes of water before cooking them to serve.  As I have not had as much experience with Marsh Marigold as I have Poke (which usually carries the same warnings), I have followed their advice.  You can cook the plant as a potherb, with some fat, and enjoy it as you would Poke, Dock, Dandelion, etc. and you can include the buds with the leaves.  The cooked buds may also be pickled like capers, as described under Dandelion.



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We discovered and experimented with mallow in our yard this year, and we concluded we don't like it raw haha.  But cooked its fine for both my husband and I.  I like your idea of cooking it with bacon.

Riona Abhainn wrote:We discovered and experimented with mallow in our yard this year, and we concluded we don't like it raw haha.  But cooked its fine for both my husband and I.  I like your idea of cooking it with bacon. :)

Every vegetable is better with bacon!

I have not tried marsh marigold yet, but someone I know says it is very good and is eaten by some old-timers who don’t eat other wild foods, even ramps. They are extremely abundant in some areas where I live, and iconic spring flowers. It’s odd how the ones traditionally eaten are oftentimes the poisonous ones.