Miner's Lettuce

Finding It

Miner's lettuce can be fairly common wild food, and in ideal habitats it can be almost overwhelmingly common. It's especially common in moist, shady areas, often near the bases of trees or in shady groves. Wild miner's lettuce can be found west of the Rockies in temperate areas, and is especially common in Northern California. In Western Europe and pockets of Eastern North America (where the species has been introduced and naturalized), it can be found in similar habitats.

Farmers markets will occasionally carry miner's lettuce (especially if a marketer specializes in greens or wild foods). It's worth noting that these will be most likely be picked form the wild, though they can be cultivated with ease.

Identifying Miner's Lettuce

Miner's lettuce has a distinctive growth habit, and an especially easy to spot combination of flower and leaf. The youngest leaves, which grow at the base of the plant and are first to emerge in the spring, are shaped like small, rounded spades. After these leaves grow, the more distinctive 'rosette' leaves begin growing. These leaves are actually two fused leaves that grow together to form a small round bowl-like leaf. In the center of the bowl, a tiny cluster of white flowers grows. This gives the unusual impression that the flowers grow from the center of a large round leaf.

The plant itself emerges from the ground very early in the spring and grows quickly, often forming large carpeted areas of greenery. The leaves often begin to turn red and start to dry out later in the season when the weather warms and the sun becomes hotter during the day.

There are actually several other related members of the genus Claytonia that look extremely similar to miner's lettuce, and many of these can be found in various parts of North and Central America. Fortunately, they are also edible and can be considered interchangeable from a culinary standpoint.

Good Foraging Practice

Whether you're picking your own miner's lettuce or getting it from a farmers' market, you'll want to look for bright green, entire leaves without obvious signs of insect or mechanical damage.  Avoid reddish brown, mottled, or otherwise discolored leaves.  Young leaves are going to be fairly small, but unlike many greens, even older larger leaves are perfectly tasty (assuming they're still green and succulent).  Avoid mushy or overly wilted looking leaves.

If you're picking your own miner's lettuce leaves, be certain that they are growing in a safe (pesticide-free, historically uncontaminated) area, and that you are 100% certain of their identity.  Choose some of the youngest plants that emerge early in spring, or some of the rosette leaves on more mature plants.  Be sure not to pick an area clean (unless you live in an area where the plant is an introduced invasive).  As a general foraging rule, you shouldn't take more than 10% of the plants in a patch.

Unlike many plants, miner's lettuce does not become bitter when it starts to flower.  In fact, it's at it's most distinctive when the small leaf/flower rosettes are used.

Baby spinach makes a rather good replacement in terms of flavour. The texture is likewise fairly similar, though miner’s lettuce tends to be slightly more succulent. Spinach stems and stalks are not as tender as miner’s lettuce stems, especially when it comes to older/larger leaves.

In terms of visual impact, the small flower clusters in the center of a circular leaf are rather unique, which is part of why miner’s lettuce has become a popular (and in some cases over-used and under-appreciated) garnish in the gourmet culinary world.