Buttercups.

[sheena]

I have a corner which is flowing over with buttercups, can any of you clever ishers give me any recipes, ideas or tips of what I can do with them please.
I have heard of buttercup syrup- but I thought that calandines were noxious??

[Nomada]

Do you mean buttercups as in Ranunculus species? I think they are all poisonous so I wouldn't risk it to be honest (though I'm sure they're not as bad when they've been dried out). Leave 'em for the bugs to nectar on or just coz they're pretty .

[Millymollymandy]

Lesser Celandine on the other hand is edible and I put the leaves in salads. But don't try to eat Greater Celandine because I don't think it is edible. They are not buttercups though.

[Nomada]

Careful, I still think the lesser celandine is toxic, maybe it's like japanese knotweed and starts off ok as young leaves that become toxic as they mature;

http://www.plantpress.com/wildlife/o654 ... andine.php

I think you are right about greater celandine, it's from the poppy family and they often tend to be poisonous more often than not.

[sheena]

Thanks for the advice, I think I will just leave it where it is it may not be any good for me, but the bees and butterflies seem to love it and boy is it attracting a lot of those at the moment.

[Millymollymandy]

Careful, I still think the lesser celandine is toxic, maybe it's like japanese knotweed and starts off ok as young leaves that become toxic as they mature;

http://www.plantpress.com/wildlife/o654 ... andine.php

I think you are right about greater celandine, it's from the poppy family and they often tend to be poisonous more often than not.

Everything I've read about lesser celandine says it is edible including on various green forums where over the years we have discussed our early spring 'salads'. I've been eating it for 4 years now with no effects! I did find one site that said only pick before it starts flowering though others say to eat the flowers too.

I'll continue to do so because it hasn't made us ill, and because the leaves are small so only a small amount are consumed along with other edible 'weeds' and shop bought lettuce! (and this is only eaten once or twice in the spring as a bit of a novelty before I start getting anything edible from the veg patch).

[Nomada]

Maybe it's not so bad when it's young, there's loads of plants like that, as far as I'm aware you can eat really young bracken fronds and japanese knotweed shoots but the older stuff is either toxic or unpalatable. What does it taste like?

Sheena, seems like a good idea to leave some, if you're growing fruit and veg nearby they'll bring in the bees and hoverflies by the sounds of things.

[MuddyWitch]

I thought 'buttercup' syrup was a trade name not it's ingredient?

MW

[Millymollymandy]

What does it taste like?

Not a lot quite frankly! I do find a lot of these edible wild plants/weeds pretty bland, but then so is a lot of lettuce. I guess that's why we put dressing on salad. Anyway when I pick the celandine it is usually at the same time as the sorrel is emerging which does have a nice lemony taste, and so does hairy bittercress (peppery cresslike taste).

[Nomada]

Mmmm, I love sorrel. I've just dug up a load of bittercress out of my containers on my balcony. They're being replaced by herbs and tomatoes but they've been useful over winter.

I thought it was a brand name too Muddywitch, not sure.

[rockchick]

Mmmm, I love buttercup syrup. No idea what the active ingredients are but as an asthmatic its the only one the pharmacist recommends for general coughy type symptoms. It pretty much does rugger ball for the cough - but it does taste nice!

[Nomada]

Just found out it's made of squills!