The Feisty Forager: Daisy
March Madness — Day 28
All members of the Asteraceae (aster) family are considered edible, including the ubiquitous daisy, a long-time lover of country and city person alike. Who didn’t grow up with the little ditty “Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer true…?” My mother, on the day she married, wore a wreath of daisies in her hair. I have picked bouquets of daisies my lifetime through, both in the woods and fields of Appalachia and in the countryside of France, where I lived for twenty years and raised my three children.
Symbol of simplicity and joy and childhood innocence, the daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare being the genus and species with which we most usually identify) is special in that it is two flowers in one. The large outer petals make up one flower, and the cluster of tiny petals that form the center eye make up another.
This plant group encompasses over 1,000 genera and about 20,000 species. Other commonly recognized plants in the aster family include lettuce, daisies, sunflowers, chrysanthemums, dandelions, goldenrod, coneflowers, thistles, artichokes, sunflowers, dahlias, marigolds, zinnias, asters, chamomile, cosmos, chicory, sage, tarragon, ragweed, thistle, sagebrush, and yarrow.
Butterflies love them, as do birds and humans. Both leaves and flowers can be eaten fresh, or dried and steeped as tea.
This article is one of a month-long series of foraged treasures. For more recipes from the field and forest, check out Appalachian Appetite: Recipes from the Heart of America.
