Edible plants: Mallow

Tree Mallow

Many people today are becoming increasingly interested in foraging and finding out what edible plants are out there that we can safely gather. There are many books and videos on the subject available and anyone that knows much about the subject would I am sure agree that it is vitally important to be able to identify the plants you can eat and to avoid those you cannot. There are wild flowers out there that can make you very sick and some that can actually kill you. So this is why identification of an edible species is so important.  Fortunately there are many common plants that are very easy to find and that are difficult to mistake for poisonous ones. The Mallows come into the common and safe to eat category.

Marshmallows are very popular sweets but what you probably don't know is that they are named after a wild flower, the roots of which were once used to make a confection. Actually many plants in the Mallow family (Malvaceae) are edible and many have properties that make them useful in herbal medicine too.

The leaves of the Common Mallow can be cooked like spinach greens and the flowers are edible, as are the roots that ban be boiled and eaten. Most plants in the Mallow family can be eaten and some have been used in recipes in different parts of the world. The leaves cook well in soups and stews and because they contain vitamins and minerals are a nutritious ingredient to add.

You can find out more about plants to forage for here: Edible plants for foragers

Copyright © 2012 Steve Andrews. All Rights Reserved.