Christened with a most unlikely—and dare I say un-pretty—name, miner’s lettuce may not sound like the most appetizing of edibles. But if you were a miner during the California Gold Rush, the sight of these straggly plants emerging from the soft soil would have been as welcome as a plethora of gold nuggets. The plant took its name from these very miners, who consumed it to supplement their daily vitamin C intake and fight scurvy.

The miners were not the only ones who appreciated miner’s lettuce. The American Indians not only ate it raw and cooked, they made a tea from the plant, hence its other name: Indian lettuce. Californian tribes had a unique method of flavoring these leaves. Just as we spritz vinegar or lemon juice on our salads, the Indians flavored theirs with the tangy formic acid red ants leave behind on the ground as they walk. The Indians would spread miner’s lettuce leaves around the entrances to anthills for the ants to traipse all over; a day later the miner’s lettuce was covered with “salad dressing.”

True to yet another moniker—winter purslane—the first miner’s lettuce shoots sprout in late winter in the Northwest, and it comes out in full force in the spring. Preferring cool, damp conditions, the best stands are found in denser shaded areas, especially in the uplands into the early summer where the fragile plants are allowed to persist as temperatures warm up.

Willows Lodge horticulturist EagleSong says miner’s lettuce is a godsend, appearing at a slack time for garden greens in the early spring. “I’m pretty darned hungry for something fresh when [miner’s lettuce is at its] best, the winter cole crops in my garden being quite exhausted by spring … [and] when lettuces aren’t quite ready.”

According to EagleSong, who teaches foraging techniques to students in her apprenticeship classes at Ravencroft Garden, an educational center connecting people, plants and the earth she founded in 1991, you can find this stalwart wild plant growing along the moist forest edge in the low-lying river valleys—by the middle fork of the Snoqualmie River, or in Stevens Pass just before you hit the mountains. Blanketing the forest floor and perhaps playing hide and seek amongst rock cracks and crevices, miner’s lettuce grows with abandon up and down the Pacific Coast of the Americas from Central America to British Columbia.

Miner’s lettuce is a beginning forager’s dream: It’s easy to identify (the leaf that grows all around the stem is a dead giveaway), tastes mild and pleasant and grows abundantly like a weed. Don’t go looking for lettuce, though. “Lettuce” is an unlikely description for this small plant. Growing about 4 to 6 inches tall, each skinny petiole is topped with a succulent pea-green “bowl” or “plate” turned to the sky, a cluster of tiny pinkish-white blossom popping out through the center; young basal leaves sprout out like heart-shaped paddles. Every part—from leaf to stem to flower—of the plant is edible and unlike many wild edibles, miner’s lettuce doesn’t turn bitter when it blooms.

Once you’ve spotted miner’s lettuce, you’ll have a windfall. It grows in fairly thick stands and harvest can be quick. The wild plant also self-sows readily, so while you’re always advised to go from patch to patch when picking wild edibles, you don’t have to worry about over-picking it.

Like all lettuce, miner’s lettuce leaves can be used raw in salads. Best used fresh and tiny, the succulent leaves are fairly bland and are almost indistinguishable from other loose-leaf salads. Its taste and texture bear nothing exotic, but miner’s lettuce brings with it the fresh, wild flavor of the outdoors and has a good crunch. The delicate blossoms also make a very pretty garnish.

One of EagleSong’s favorite early springtime treats is a tasty textured wild salad of miner’s lettuce, hairy bittercress and mache, all cool-weather friends. Drizzled with light balsamic vinaigrette—lots of olive oil is a must—it’s delightful, she says.

Or use it in cooked recipes like spinach, tossed into stir-fries and pasta dishes at the last minute. The leaves are delicate, so don’t overcook. (Keep in mind that it takes about 200 mid-size leaves for a nice single serving. Thank goodness it grows profusely!) Miner’s lettuce does deteriorate quickly after harvest, and will keep for a maximum two to three days in the crisper.

If you’d rather have miner’s lettuce close and at your disposal, grow it in your home garden. It is easily domesticated and seeds are available from many vegetable seed purveyors like Johnny’s Selected Seeds (Maine) and Territorial Seed Company (Oregon).

Miner’s lettuce is available from Found and Foraged Edibles at the University District Farmers’ Market in spring or on your nearest forest floor.

Pat Tanumihardja writes about food, culture and travel looking through a multi-cultural lens. She has been published in Saveur, Seattle Magazine and Sunset, and is currently working on her first cookbook, The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook, to be published by Sasquatch Books in 2009. theasiangrandmotherscookbook.wordpress.com

Sunny Savage's work on wild food and foraged plants can be found at wildfoodplants.com

Find Ethan Stowell's recipe for miner's lettuce salad on our recipes page.