-F OOD U NDER F OOT

PRESENTS -

THE WILD EDIBLE SERIES

PART 5 CLOVER
www.FoodUnderFoot.com

W RITTEN

BY

M ELISSA S OKULSKI & J ASON O LIPHANT

COPYRIGHT

2009

Credits: Photos taken by ourselves or rights purchased (unless otherwise stated). He ader ba se d o ff o f D i sc i pl e Wor dPre s s The m e .

CLOVER
INTRODUCTION
I'm looking over a three leaf clover, that I overlooked be-three... ~ Bugs Bunny (Operation: Rabbit 1952)

Clover is well known by all of us. Children and bees alike spend hours with their faces in clover, searching for the elusive 4-leaf clover or gathering the honey producing nectar. It's commonly used in traditional medicine and by herbalists for ailments ranging from cough to cancer. Farmers and gardeners plant it as a rotation crop and for fodder. Browsing animals adore it. Before the days of herbicide it was mixed with grass seed, helping grass seedlings by fixing nitrogen and out competing lawn weeds. From fodder to fortune, you can't write clover without LOVE...

CLOVER
IDENTIFICATION
Red Clover is an erect, short-lived perennial plant. The leaves are oval and in threes, often with a white crescent, or water-mark on the upper surface. In distinction to the White Clover, it grows taller, up to 20 - 80 cm and the stalk is hairy. The leaves are also larger 1.5 - 3 cm by 0.8 - 1.5 cm. The clearest distinction is in the 2 - 3 cm flower which is a deep pink, lighter at the base arranged as a dense collection of florets. The flower usually has 3 leaves (or two opposite sets of three) just below the flower head.

red clover (background) is taller with larger leaves than white clover (foreground)

white clover and red clover

CLOVER
The White Clover is also a perennial grows closer to the ground, is non-hairy and has smaller (1-2cm) flowers that are white, sometimes tinged with pink. The leaves are similarly grouped in threes, ovate in shape, often with the pale crescent or water-mark.

red clover flower

wikimedia commons author tony wills

white clover
gnu free license documentation author: sannse

CLOVER
Wood Sorrel (Oxalis stricta) is a close look-alike with strikingly similar leaves. The leaves can be distinguished with practice as they are more sharply heartshaped, and will not have the pale crescent sometimes found on clover. The wood sorrel leaves tend to bend backwards in the sun (see picture). If the yellow flowers of the wood sorrel are present, there should no confusion. Wood sorrel leaves are also edible, but their tartness clearly differentiates them from the mild taste of clover. They are high in oxalic acid and care should be taken if you are prone to kidney stones.

wood sorrel (clover look-alike)

red clover (top) and white clover (bottom)

CLOVER
HARVEST AND PREPARATION
The leaves of Red and White Clover can be collected and used as a green, fresh in salads or in smoothies. Some may find the green hard to digest, although this can be ameliorated by cooking. The flowers can be eaten fresh in salads or added to batters. The Red Clover Flowers and their associated leaflets can be harvested and laid out in a warm, dry and airy place to dry. A dehydrator can also be used. The flowers will retain their pink color when dry. The flowers can be used fresh in preparing a tincture, or once dried, can be steeped for in a tea or used in the production of a salve.

dried red clover flowers

CLOVER
USES

-as a medicinalIt is the flower of the Red Clover that is used medicinally fresh made into a tincture, or dried first then made into an infusion (tea) or salve. It has a wide range of uses in herbal medicine, traditionally treating conditions from cough to cancer as an expectorant in whooping cough and bronchitis, as a salve topically for psoriasis and excema, and as a blood purifier by improving circulation, increasing urine output and cleansing the liver. Clover contains isoflavins which are plant compounds with estrogen-like effects and current scientific investigation has focused on these effects helpful in menopause associated conditions such as hot flashes, osteoporosis and cardiovascular conditions. Red Clover isoflavins have shown anti-cancer effects in the laboratory with hopes that it may reduce the risk of prostate and endometrial cancers. Although traditionally advocated for treatment of breast cancer (Bremness, Lesley. Eyewitness Handbooks: Herbs, p. 222), the University of Maryland Medical Center warns that these same estrogen-like effects can encourage the growth of these tumors and advises against its use in breast cancer. A detailed examination of its medicinal uses and contraindications is however beyond the scope of this work.

CLOVER
RED CLOVER FLOWER ~TINCTURE~ HARVEST RED CLOVER FLOWERS CLEAN IN WATER. FILL A GLASS JAR WITH THE FLOWERS. COVER WITH 100 PROOF VODKA (80 PROOF IS OKAY.) LABEL: DATE, RED CLOVER FLOWERS IN 100 (OR 80) PROOF VODKA IN 6 WEEKS, FILTER OUT PLANT MATTER RESERVING LIQUID, THIS IS YOUR TINCTURE. RE-LABEL IF IN NEW JAR.

RED CLOVER OIL

(MEANT FOR USE IN MAKING SALVE BELOW)

ADD DRIED RED CLOVER FLOWERS TO FILL A GLASS JAR. COVER WITH OLIVE OIL. LABEL: DATE, RED CLOVER FLOWERS, OLIVE OIL. IN 4 WEEKS, STRAIN PLANT MATTER, SAVING OIL FOR SALVE. RED CLOVER SALVE

CUP RED CLOVER OIL. 2 TBSP GRATED BEESWAX. HEAT OIL AND BEESWAX GENTLY, IN DOUBLE BOILER, UNTIL BEESWAX IS MELTED (IF YOU DON'T HAVE A DOUBLE BOILER, PLACE A SMALL POT WITH THE OIL AND WAX INSIDE A LARGER POT OF WATER ON THE STOVE.) MIX WELL, POUR INTO CONTAINER WITH WIDE LID. LET COOL AND HARDEN. LABEL

CLOVER
-as an edibleThe Flowers are nectar rich and the base of the florets taste of honey. Just follow the example of the bees who clearly favor clover. Flower petals can be added to flours, pancakes and other batters. The leaves are very nutritious fresh added to smoothies and salads. Native Americans ate the leaves of red clover in springtime as a vegetable. Some have trouble with digestion, which may be remedied by cooking the greens like spinach.

RED CLOVER SMOOTHIE 2 BANANAS 1 CUP RED RASPBERRIES, FRESH OR FROZEN 1 TBSP MAPLE SYRUP OR HONEY 1 CUP RED CLOVER FLOWERS AND LEAVES
ICE WATER, ABOUT

3 CUPS TO COVER

blend well in blender and enjoy.

CLOVER
RECIPES
RED CLOVER APPLE COOKIES RAW FOOD 1 CUP RED CLOVER FLORETS - PICK RED CLOVER BLOSSOMS, AND PULL
FLORETS APART

3 CUPS APPLES, CHOPPED FINELY 1 CUP PECAN, CHOPPED WELL IN FOOD PROCESSOR 2 TBSP HONEY, AGAVE NECTAR OR MAPLE SYRUP 1 TBSP CINNAMON 1/4 CUP RAISINS
mix all ingredients together well.

-rawform into cookies, place on dehydrator tray. dehydrate at 105 for six hours, flip, and dehyrate another 3 hours.

-OR-cookedform into cookies on cookie sheet. bake at 250 for 1 hour.

CLOVER
RED CLOVER ICED TEA (WITH MINT AND LEMON) 3 TBSP DRIED RED CLOVER FLOWERS 1 QUART WATER HONEY OR AGAVE NECTAR (TO TASTE) MINT LEAVES LEMON

steep flowers in boiled water for 15 minutes. strain out flowers, add honey or agave nectar. refrigerate. -to serveput two mint leaves in bottom of glass. squeeze some lemon on top and crush mint leaf with chopstick. add ice and pour in cooled tea. enjoy!

CLOVER
TOFU SCRAMBLE WITH YOUNG CLOVER LEAVES
(VEGAN, GLUTEN-FREE, DAIRY-FREE)

CUP EARLY SPRING LEAVES OF RED OR WHITE CLOVER 1 BLOCK EXTRA FIRM TOFU, CRUMBLED (SQUEEZE TO BREAK INTO PIECES) ONION, CHOPPED 1 CLOVE GARLIC, CHOPPED OR PRESSED RED PEPPER, CHOPPED CUP MUSHROOMS, CHOPPED 1 TBSP TUMERIC 1 TBSP NUTRITIONAL YEAST 1 TBSP TAMARI, OR TSP SALT (TO TASTE) PEPPER OR HOT SAUCE, OPTIONAL 2 TBSP OLIVE OIL
heat oil in pan.

add onion, garlic, mushrooms, red pepper, and tamari or salt into pan. stir until onions are clear a few minutes. add crumbled tofu. cook on low heat, 10 minutes, until tofu starts to brown in place (mix so it doesn't burn, add some water if necessary) add nutritional yeast, tumeric, more salt (if needed), pepper, and clover leaves. mix well until tofu is yellow and clover leaves are wilted. remove from heat. use hot sauces as taste dictates.

CLOVER
-Important Safety Notes-As Recommended by the University Of Maryland-Medical Center1. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should not take Red Clover.
University of Maryland Medical Center website reports that animals grazing on large amounts of Red Clover have become infertile and advises against use in pregnant and breastfeeding women. This may be do to the estrogen-like effects of the isoflavones prevalent in the plant.

2. Medication interaction.
Red Clover may interfere with drug metabolism by the liver. Seek advice from your medical doctor on its effects with your medications, in particular -Estrogens (hormone replacement, birth control) -Tamoxifen -Blood-thinners (it may increase the risk of bleeding).

3. Use in Breast Cancer.

Isoflavins may potentially encourage growth of estrogen responsive cancer the Medical Center warns against use in breast cancer. NOTE: This warning is in direct contradiction to folk medicine's common use of Red Clover in the treatment of Breast Cancer with it's use being extended to the treatment of ovarian and lymphatic cancers. (Bremness, Lesley. Eyewitness Handbooks: Herbs. 1994.) There are reports that red clover is safe in women with a family history of breast cancer. We provide both positions for educational use and to encourage discussion and research. It is beyond the scope of this document to discuss in detail or to make medical recommendations.

CLOVER
RESOURCES

-REFERENCES Holmes, Peter. The Energetics of Western Herbs, Volume II. Revised Second Edition 1994 Bunny, Sarah. Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs; Their Medicinal and Culinary Uses. 1996 Dawson, Adele G. Herbs, Partners in Life. 1991 Ody, Penelope. The Complete Medicinal Herbal. 1993. Bremness, Lesley. Eyewitness Handbooks: Herbs. 1994. -WEB RESOURCES Wikipedia University of Maryland Medical Center -PHOTOS FoodUnderFoot.com Wikipedia, GNU Free Documentation Licence, authors Tony Wills and Sannse