Way down inside the hoop house, under the plastic and the row cover is a bright spot in the dreary landscape. This lush beautiful green is the first thing we crave when the cold weather keeps the other greens in limbo. Just a few nice warm days and the Claytonia is back in business!
Claytonia Perfoliata
Claytonia, aka ‘Miners Lettuce’ is related to common and cultivated purslane; a weed to some, a salad and source of tons of vitamin C to others! ‘Miners lettuce’ got its name because it grew abundantly and was so often eaten by miners to prevent scurvy. A plate-full (a large salad) can contain about 1/2 of your daily requirement for Vit. C!
When my son was in college he would come home and devour bags full of the green. It really made me wonder how much time he was spending in a dark, nutrient-deprived environment. I am relieved that now that those days are behind him, he’s living in CA, shopping at great farmers markets and he still craves Claytonia in the spring.
High Meadow Farm CSA 
As a child I picked Miner’s Lettuce in the forests of Northern California and munched it immediately. We liked it so much we told the younger kids that it was bad for them–because they weren’t as big as us.
Maybe that’s why its not more popular!
yay for claytonia!
nice article, meg.
Thanks, Megan.
Me too! I love claytonia!