Ireland Lied to Us

I’m gonna blow your mind in two parts, are you ready?

1. The plant the Irish told you was the inspiration for St. Patrick and the representation of the Holy Trinity–and ultimately one of the most recognizable symbols of Ireland–is not actually clover.

2. The truly inspirational plant is one that you’ve been walking over your whole life…and NOT EATING, even though YOU COULD HAVE.

This plant, this one right here. You probably have it growing in your yard right now. We’ve seen it our whole lives–growing among the grass at our parents’ house, alongside wildflowers, on the playground in elementary school–and even as curious, daredevil kids we never tried to put it in our mouths.

Until now. Well, a few years ago for one of us, and just a couple months ago for the other, when we started menu testing for the picnic.

Basically, this little plant, wood sorrel to finally put a name on it, is kinda awesome. It’s high in vitamin C and it has been used to treat ailments such as scurvy, fever, stomach upset, and to stop bleeding. It’s great raw in salads to add a sour kick, and you can also dry it or steep it like tea to make a pretty close substitute for lemonade, which is what we did at the picnic. Best of all, it grows almost everywhere, so we just had to step outside to pick it and use it!

Pretty neat, huh? Bet you want to know how to make that lemonade yourself, don’t you? Well, you’ll have to wait for the next blog post!