Some Sour Summer Sipping

Wood Sorrel is also known as Sour Grass, Sour Trefoil, Stickwort, Fairy Bells, and Hallelujah.  The lemony flavor leaves, flowers, and bulbs can be eaten fresh or cooked.  Wood sorrel contains significant amounts of Vitamin A.  The leaves work well in salads; they can also be steeped in water to make a tea or lemonade-flavored beverage.

I usually collect the wood sorrel, place it in a cheese cloth, put that in a carafe or pitcher and cover with hot water letting it steep.  When the water has cooled, I remove the cheese cloth and squeeze out the remaining liquid.  Now I have a slightly sour beverage that is great severed chilled!  I also add some honey which adds wonderful complexity to this sour summer refreshment.  Just don't drink too much at once.

The leaves and stem of this plant contain oxalic acid, which can cause kidney damage by inhibiting the uptake of calcium.  The flowers, seeds and leaves are not toxic to humans if eaten in small amounts.

I had been storing the extra as ice cubes which could be melted and consumed or add a cube to another drink to really mix things up.  However, after losing my freezer harvest during the week without power from the hurricane, I'm thinking of trying something different this year to store the wood sorrel.  I read another's suggestion to dry and store the sorrel then steep a measure as desired.