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Upcoming Events | Meet the Instructors | Plant Archive | Mushroom Archive
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Ground Elder (Aegopodium podagraria) is an edible, invasive plant in the carrot family.
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Ground elder can be identified by its toothed, hairless leaves in groups of three. The plant grows less than a foot tall. The stalks are grooved and hairless, unlike Wild Carrot. In May-June, the plant sends up a flower stalk that grows 1-2 feet above the other foliage. The tiny white flowers contain five petals and are grouped in umbels. Ground elder has a celery-like scent when crushed.
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Ground elder must be differentiated from Poison Hemlock, which grows up to 8 feet tall, lacks the celery-like smell when crushed, and usually has purple splotches on its stem.
Ground elder is best consumed in the spring, when the leaf shoots are a glossy green color, and the leaf has not yet unfolded. At this point, ground elder has a flavor reminiscent of parsley and celery.
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The plant can be eaten raw or cooked. Once the leaves mature and become course and papery, they have a stronger flavor. After the plant flowers, it becomes a mild laxative with an unpleasant flavor and is best left alone.
Ground elder has been used medicinally as a treatment for gout.
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Written by Amy Demers, founder of the Connecticut Foraging Club. To learn more about foraging in Connecticut, check out our upcoming classes.