Spiderwort

I’m not sure when I saw the first spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis) growing in my yard.  I remember that the plant looked a little gangly but the flowers were a very attractive purplish-blue.  I researched the plant in the library and found out that it was called “spiderwort” and that it was a wildflower.

Because I liked the flowers I protected the plant and even made sure that it got watered during dry spells.  If you give wildflowers a little encouragement, they usually do really well and that was the case with this spiderwort.  We now have them growing in several areas of the yard.

When I started learning about wild edibles I was even more gratified that I had an abundant supply of spiderwort growing close to the house.  Foraging is fun, especially when you don’t have to go very far.   I often snack on the blossoms that open up in the morning.  I feel like the raw blossoms give me energy.  Sometimes I have to compete with the bumblebees to snag a few.

Spiderwort must have a great internal clock because all the blossoms close up right around noon.   If you’d like to garnish a salad with open spiderwort flowers, it better be a luncheon salad.  The closed blossoms taste at least as good as the open ones.  You can use the closed ones as part of a salad with your evening meal.

If you wanted to top off your meal with a spiderwort dessert, you could candy the flowers.  Just brush the petals with beaten egg white, dip in sugar and let them dry.  We tried it once but only had moderate success.  Perhaps it takes more practice.

The younger leaves and stems are also edible.  You can use them raw or boil them for 10 minutes.  The leaves and stems never get tender enough for my taste, but they could be part of a pureed soup.

 If you don’t want to use spiderwort as salad greens, you could always put it to good use as a radiation detector.  Very low levels of radiation change the flower color from its normal violet-blue color to a bright pink.