Montana has a gorgeous and diverse population of plant-life. Some are as beautiful as they are tasty and edible! You can brew them in tea, prepare them in dishes, or even just use them as a pretty garnish on your baked goods. The possibilities are endless! Here’s just a few of the many edible plants that Montana has to offer! To get a full list check out Montana Plant Life’s list!
Sunflower
Everyone has enjoyed the roasted seeds of this plant. And there’s certainly many different ways to go about roasting and toasting them. However, grilling the entire head of this massive flower is a delicious and experimental option too. Gardening Know How is the source for this recipe, and they had quite the experience indulging in the sunflower.
Dust off your head to find the creamy seeds inside after choosing the perfect head to roast, and then brush with olive oil and salt, placing it face down on the grill. After 5 minutes on medium heat, remove and enjoy! Additional seasoning recommendations are a bit of garlic salt, oil, and anything else you may enjoy on a cob of corn.
Sweet-root
This delicious flower can be used in a variety of ways. Found in the woodlands, from plains
to moderate mountain elevations in Western and Southern Montana. If you’re looking for a parsnip-like flavor to spice up your dishes, you can dry and grind up this root into a seasoning. A recipe I found on Gartur Stitch Farm details how to make yummy Sweet-root, or Sweet Cicely (another name for this plant) ice cream!
For more details on the recipe, check out their site. I’ll just be giving a brief breakdown here. Find and harvest the plant before it’s started to flower. Starting with a simmer of the green parts of the plants, milk and cream will infuse this delicious flavor immediately. From there it’s a pretty typical ice cream recipe, and they recommend you pair it with rhubarb crumble. Enjoy!
Wild bergamot
Simplicity is key with this recipe, as detailed by Get Busy Gardening. Also known as Bee Balm, Wild Bergamot is full of immune boosting qualities. This tea is soothing and mildly minty, and can be made with dried or raw flowers.
Using the leaves, which have the strongest flavor, drying them on a herb rack or dehydrator will help you save them for later. Do not use any leaves with white mildew on them, which happens often in the wild. If you decide to use the flowers, it will tint your drink slightly pink. Fill a diffuser with your leaves and then pour boiling water over top. Add whatever sweetener you’d like and enjoy!
Purple Prairie-clover
Also known as Red Clover, this plant is perfect to eat in a salad or in the information provided by Common Sense Home, a tummy settling tonic that will do wonders for your heart health and more.
Red Clover jelly is a recipe from the same site that involves the typical jelly making process with some gorgeous pink infusing of the plant. Mixed with lemon juice, pectin packets and some time overnight, you’ll have a delicious jelly to spread over a variety of foods.
Nodding onion
This last plant is as delicious as it is beautiful, and familiar! A simple approach, knowing that the flavor of the bulbs, flowers and stems is similar to a traditional onion. Throw these into a salad, or fry them up in a stir fry and you’ll have a wild onion flavor to spruce up the recipe!
According to Plants for a Future, there’s plenty of medicinal uses for this plant as well, similar to those of garlic. The juice can also be used as a moth repellent!
For more recipes gathered by yours truly, check out my past articles on Wild Game Recipes including goose and venison!
