The white flowers on the cow parsnip plant are similar to the white flowers of poison hemlock.
Cow parsnip is used medicinally and for food. American Indians once gathered it for these purposes. It is a herbaceous perennial that can grow up to 10 feet. The stem is hollow, grooved and covered with woolly hair. It belongs to the Apiaceae family, and can be confused with poison hemlock and water hemlock, both poisonous members of the carrot family, so positive identification is crucial. Does this Spark an idea?
Leaves as Food
Use the young leaves in salads or soups. Use them when they are just uncurling. Wash them very well before using them in a recipe. To prepare them as a side vegetable, boil them for 10 minutes and strain. Add some chopped onions, soy sauce and butter. Dry the leaves, burn them and use the ashes as a salt substitute.
Stalks as Food
Peel the outer rind off the stalks before eating. The rind has a very strong flavor, so be sure to remove it all. Eat them raw, as you would celery. Fill the hollow part with peanut butter. The lower down the stem you get, the less sweet of a flavor there is. Add the stem to soups, stews or salads, or boil them and use them as a vegetable side.
Medicinal Uses of the Root and Flower
Dry the root completely and use it in a tea to treat nausea, acid indigestion and heartburn. You can also cook the roots and eat them for the same purpose. Raw pieces of the root can be stuffed into dental cavities to ease toothache. Steep the flowers in oil to use as an insect repellent on the skin.
Cow Parsnip as Cattle Feed
Cow parsnip is named so because of its similarity to parsnip, and the fact that cows like to eat it. Cows fed cow parsnip silage have a greater milk yield then cows fed on clover and timothy grass silage. The cow parsnip silage also provides a higher amount of digestible protein, volatile fatty acid, cellulolytic activity and carotene values.
Tags: boil them, parsnip silage, poison hemlock, white flowers
