Flatweed (cat's ear)
Hypochaeris radicata
leaf
Rosettes of slightly bitter leaves, boiled with olive oil and lemon in Cretan horta.
- Origin
- Europe and the Mediterranean
- Where to find it
- Everywhere in lawns, meadows and roadsides, in Europe as in Crete; the whole rosette is picked before the flower stalk rises.
- Season (United States)
- January to April
- Preparation
- The rosette is washed in several changes of water, as soil lodges at its base, then boiled for about ten minutes.
- Did you know?
- Its Greek name, agriradiko, means “wild chicory”: Cretans pick about ten species under this name.