Trout Lilly Roots

[backcountrykid]

I understand that the roots of the Trout lily (or dog toothed violet) are edible but when is the best time of year to harvest the roots?

[wareagle69]

first lets start with one name-trout lilly-Erythronium americanum
if we call it the dog toothed lilly it has been grouped in also with trout lilly but can also be Erythronium dens-canis-also edible but lets be more precise to avoid confusion.
yes it is edible but bring a shovel as you will be digging all day to get to the very small corms, also a point of interest they take approx 7 yrs to reach maturity, so do not destroy the patch which can seem very large also only the two leaved plants flower.
so any how the best time is aprilish depending on whether you are north or south in ontario

[rwc1969]

Most roots, corms, tubers are best harvested when the plants are dormant and not actively growing.

[wareagle69]

good point rwc, thats why ya gotta do your homework, otherwise how would ya know where to find them in the fall or spring before they come up...

[LowKey]

Don't eat them unless you have to. Try a few so you know you can and how to prepare them but like the other guys said, don't wipe out the patch to do it. They grow too darn slow for anything but emergencies.

I'd find out how to prepare them. One of my books says they are an emetic.

[rwc1969]

I have looked long and hard for a huge local patch of Trout lily and Spring beauty. Turns out they are almost just outside my door.

I ID'd them this spring when they were in flower, marked the locations and will return at different times before they start to really grow and taste test them.

You could always gather some up and transplant them too. It would take a good long time for them to proliferate, but nothing like passing on something good to the next gen.

We now have a whole bunch growing right in our yard.

[LowKey]

Just don't try transplanting when they are actively growing. Mark them and move them in the fall when they are dormant. The corms can be pretty deep, sometimes up to a foot down. If you break off the leaves when they are growing you have a good chance the bulb will be traumatized and take a year or two to recover enough to flower. It may even die if you remove the leaves too early in the growing season. I have a small patch of about 10 plants. Nothing in my yard is really planted at a scale large enough to be a perpetual food source.