The image, above, shows the full coltsfoot plant (Tussilagofarfara), top left. The flowers are shown, bottom right,
with an expanded view of the flowers themselves, bottom right.
The mature fruit of the plant are shown top,right..
| Common Name: Coltsfoot |
| Scientific Name: Tussilago farfara |
|
Other Names: Ass's Foot, Bull's Foot, Butterbur, Coughwort, Farfara, Foal's Foot, Foalswort, Horse Foot, Horse-hoof, Colt Herb, Sow-foot, Calves' Foot, Cow Heave, Son Afore the Father, Tushalan, Tushy-lucky, Gowan, Yellow Stars, Dummy Weed, Dove-dock, Poor Man's Baccy, Yellow Trumpets, Wild Rhubarb, Hoofs, Cleats, Clatterclots, Coughwort, Claywed and Winter Heliotrope |
| Family: Asteraceae |
| Range: Europe, including Britain, from Norway south and east to N. Africa, western and northern Asia. |
Physical Characteristics
Tussilago farfara is a hardy Perennial plant, growing to 20cm (8 in) by 1m (3 ft 3 in) in size. It is hardy to zone 5 and is not frost tender. The plant flowers between February and April and the seeds ripen from March to May. The flowers are hermaphrodite and are pollinated by bees and flies. The plant is also self-fertile.Family: Asteraceae or Compositae |
| Edible Parts: Flowers, Leaves, Root, Oil |
 Edibility Rating: 3 
|
 Known Hazards: The plant contains traces of liver-affecting pyrrolizidin alkaloids. Though in tests, these alkaloids have not proven toxic at low levels, they could be dangerous if consumed in high doses. The plant should not be consumed during pregnancy or if lactating.
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Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Wild Food guide to Coltsfoot along with all the Coltsfoot containing recipes presented on this site, with 1 recipes in total.
This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Cornish recipes added to this site.
These recipes, all contain Coltsfoot as a major wild food ingredient.
Coltsfoot, Tussilago farfara, (also known as Ass's Foot, Bull's Foot, Butterbur, Coughwort, Farfara, Foal's Foot, Foalswort, Horse Foot, Horse-hoof, Colt Herb, Sow-foot, Calves' Foot, Cow Heave, Son Afore the Father, tushalan, tushy-lucky, Gowan, Yellow Stars, Dummy Weed, Dove-dock, Poor Man's Baccy, Yellow Trumpets, Wild Rhubarb, Hoofs, Cleats, Clatterclots, Coughwort, Claywed and Winter Heliotrope) is a perennial flowering herbaceous plant that's a member of the Asteraceae (aster/daisy) family. The flowers, which superficially resemble dandelions, appear in early spring (long before dandelions) and leaves do not appear until the seeds are set. The leaves are large and form a rosette at the base of the plant. The shape of the leaf broadly resembles the hoof-print of a horse (hence the common name). The plant is often found in waste and disturbed places and along roadsides and paths and as it spreads by both seed and rhizomes it is often considered and invasive plant.
It is a native of Asia and Europe, where it has long been used as a cough suppressant. Indeed, the Latin name of the plant Tussilago literally means 'cough suppressant'. The flowers and flower buds of the plant can be eaten raw in salads or they can be cooked. They are also traditionally used to make coltsfoot wine. The young leaves can also be used as a salad vegetable or they may be added to soups and vegetable stocks. They can also be stuffed to make dolmades or wrapped around stuffing balls. They can also be cooked as a vegetable. Note that the leaves should be washed after being boiled as this reduces their bitterness. The flowers can also be made into a herb tea. One note of caution, the plant contains traces of liver-affecting pyrrolizidine alkaloids and though safe in small doses you should not eat large quantities of the plant.
In early Victorian times it was one of the herbs added to the bunch of 'sweet herbs' that was a common addition to stocks and gravies. Indeed Eliza Acton recommends it for use in making French-style bouillon (see the recipe links below).
The flower buds and young flowers can be eaten raw or cooked. They have a pleasant aniseedy flavour and go well with fish or as an addition to salads. The flower buds can also be pickled for use in winter. The young leaves can be eaten either raw or coked and can be added to salads or used as a flavouring to soups. They can also be boiled or steamed to be served as a vegetable. The older leaves become bitter and need to be boiled in plenty of water then washed thoroughly before serving. The fresh or dried leaves and flowers can be steeped in boiling water to make a liquorice-flavoured tisane. The root can be scraped clean and candied in sugar syrup. In the past, the leaves were dried and burnt. The ash produced in this manner was employed as a salt substitute.
[2]. Huxley, A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992
[3]. Tanaka, T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
[4]. Lim T.K. Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants, Vols 1–8.
[5]. Thomas, G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
[6]. Milner, E. Trees of Britain and Ireland
[7]. Rose, F. & O'Reilly, C. The Wild Flower Key (Revised Edition) – How to identify wild plants, trees and shrubs in Britain and Ireland
[8]. Streeter, D. & Garrard, I. The Wild Flowers of the British Isles
[9]. Clapham, A.R.; Tutin, T.G. & Moore, D.M. Flora of the British Isles
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[11]. Jordan, P. & Wheeler, S. The Complete Book of Mushrooms: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Edible Mushrooms
[12]. Bunker, F.; Brodie, J.A.; Maggs, C.A. & Bunker, A. Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland.
[13]. Facciola, S. Cornucopia — A Source Book of Edible Plants
This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Cornish recipes added to this site.
These recipes, all contain Coltsfoot as a major wild food ingredient.
Coltsfoot, Tussilago farfara, (also known as Ass's Foot, Bull's Foot, Butterbur, Coughwort, Farfara, Foal's Foot, Foalswort, Horse Foot, Horse-hoof, Colt Herb, Sow-foot, Calves' Foot, Cow Heave, Son Afore the Father, tushalan, tushy-lucky, Gowan, Yellow Stars, Dummy Weed, Dove-dock, Poor Man's Baccy, Yellow Trumpets, Wild Rhubarb, Hoofs, Cleats, Clatterclots, Coughwort, Claywed and Winter Heliotrope) is a perennial flowering herbaceous plant that's a member of the Asteraceae (aster/daisy) family. The flowers, which superficially resemble dandelions, appear in early spring (long before dandelions) and leaves do not appear until the seeds are set. The leaves are large and form a rosette at the base of the plant. The shape of the leaf broadly resembles the hoof-print of a horse (hence the common name). The plant is often found in waste and disturbed places and along roadsides and paths and as it spreads by both seed and rhizomes it is often considered and invasive plant.
It is a native of Asia and Europe, where it has long been used as a cough suppressant. Indeed, the Latin name of the plant Tussilago literally means 'cough suppressant'. The flowers and flower buds of the plant can be eaten raw in salads or they can be cooked. They are also traditionally used to make coltsfoot wine. The young leaves can also be used as a salad vegetable or they may be added to soups and vegetable stocks. They can also be stuffed to make dolmades or wrapped around stuffing balls. They can also be cooked as a vegetable. Note that the leaves should be washed after being boiled as this reduces their bitterness. The flowers can also be made into a herb tea. One note of caution, the plant contains traces of liver-affecting pyrrolizidine alkaloids and though safe in small doses you should not eat large quantities of the plant.
In early Victorian times it was one of the herbs added to the bunch of 'sweet herbs' that was a common addition to stocks and gravies. Indeed Eliza Acton recommends it for use in making French-style bouillon (see the recipe links below).
The flower buds and young flowers can be eaten raw or cooked. They have a pleasant aniseedy flavour and go well with fish or as an addition to salads. The flower buds can also be pickled for use in winter. The young leaves can be eaten either raw or coked and can be added to salads or used as a flavouring to soups. They can also be boiled or steamed to be served as a vegetable. The older leaves become bitter and need to be boiled in plenty of water then washed thoroughly before serving. The fresh or dried leaves and flowers can be steeped in boiling water to make a liquorice-flavoured tisane. The root can be scraped clean and candied in sugar syrup. In the past, the leaves were dried and burnt. The ash produced in this manner was employed as a salt substitute.
References:
[1]. David Evans Notes from field observations, tastings and cookery experiments.[2]. Huxley, A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992
[3]. Tanaka, T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
[4]. Lim T.K. Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants, Vols 1–8.
[5]. Thomas, G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
[6]. Milner, E. Trees of Britain and Ireland
[7]. Rose, F. & O'Reilly, C. The Wild Flower Key (Revised Edition) – How to identify wild plants, trees and shrubs in Britain and Ireland
[8]. Streeter, D. & Garrard, I. The Wild Flowers of the British Isles
[9]. Clapham, A.R.; Tutin, T.G. & Moore, D.M. Flora of the British Isles
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[11]. Jordan, P. & Wheeler, S. The Complete Book of Mushrooms: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Edible Mushrooms
[12]. Bunker, F.; Brodie, J.A.; Maggs, C.A. & Bunker, A. Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland.
[13]. Facciola, S. Cornucopia — A Source Book of Edible Plants
The alphabetical list of all Coltsfoot recipes on this site follows, (limited to 100 recipes per page). There are 1 recipes in total:
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| Coltsfoot Flower Sorbet Origin: France |
Page 1 of 1