Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Wild Food guide to Primrose along with all the Primrose containing recipes presented on this site, with 12 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 Primrose as a major wild food ingredient.

The primrose, Primula vulgaris (also known as Early Rose, Easter Rose, First Rose and May-Flooer) is a flowering perennial herb native to western and southern Europe which is a member of the Primulaceae (primrose) family. It tends to be one of the earliest of the spring flowers and cascades of the sweetly-scented pale yellow flowers (with their darker yellow centres) are common on countryside verges and in woodlands. The plants are monoecious (ie flowers are male or female) and heterostylous (ie flowers can also have one or two forms). Primrose flowers are classed as either pin (with the capita of the style prominent) or thrum (with the stamens prominent). Fertilisation can only take place between pin and thrum plants. Pin to pin and thrum to thrum pollination is ineffective. If flower, the plants can reach 15cm in height and the flower clumps can reach 15cm in diameter. The leaves are mid-green in colour and wrinkled with a distinct midrib.

As well as the typical yellow or cream coloured flower, the flowers can also be found in lavender, orange, pink, purple, red and white variants.

The primrose is a common sight in the spring-time hedgerow and the flowers of this plant are slightly sweet and excellent to eat. They make a colourful addition to any salad, can be used to decorate ice-cream in a dessert and can be candied by preserving in sugar for later use to decorate cakes. Please note, however, that the picking of primroses or the removal of primrose plants from the wild without the permission of the owner of the land on which they are growing is now illegal in the UK (Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, Section 13, part 1b). Moreover, the primrose has become increasingly rare in some regions of the country, so please do not collect even from hedgerows.

However, all is not lost, this most traditional springtime plant can be bought as young plants from garden centres and seeds are widely available, so you can establish primrose (in a partially shaded spot) in your own garden. The plant clumps can be divided in the autumn, so primroses become established quickly and you will soon have enough plants for your culinary needs.

It should be noted that, in common with other members of the Primulaceae some people may be allergic to the stamens of this plant (though such cases are easily treated).

The name 'primrose' derives from the two Latin components, prima (first) and rosa (rose), making the primrose the first rose of spring.

The young leaves of the plant are edible and can be eaten raw, though they are more typically cooked as a potherb. They have a mild flavour, though all but the very youngest leaves can be a little tough. It should be noted, though, that the leaves are often available all year round and they can be useful to the forager in winter. The flowers, as well as bring used raw or candied can be fermented with sugar and honey to form wine or mead. The flowers can also be steamed and served as a vegetable. The flowers can also be made into a jam.

Both the flowers and leaves can be infused in boiling water to form a tea. The flowers and leaves can also be made into a syrup with sugar.

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