Tuesday 18 April 2017

Pennywort - Navelwort - UMBILICUS RUPESTRIS

A really nice find more often than not confined to the west coast of Ireland though is found localised in other places.
Fleshy and tasty and easily identifiable wall pennywort is a great addition to the salad of any wild food forager..


So called because it looks like an old penny or because the little dimple in the leaves looks like your belly button!


It's not one you can easily confuse with anything else especially as it's location tends to be on rocks, walls and bare stone hillocks.
To me it tastes like very sweet garden peas.

It has been used to cure corns and blisters in the past and the juice is supposed to be effective against inflammation and to aid in healing wounds.

Poor people would often put these in the shrouds of the deceased to "pay the ferryman" when copper or silver coins were too precious to be buried with the body.

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