As with people, it takes time to know a plant. During a year, an individual plant will look very different from one season to the next. For those of us inclined to eat them, knowing plants in all of their forms is essential. Evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) serves as a poignant example.
Don’t let the name fool you. The evening primrose is nothing like a garden primrose (Primula sp.), which isn’t even in the same order, much less the same family. Even novices will have no trouble discerning them.
Evening primrose thrives in sandy soils, gravel roadsides, and any place that’s been disturbed and left open to the sun. Most of us first meet the evening primrose in summer when its tall second-year stems support simple, alternating, lance-shaped leaves. A cluster of big, bright yellow, four-petalled flowers bloom at the apex of the stem, and the passing flowers evolve into a tubular seed pod. As summer grows long, flowers in several stages, from bud to capsule, can all be found on the same plant. Later, as summer turns to fall, the stem remains as a dry, woody reminder of its summer bloom. The capsules split into four, spreading their tiny seeds, and their distinctive profiles provide a valuable signpost for foragers looking for their favorite evening primrose patches in the colder months.
The best part of the evening primrose to eat is the carrot-like taproot of the first-year plant, which doesn’t send up a stem at all. Instead, it hugs the ground as a flattened rosette of leaves, soaking up energy from the sun in preparation for its second-year bloom. In the fall, these leaves may turn reddish-purple and sometimes come up that color in the spring.
All of that energy is stored in a carrot-like taproot, and it is this taproot that the hungry forager seeks. The best time to gather is between a plant’s first and second season, during the cold months from late fall to mid-spring, as long as the ground is not frozen.
To gather, use a shovel or a digging stick to open a hole next to the plant. As with other taproots, the trickiest part is loosening the surrounding soil deep enough that the tender tip of the root doesn’t break off when it is pulled.
Raw, the roots are spicy and irritating. I’ve met few people who enjoy them without preparation. But when boiled, the spiciness diminishes to a pleasant bite and the underlying sweetness comes through. The spiciness is akin to horseradish, but their flavor is unique; I can’t think of any cultivated vegetables that compare. The amount of spiciness differs greatly from plant to plant, and so each preparation requires several tastings to determine when the roots are done.
I enjoy the boiled and sliced roots in salads, and they make a great addition to sandwiches. I’ve shredded the boiled roots into soups, risottos, or pasta dishes. Latkes with a handful of evening primrose root shredded in with the potatoes are delicious.
The only way to add this unique vegetable to your meals, though, is to be able to recognize it through its entire life cycle. The summer blooms help you get to know it. The dried stalks tell you where to find the rosettes. The rosettes show you where to dig the root. The root’s spicy flavor evokes dreams of yellow flowers opening in the summer twilight.