Lungwort (blue bell). Photo by Suzanne Crocker
Lungwort (commonly known as blue bell) appears around Dawson City in mid-May. The young leaves and flower buds can be eaten raw or added to salad or even steamed or added to soups and stews. The buds are quite tasty (although Suzanne always feels a bit guilty eating them before they have a chance to flower).
Important rule of thumb: In general, blue and purple flowering plants are NOT edible. Lungwort is the exception. Don’t eat lupine or delphinium or Jacob’s ladder which are also starting to appear around the same time (but the leaves look very different from lupin).
These plants are NON-EDIBLE. Left to right: Delphinium, Jacob’s Ladder, and Lupin. Lungwort is the only blue-flowering plant you should eat.Photos by Suzanne Crocker.