Corn Salad, Mache, Lamb's Lettuce

I live in the piedmont area of South Carolina and only noticed this plant growing wild for the past few years. I was unable to find it i...Read Moren any of my wild flower books and finally resorted to searching on the internet. It apparently has become one of those mysterious "alien" plants that just show up. It grows very densly in open areas but does not appear to be a problem - yet.

From your friends at Botanical Interests: Mache (French for corn salad) is an ancient crop that has been grown as far back as the Stone A...Read Morege. A mild green with soft texture and leaves that "melt in your mouth", it can be planted in early spring as soon as the soil can be worked (much earlier than lettuce). The foliage has been reported to survive down to 10 degrees F. It also withstands spring/summer heat without getting bitter. You can eat it raw in salads or lightly steam it like spinach. The leaves have a very slight peanut flavor and go with any dressing, but especially peanut oil-based dressings and light vinaigrettes. You can grow it as a spring or fall crop. It can also be grown for a winter crop in mild climates. Also called, "Lamb's Lettuce".

"Long, oval green leaves have a unique nutty, delicate, buttery flavor and are a significant source of iron. Sow in fall, to overwinter i...Read Moren all but the northernmost areas for early-season gourmet greens. Harvest any time, even after plants go to seed. Never bitter. Grown in America since the 1700's."

Here is some information according to The Encyclopedia of Edible Plants of North America by Francois Couplan, Ph.D.

...Read More "The European V. carinata and V. locusta var. oleracea (= V. olitoria) are occasionally grown as salad plants in vegetable gardens; both are locally naturalized in North America. The Italian corn salad (V. eriocarpa - from Southern Europe) is also cultivated. The three species mentioned are very popular in Europe. V. locusta is commonly sold in French and Swiss markets. It is sold in the U.S. under the French name "mâche." The leaves of these plants are extremely tender and delicious raw."