harvesting burdock roots in winter?

[jon r]

I hear that Burdock roots are better in the winter because they have more starch.

The only thing is that the leaves have died off in the winter so how would you find the root?

The ones that are visible seem to be the ones which still have dead flower stems but i understand that roots off these plants will be tough

Do the burdock plants have tall stem in their first year but dont go to seed?

Many thanks!

 

[lottie.lou]

Yes the burdock grows in the first year, dies back in winter then flowers and seeds in the second year. According to one of my books: The root is harvested in autumn of the first year or spring of the second year before the flowering stem develops.

So I think you're a bit late for it now and you're right to avoid the ones which have flowered.

 

[xylaria]

What you do is bushcraft yourself a time machine go back about 8 weeks and find some burdock leaves which haven't flowered ie the first years growth. You clock where they are and get a distinctive branch like dogwood and stick it in the ground. You then go back about now and dig up the root which can be quite large.

Or you could go out now and find the mature plant and then look around for shorter now googy black younger leaves and carefully follow the very fagile brittle stems back to the ground. Extreme care must be taken with this method that you get the right plant. I will see if I can get pictures up of this because if you make mistakes it can be lethal.

Toddy in september did say something about now's the time spot those burdocks for winter, and did I listen to toddy, NO. I am stupid or what. .

 

[xylaria]

I wanted to post the piccys up, but it hasn't quite worked out that way. At least there isn't three little red boxes telling me I am inept. I will have learn how to do it.

But in the mean while, basically the mature plant is quite easy to spot still and on looking around the ground of the mature plant the shorter but more leafy first year plant is often found. Familierize yourself with the shape of the leaves and how the brittle the stems are on the mature plant to make sure that black gooey leaves are burdock not foxglove. There is a picture of burdock root in the arcticles section, it doesn't look like foxglove root, I couldn't dig this one up as it growing from under hardcore, and I would need a jack hammer to dig the hole.

 

[Toadflax]

Toddy in september did say something about now's the time spot those burdocks for winter, and did I listen to toddy, NO. I am stupid or what. .

Don't try and claim a monopoly on doing silly things!

I saw some dead burdock stems with all the seed heads still on and thought, excellent, I must remember them and go and get the roots out another time...

...but on the way home realised, of course, that they were second year burdock. :11doh:


Geoff

 

[xylaria]

Don't try and claim a monopoly on doing silly things!

I saw some dead burdock stems with all the seed heads still on and thought, excellent, I must remember them and go and get the roots out another time...

...but on the way home realised, of course, that they were second year burdock. :11doh:


Geoff

That's not silly,
Silly would be to come back with a spade, use 4000 calories digging it up, take it home cook it and then eat it. Stupid would be to dig up comfry or foxglove instead.