Dried Indian strawberries (Potentilla indica)

Gail H
Gail H Posts: 359 ✭✭✭✭
edited November 2020 in Wild Edibles & Medicinals

The fruit of this plant is pretty insipid, so I thought drying some might concentrate what little taste there is. I think they are a bit more flavorful, but not by a lot. They are certainly crunchy, though! Since I have a whole lawn full of them and the dehydrator is sitting idle right now, I may dry another batch. They will at least add texture to winter oatmeal.

I just looked on Green Deane's website and he says the leaves can be used in salads or dried for tea. He terms the tea "tasty", so I may give that a whirl.

Comments

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    I had heard of Indian Strawberry but wasn't really familiar with it as it doesn't grow in my area. So on looking it up I found the following links. Seems to be almost as high in anthocyanins as strawberries and has other medicinal properties. So even if they don't taste as good as strawberries, they do have benefits. Maybe some of those dried berries could be powdered and added to smoothies. Thanks for posting and introducing me to a new medicinal.


  • SherryA
    SherryA Posts: 314 ✭✭✭

    This is great information! Thank you. I have a big volunteer patch of Indian Strawberry (which I've been calling wild strawberry) and wasn't sure if I could do anything with it. I'm also happy to know that it works well as ground cover and can grow happily under my other herbs.

  • JaneMcTavish
    JaneMcTavish Posts: 26 ✭✭✭

    This year we have a bounty of Indian Strawberries, big ones! We're picking them and sweetening them slightly. Adding them to ice cream and in smoothies. I would like to experiment with a jam or a tea. Has anyone else been playing with them?

    It would seem those drying them, they would be a nice addition to granola or oat cereal. And how about breads? Looks like I can do some of those trials on cooler days. I will let you know how that turns out !

  • Gail H
    Gail H Posts: 359 ✭✭✭✭

    @JaneMcTavish They are pretty low in sugar, so when they dry, they are crunchy, not chewy like a raisin or prune. So far using them fresh in smoothies has been the best application we've found.