By Jan Jackson
… Call it what you want – it’s sour sour sour! The flower books call it wood sorrel and that’s what the flower books call it – that’s what Marvin Kellar calls it (Sauntering Native Oregon).
It looks like giant clover or Irish shamrock. It has little white flowers with pink veins and grows in the woods. Some call it sheep showers. Why? Not sure – they just do.
Usually, those who call them sheep showers, also eat them or at least they did when they were little kids. It’s an acquired taste. Mighty sour if you ask me.
I know of two little girls who had a playhouse in an old cleaned out pig house next to a big garden that was overflowing with sweet green peas, carrots, radishes and other wonderful tasty things. But – the only things they were allowed to eat from the garden were little green onions that made their breath stink and sheep showers from the woods.
Some very tasty dishes came out of that old pig house. The little girls are oldish now – but – they still remember the smell of onion breath and the sour taste of sheep showers.
Try eating wood sorrel; sheep showers if you will. I’ll bet you CAN eat just one – smile.
Photo: Wood Sorrel or Sheep Showers by Morris Pike.
