Lime tree: young leaves as salad and flowers for tea
The lime tree is one of the few trees whose young leaves you can eat raw: in spring they are tender, mild and pleasantly mucilaginous. In early summer the lime flowers smell sweet, and dried they make a popular tea. Here you learn to recognise the lime by its lopsided, heart-shaped leaf and the wing-like bract of the flower, to harvest safely without climbing and to dry properly.
- Collecting leaves 10 minutes; collecting flowers 20–30 minutes, drying a few days
Explicado de forma sencilla
The lime is a big tree with heart-shaped leaves. In spring the young leaves are so tender that you can eat them like salad. They taste mild and a bit slippery.
In summer the lime flowers and smells sweet. The bees hum loudly in the tree then. You can make tea from the dried flowers.
You never climb the tree. You only pick what you can reach from the ground, and not from trees right next to the road.
Cómo funciona
Young lime leaves contain a lot of plant mucilage. It makes them soft and gives them the slightly slippery mouthfeel. Bitter substances and tough fibres only come later, when the leaf gets older and has to protect itself from being eaten.
The flowers hang in small groups from a long, light green bract. This leaf later serves as a wing: when the fruits are ripe, they spin down on it like a propeller and fly a little way from the tree.
When drying, the water evaporates from the flowers while most of the fragrance stays. Shade and air are important: in the sun the flowers lose colour and scent, and stored too densely they start to go mouldy.
Lo que de verdad importa
Recognition: lopsided heart-shaped leaf with a finely toothed edge, in summer flowers on a tongue-shaped bract. That makes the lime unmistakable among our trees.
Timing: leaves only in spring, as long as they are light green and thin. Flowers when most have just opened – usually in June or July, depending on species and altitude.
Place: trees away from roads, with low-hanging branches or young shoots on the trunk. For trees in gardens, parks and avenues ask first.
Seguridad: a qué debes prestar atención
The biggest danger when collecting from trees is a fall. Do not climb, do not stand on wobbly things and do not tear off branches.
Street trees carry dust, exhaust and, in summer, sticky honeydew from aphids. Rather collect from trees in the forest or the countryside and rinse the leaves.
Store dried flowers dry and dark. A musty smell or visible mould means: throw them away.
Paso a paso
Recognise the lime tree
Limes are large deciduous trees in forests, parks, villages and avenues. Their leaves are heart-shaped but lopsided: one half of the leaf is bigger at the base than the other. The edge is finely toothed, the tip briefly drawn out. The bark of young branches is smooth, often reddish.
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Recognise the lime tree
Limes are large deciduous trees in forests, parks, villages and avenues. Their leaves are heart-shaped but lopsided: one half of the leaf is bigger at the base than the other. The edge is finely toothed, the tip briefly drawn out. The bark of young branches is smooth, often reddish.
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Young leaves in spring
In April and May the fresh leaves are light green, thin, soft and almost translucent. Pick them from low-hanging branches or from young shoots at the base of the trunk. As soon as the leaves get darker and firmer, they are too tough to eat.
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Leaves as salad
Rinse the leaves and eat them raw as salad or on bread. They taste mild and slightly mucilaginous and go well with stronger wild herbs such as wild garlic or garlic mustard. Because limes carry many leaves, you can collect more of them than of small herbs.
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Flowers with their bract
In June and July limes flower yellowish-white and smell strongly – often you hear the bees before you see the flowers. Each flower cluster hangs from a long, tongue-shaped, light green bract. Pick whole clusters with the bract when most flowers have just opened.
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Dry the flowers
Spread the flowers loosely in a single layer on paper or a cloth in a shady, airy place without direct sun. After a few days they are crisp-dry. Store them in a tightly closing, dry jar in the dark. If they smell musty or go mouldy, throw them away.
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Lime flower tea
For one cup use about one heaped tablespoon of dried flowers, pour boiling water over them and let them steep covered for about 5 to 10 minutes. Then strain. The tea tastes mild, floral and slightly sweet and is a warm drink for cold evenings.
Errores frecuentes
- Climbing trees or breaking off branches
- Harvesting street trees
- Eating old, tough leaves
- Drying flowers in the sun or too densely
- Filling them into jars while damp
Resumen rápido
Materiales
Bolsa o cesta de recolección que deje pasar el aire
Airy, so the flowers do not sweat
Recolectar cada especie por separado para que no se mezcle nada desconocido
Nada de bolsas de plástico durante mucho tiempo: las verduras sudan y se estropean
Olla metálica (acero inoxidable, aluminio, titanio)
Para la infusión
Caliente: riesgo de quemaduras.
Colador fino o paño denso para colar
Para colar
Para los escaramujos tiene que ser lo bastante fino para retener los pelillos diminutos: un escurridor de malla gruesa no basta
Adecuado para
- April to May: young leaves
- June to July: flowers
- Mild greens in large amounts
- Tea as a warm drink
No adecuado para
- Street trees and avenues along busy roads
- Climbing trees
- Old, tough summer leaves
Requisitos previos
- Recognising limes by leaf and flower
- Trees with low-hanging branches, away from roads
- The owner's permission for gardens, parks and avenues
Seguridad
- Only eat leaves and flowers from trees you have reliably recognised as limes: lopsided heart-shaped, toothed leaves and flowers with a long, pale bract. When in doubt, do not collect.
- Limes along roads carry dust and exhaust, and in summer sticky honeydew from aphids often drips from them. Collect from trees away from traffic and rinse the leaves.
Cómo funciona
Young lime leaves contain a lot of mucilage and few bitter substances, which is why they taste mild and can be eaten raw. The flowers hang in small clusters on a conspicuous, tongue-shaped bract that later serves as a wing for the fruits. Dried, the flowers keep their scent and make a mild tea.
Ventajas
- Very easy to recognise, no dangerous look-alikes among the trees
- Many leaves at once
- Flowers can be dried and stored
- Mild taste
Desventajas
- Leaves only tender for a few weeks
- Many limes stand along roads
- High branches out of reach
- Few calories
Conocimiento en profundidad
Fundamentos técnicos
In Central Europe the lime was often the village tree where people met. Lime flower tea is still a well-known household drink today, and wild plant books name the young leaves as one of the best wild salad greens.
Here too: trees belong to someone. For trees in gardens, parks and avenues ask the owner or the municipality, and only take what you can reach from the ground.
Variantes
- Tea from fresh flowers
- You can brew fresh flowers straight away. Use about twice the amount as with dried flowers.
- Shoots from the base
- Many limes send up young shoots at the base of the trunk. Their leaves stay tender longer and are easy to reach from the ground.
Errores frecuentes
- Climbing trees or breaking off branches
- Harvesting street trees
- Eating old, tough leaves
- Drying flowers in the sun or too densely
- Filling them into jars while damp
Límites y riesgos
- Applies to large- and small-leaved lime in Central Europe
- Sin promesas de curación
- No amounts for medicinal purposes
Alternativas de materiales
Deducido de las propiedades de los materiales: un sustituto debe tener todas las propiedades relevantes. Ten en cuenta las indicaciones sobre el sustituto.
- Bolsa o cesta de recolección que deje pasar el aire
- Olla metálica (acero inoxidable, aluminio, titanio) (Caliente: riesgo de quemaduras.), Botella de acero inoxidable de pared simple (Calienta solo botellas de pared simple, sin pintura ni plástico; quita la tapa antes de calentarla.), Botella térmica de doble pared (Nunca la calientes directamente.), botella de PET (transparente, máx. 2 litros) (No lo calientes ni lo pongas al fuego.), Bidón de agua apto para alimentos (Usa solo recipientes que nunca hayan contenido productos químicos ni combustible.), Recipiente de almacenaje hermético apto para alimentos (Llénalo solo cuando esté limpio y completamente seco; nunca uses recipientes que hayan contenido productos químicos.), Bidón plegable o bolsa para agua (Protégelo de objetos punzantes.), Jarra medidora, Bolsa de agua apta para uso alimentario (Úsalo solo para agua potable, nunca para productos químicos ni combustible.), Frasco o tinaja de fermentación (Usa solo recipientes aptos para alimentos, de vidrio, de gres con esmalte apto para alimentos o de plástico alimentario. No uses recipientes de metal para alimentos ácidos.), Bolsas de alimentos reutilizables con cierre (Usa solo bolsas aptas para alimentos; no las uses con agua hirviendo salvo que el fabricante lo permita expresamente.), Recipiente rígido de recolección (caja, cesta o taza) (Una especie por recipiente: nunca mezcles nada desconocido)
- Olla metálica (acero inoxidable, aluminio, titanio)
- Botella de acero inoxidable de pared simple (Calienta solo botellas de pared simple, sin pintura ni plástico; quita la tapa antes de calentarla.)
Los resultados proceden exclusivamente de entradas estructuradas. No se genera ninguna instrucción improvisada.
Fuentes (2)
- Ray Mears und Gordon Hillman, Hodder & Stoughton (2007): Wild Food · Young lime leaves as a mild wild salad green; lime flowers for tea
- Bundesrepublik Deutschland (gesetze-im-internet.de) (2009): Gesetz über Naturschutz und Landschaftspflege (Bundesnaturschutzgesetz – BNatSchG), insbesondere § 39 und § 30 · Not damaging wild plants without good reason; personal-use handful rule