Basswood; Tilia americana

Here is a big, mature Basswood in my backyard

The leaves are getting bigger, but they are still edible

Have you heard of a Basswood or Linden tree?  I first learned about Basswood in an old wood carving book.  The light, soft (yet strong) wood makes it great for carving.  While we were working at Harvest Moon Farms in Viroqua, WI, my friend Patrick Robbins and I were increasingly intrigued with finding a Basswood after learning about it.  We studied the leaf shape in a field guide, and the next day I thought I spotted one at the farm.  I told Patrick, and he gave me that big old grin only Patrick could give, and we darted into the woods to take a closer look.  Sure enough, it was a Basswood! (later we found out that Basswoods are quite common in deciduous forests around here...but still, it was fun!)  We wanted some Basswood to do some wood carving projects.

Here's the Basswood's leaf shape

The nice thing about Basswoods is that they are usually multi-trunked, so Patrick and I didn't feel too bad about sawing down one of the three main trunks of this Basswood.  We sawed it down and yelled "Timber!" and then held a small ceremony where we chewed some Plantain (Plantago) into a poultice and put it on the freshly cut nub as a symbolic encouragement for the tree to heal and stay strong.  Patrick and I never got to carving the Basswood, but I still have the logs at my house--I'm hoping to get to that real soon, at least by this winter.

Notice the left leaf is a lighter shade of green, signifying younger growth.  The lighter in color, the younger--and tastier--they are.  The leaf on the right is still young and very edible. 

Last spring, I took some used salad containers and really went to town on harvesting the new leaf growth of the Basswood.  I read in Samuel Thayer's book that Basswood leaves and flowers can be eaten, and the new leaf growth is particularly good.  I couldn't believe it at first...I can eat a leaf from a tree!?  I was skeptical, but I pinched off a good container full of Basswood leaves and used them as a base for salad.  I first tried one of the leaves raw, and it didn't have much taste, kind of like a lettuce leaf.  There is some extra fiber in these leaves, which is a nice benefit.  My wife and I found Basswood leaves to be a great base for salads during the spring, and they are very abundant.  When harvesting the leaves, look for the ones that are smaller, but the full sized ones are just as good as long as they are a light green color instead of a dark green, which signifies they are young, new growth. Wash the leaves and coarsely chop them so they are easier to eat.

The flowers can be eaten or brewed into a tea.  I will be trying the latter this year because I read that these flowers have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to them.  We will see if they are any good...perhaps I will incorporate them into my iced nettle/black tea I have been enjoying this spring.