Red clover | Learn the difference from wild clover | Flour recipe

Red clover (Trifolium pratense) is a real nutritional powerhouse - but how do you distinguish it from zigzag clover?

This summer, I got my fill. Where I live in the summers, there's hardly any red clover, but plenty of zigzag clover. Red clover grows all over the country, but it seems it just doesn't like it much where I am. But then I went up to my friend's place in Västernorrland, and she had a meadow with so much red clover that I almost fainted.

Red clover is a real nutritional powerhouse. And it's so beautiful to have in tea. Zigzag clover also contains nutrients, although less than red clover (and some, like the skilled herbalist Henriette Kress, don't think it matters much whether you pick red clover or zigzag clover). But for the geeky among us, it can be fun to learn the difference between red clover and zigzag clover.

In the pictures, you can see red clover next to zigzag clover. Red clover's color is on the pale pink side, while zigzag clover is often a vibrant purplish-pink. Red clover grows in smaller patches, while zigzag clover prefers to grow in clusters. Red clover leaves are sometimes a bit rounder and have the characteristic white V on the leaf.

Another way to distinguish them is that red clover has petals directly attached to the flower, while the zigzag clover's uppermost leaves are a bit further down. Hopefully, you can see what I mean in the third picture.

My friend and I compared the results of our dried red clover. Hers turned out to have a nicer color than mine. We both air-dried them, but next time I'll use a dehydrator for a better and more colorful result.

Let me know if you have different experiences drying red clover!

In the picture above, you see ground red clover in the form of flour. That's my next project! I use many different types of gluten-free flour, and red clover flour sounds like the ultimate nutritious flour to mix with other flours.

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