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

August 12, 2023

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

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

Red clover is a real nutritional bomb. And it's so beautiful to have in your tea. The forest clover also carries nutrients, although it's less than the red clover (and some, such as the talented herbalist Henriette Kress, don't think it matters much whether you pick red clover or forest clover). But for the nerdy one, it can be fun to learn the difference between red clover and forest clover.

In the pictures you see red clover next to wild clover. Red clover's color is towards the light pink side, while wild clover is often a vibrant purple-pink. Red clover grows in smaller stands, while wild clover likes to grow in clusters. Red clover's leaves are sometimes a little rounder and have the characteristic white v on the leaf.

One way to tell them apart is that red clover has petals attached to the flower, while the top leaf of the blue clover is a bit lower. Hopefully you can see what I mean in the third picture.

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

Tell us if you have different experiences with drying red clover!

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

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