Secret Recipe: 24 Carrot Cake and Getting To Know The Carrot Family!

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You know how there are some families where everyone is pretty easy to talk to even if a few people are a bit strange? While other families need to be navigated with a bit more caution since they contain total sweethearts as well as evil murderers, and sometimes it’s hard to tell which is which? Since I started foraging years ago, I have thought of plant families the same way. The mint family is like the first kind - none of those square-stemmed herbs are out to seriously hurt you (except for the temporary burn of nettle, who can get feisty at times.) The second family is totally the carrot family. You have to watch your back there. Make one wrong move and you could end up sleeping with the fishes, so to speak. This thought used to scare me far, far away from any members of this huge and diverse family, but now that I’ve spent a little more time gently feeling out the dynamics, it’s time to get to know them all a little better. 

The Apiaceae (or Umbelliferae) family is full of sweetness and treasures. Just think of the aromatic properties of cumin, fennel, anise, dill, and caraway seeds, or the fragrant sweetness of fennel bulbs or spring carrots. Most people are familiar with these domesticated cousins… but let’s get to know the rest of the family a little deeper. Family reunions can be filled with the good, the bad, and the ugly and this family is no exception (though perhaps a more fitting description would be the sweet, the sneaky, and the deadly.) Before you get too excited and go dashing out the door in search of frilly leaves, make sure to read the safety warning near the bottom of this post!

There are several wild plants in this family that are full of sweet virtues. Wild fennel (or, perhaps more appropriately, feral fennel) is just like the kind you might grow in your garden. It was introduced to the West Coast by settlers in California and quickly spread up the coastline. All parts are edible, but my favorite use so far is saving its delicate yellow pollen to add a delightful fragrance to sweet and savory dishes. 

I always look forward to the return of our local Lomatium plants that join the early spring wildflowers in the foothills. Lomatium’s leaves taste a bit more savory - with a hint of parsley or celery but with an additional flavor that’s hard to pin down. I like drying the leaves to use as a kitchen spice, but the treasure of this plant is its root. It’s also known as “biscuit root” because its large, marbled, resinous roots were roasted and eaten by Native Americans and early settlers. Today, lomatium is used in many herbal formulas and wild medicines. (This is also a protected species in some areas so double check before harvesting!)

On sunny hillsides, you might discover a blanket of delicate light clusters of blooms, each with a little purple blossom in the center. You’ve met Queen Anne’s Lace,  also known as wild carrot as it is the ancestor of all of our beloved modern varieties. Its roots are white and slightly woody but carry an intense carrot-like aroma. The fragrance of its blossoms is as delicate as the shadows they cast and is wonderful in ethereal jellies or syrups. 

Next, let’s meet Angelica, a plant as sweet as its name. Not quite so dry and fuzzy as wild carrot, Angelica grows much taller as well - often taller than grown people! Walking through a forest of large white or slightly greenish flower clusters, humming with happy pollinators, is a beautiful experience. Probably the most well-known use for this beautiful plant makes use of its height: sections of the stem are candied and eaten as a special treat throughout the year. 

Don’t let Sweet Cicely’s name fool you; this plant has quite a personality! It can grow as tall as angelica or stay low and closer to the ground depending on the climate of its home. I’ve found it growing in well-drained rocky hillsides here in Idaho. It has a strong anise-like scent when you crush its fern-like leaves, but the real treasure lies beneath the soil: a strongly-fragrant root that commands your attention! It smells like root beer and black licorice in the best way possible and permeates a space faster than you can snap your fingers. Just one jar of tinctured Sweet Cicely root can make my entire wild herbs pantry smell like rich sweetness. It’s also the scent I associate with the workshop of the herbalist I apprenticed under (Darcy Williamson), and that never fails to make me smile. The flavor of alcohol or honey infused with those fragrant roots is also intensely sweet, in the same way that chewing on fennel seeds makes your mouth taste sweet, but in a much more intense way than fennel.

Not all members of this vast family are sweet, though. In fact, some are downright dastardly. Cow Parsley, Wild Parsnip, and Giant Hogweed all have a slightly dark side. They all have some toxins that render parts inedible, are considered noxious weeds in many areas, and have a sap that can cause bad burns if skin that’s been contaminated with it is exposed to sunlight. (This is referred to as phototoxicity.) I’ve heard some horror stories of people weed-wacking these plants and then getting third degree burns all over their arms. If you want to dabble with these plants, do so with caution (and plenty of research.)

Finally, it’s time to meet the dark side of this family. Water Hemlock (and its aptly known relative Poison Hemlock) is EXTREMELY toxic, even in very small doses. These are considered two of North America’s most toxic plants. The toxin they contain, cicutoxin, attacks the central nervous system and can lead to seizures and even death. It’s rumored that Poison Hemlock was the downfall of Socrates, and probably countless other unwitting or purposefully-poisoned people throughout history. These plants carry an important message: caution. When the plants are young, both hemlocks bear a dangerously-close resemblance to others in this family, including the lovely spring herb chervil. As the plants mature, they become easier to identify; their stems are smooth and hairless and often have purple or red streaks or spots. Later in the season, you may discover a white waxy film growing on the stems that can be easily wiped away. They can grow very tall and prefer to grow on the edges of marshes or close to water. There’s an eerie area of my favorite hiking trail that becomes a hemlock forest in the summer, with its strong stalks still towering far above my head throughout the fall and winter. Whenever I walk through it, I sense an odd quietness in my own body, perhaps just because I know the power of these plants. 

Safety Warning: From sweet to deadly, this family can (and should) be intimidating to beginner foragers. I waited quite some time and did a LOT of research before I trusted myself to be absolutely certain of my identification of members of this family, and I would strongly advise anyone else who wants to explore the wilds of the umbel family to do the same! Remember, if you are not 100% completely positive of your identification of any given plant, it’s best to leave it alone. Also, please keep in mind that even the edible members of this family come with some cautions; for example, some of the seeds have been used in folk medicine as an abortifacient, which means that pregnant women should avoid them to avoid any issues with their pregnancy. Others act as diuretics or mild stimulants. As with any new food or spice, everything in moderation. 

That said, if you aren’t yet comfortable foraging any of these sweetly mysterious and flavorful wild plants, you can absolutely begin by working with their domesticated cousins! Celebrate carrots and dill and celery! Spice your soups with cumin, your sauerkraut with caraway, and your cookies with anise! Let a pinch of fennel seeds after a meal show you just how sweet they can be. There is endless play and possibility to be had even while limiting yourself to the grocery store. And if you do decide you are ready to wander off the well-worn path, start with Queen Anne’s Lace and Wild Fennel, which are both easy to differentiate from their poisonous or toxic family members. 

Read on to discover a couple of my favorite ways to use these flavorful plants, including an infused honey and a magnificent carrot cake full of herbal sweetness!

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