Red Clover

Trifolium pratense · also: red clover, trèfle rouge

ripe nowHerbs & tea🗓 Early summer to early fall📍 7 on map (0 confirmed)

How to ID it

Rounded pink-to-magenta flower heads, egg-shaped
Trifoliate leaves (three leaflets), often with a pale V/chevron marking
Softly hairy stems and leaves
Grows in lawns, meadows, roadsides and field edges

Safety

Widespread and safe, with no dangerous lookalikes — just eat in moderation.
Use fresh or dried flower heads, or cook young leaves; large quantities of old, damp, or fermenting flowers can taste off.
It contains phytoestrogens, so anyone pregnant, nursing, or on hormone-sensitive medication may prefer to keep intake light.

Harvest

Pick flower heads at their peak — plump, bright magenta, and not yet browning at the base. Pinch the head off just below the bloom. Young leaves can be gathered any time in the growing season; look for the tell-tale pale chevron on the leaflets.

Prep

Nibble fresh flowers straight off the stem for a mild sweet-pea note, or scatter them over salads. To dry for tea, spread heads on a screen out of direct sun until crisp, then store airtight; steep for a mild, hay-sweet infusion. Young leaves are best cooked briefly, like a mild green, since raw they can be tough.

Notes

Red clover is one of the most forgiving beginner plants in Montréal — no dangerous lookalikes, and it grows in nearly every untreated lawn and meadow. Avoid patches near roadsides or sprayed turf. Bees love the blooms, so leave plenty behind.