Canada Goldenrod: A Wild Green That Brought Back My Korean Chwinamul Memories
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| This patch of young Canada goldenrod caught my eye while I was out fishing for shad in Washington State. |
When a Fishing Trip Turned Into a Foraging Discovery
I did not go out looking for Canada goldenrod that day.
I was out fishing for shad in Washington State when I noticed a patch of green wild plants growing nearby. At first glance, I thought it might be fleabane or another common wild plant. But when I walked closer, the leaves made me pause.
They looked different.
The shape of the leaves, the way they grew along the stem, and the overall feeling of the plant did not seem quite like what I first imagined. So I stopped and thought, “Wait… what is this?”
Whenever I meet a new wild plant, I try not to rush. I took photos from different angles — the leaves, stems, growing habit, and the whole plant. Then I asked someone with more plant knowledge, checked a plant identification app, and continued researching carefully.
The name that kept coming up was Canada goldenrod, also known by its scientific name Solidago canadensis.
In Korean sources and among Korean foragers, I also saw this plant discussed as seoyang-miyeokchwi or yang-miyeokchwi. Because I grew up loving Korean wild greens, especially chwinamul, that name immediately caught my heart.
Before I cooked it, I also made a short video of the day I first noticed and harvested this plant. In that video, you can see the young leaves, the growing patch, and the moment I realized this was not fleabane after all.
🎥 Watch the moment I found Canada goldenrod while foraging.
Double-Checking Before I Cooked It
Still, I did not want to rely only on an app or one person’s experience. Plant identification apps can be helpful, but they are not enough by themselves. I watched videos, compared different sources, and looked for people who had actually used this plant as food.
I found a Korean person living in the United States who made this plant into namul. She explained Canada goldenrod and showed how she prepared it Korean-style. That made me even more curious. But I still wanted to be careful, so I asked through Korean wild plant knowledge sources as well. I was told that the young leaves can be blanched, soaked in water for a long time, and then stir-fried like Korean-style namul.
That was when I finally felt ready to try a small amount.
Turning Young Canada Goldenrod Into Namul
I found this plant in late May, before the bright yellow flowers appeared. The young parts were still tender, so I harvested some from a clean area. At home, I washed them carefully, blanched them well, rinsed them, and soaked them in water.
Most of the harvest I dried for later.
In Korean cooking, dried wild greens are called muk-namul. This is one of the most meaningful parts of Korean food culture to me. You gather seasonal greens when they are tender, blanch them, dry them, store them, and later bring them back to life by soaking and cooking.
A short spring season becomes food for another day.
I also made a small batch into namul right away. I seasoned it simply with Korean-style ingredients and shared some with Korean friends. Everyone who tried it said it was delicious.
The flavor is strong, herbal, and a little different from mild greens. I can imagine that some American friends might find it unfamiliar at first. But when we ate it with gosari namul, rice, and gochujang as bibimbap, it was so good.
Later, I made another short video showing how I prepared the dried Canada goldenrod as namul. After soaking it overnight, I seasoned it with sesame oil, garlic, soy sauce, tuna sauce, sesame seeds, and a little homemade powdered glasswort instead of regular salt. It became such a comforting Korean-style side dish.
🎥 Click here for my easy Canada goldenrod namul recipe.
That bowl of bibimbap made me truly happy.
A Taste That Brought Back My Grandmother’s Kitchen
For me, this plant brought back memories of my maternal grandmother.
When I was young in Korea, my grandmother often made different kinds of mountain greens for me. Out of all the namul dishes she made, the one I always asked for was chwinamul. Every spring, when she made chwinamul, I could eat rice with that one side dish again and again. I never got tired of it.
After moving to the United States, I missed that taste so much.
Sometimes I bought chwinamul from a Korean market, but the leaves were often too big, tough, or not quite like the tender mountain greens from my memories. After trying it, I stopped buying it for a long time.
So finding a wild green here in Washington State that could be prepared in a similar Korean namul style felt like finding treasure.
It was not exactly the same plant.
It was not exactly the same taste.
But the feeling was there.
The memory was there.
The connection was there.
When a Weed Becomes a Treasure
Later, when I met with Korean friends and told them about this plant, I said, “It is Canada goldenrod.” Some of them already knew it. One friend said it grows like a weed in their garden and they pull it out every year. Another friend said it grows all over the mountains near them.
That made me smile.
Sometimes the plant one person sees as a weed may be food, tea, memory, or treasure to someone else.
At the same time, Canada goldenrod can spread very strongly. It can grow in large patches, and in a garden it may need careful management so it does not take over. Even when a plant is useful, we still need to understand how it grows and respect the balance of the place where it lives.
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| Canada goldenrod later in the season, sending up flower stalks before the bright yellow blooms open. |
More Than Food: Learning From the Wild
I also learned that some people make tea from the yellow flowers later in the season. Some traditional tea makers steam and dry the flowers before using them. In Korean tea-making, there is a method called gujeung-gupo, which means steaming and drying repeatedly, traditionally up to nine times.
I have not made Canada goldenrod flower tea yet. For now, my personal experience with this plant is through the young leaves as namul and dried muk-namul.
This is why I love wild harvesting.
It is not only about finding free food. It is about slowing down enough to notice what is growing around us. It is about asking questions, learning carefully, comparing, waiting, and respecting the land.
And sometimes, a plant beside a fishing spot can bring back the taste of your grandmother’s kitchen.
Canada goldenrod gave me that kind of moment.
And for that, I am very grateful.
A Small Note About Tea and Traditional Use
Flavonoids: Provide antioxidant activity and may help protect cells from oxidative stress. Goldenrod is often discussed for flavonoids such as quercetin and kaempferol.
Polyphenols: Associated with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential.
Saponins: Traditionally discussed for supporting immune function and for their antifungal properties.
Tannins: Give goldenrod an astringent quality and are traditionally associated with soothing irritated tissues.
Vitamin C: Found naturally in the leaves and traditionally valued as part of overall immune support.
Urinary Tract Support: Goldenrod has traditionally been used as a diuretic herb, meaning it may help the body release excess fluid through increased urine flow.
Seasonal Congestion & Respiratory Comfort: In traditional herbal use, goldenrod tea has been used for colds, sore throat, mucus, and seasonal discomfort.
Inflammation Support: Because of its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory plant compounds, goldenrod has often been discussed in relation to general inflammation support.
Topical Traditional Use: Some herbal traditions use goldenrod externally as a wash or poultice for minor skin irritations, but this should be done carefully and only with proper knowledge.
Goldenrod has a long history of traditional use in different cultures, and some people use the flowers or aerial parts for tea. However, I do not use wild plants as medicine on this blog.
If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication, have allergies, or have any medical condition, please talk with a qualified healthcare professional before using goldenrod or any wild plant medicinally.
Foraging Safety
⚠️ Never eat any wild plant unless you are 100% certain of its identification.
Avoid harvesting near roads, heavy traffic, sprayed areas, polluted locations, or anywhere contamination may be present.
Harvest only from clean environments.
If you are harvesting anywhere other than your own private property, always check and follow local harvesting laws, regulations, and land-use rules.
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🌿 Read next: Welcome to Wild Harvest Life
See the Story Come Alive on YouTube
Photos and words can tell part of the story, but sometimes they are not enough. Through my YouTube videos, I wanted to share what Canada goldenrod looked like in the wild, how I harvested the young leaves, and how I prepared them into Korean-style namul.
If you enjoy wild edible plants, mushrooms, fish, oysters, clams, Korean-style cooking, and seasonal foraging and wild harvest adventures in the Pacific Northwest, I'd love to have you join me on my YouTube channel.
Thank you so much for spending time with me here at Wild Harvest Life PNW.
I truly appreciate every visit, every comment, and every story you share.
I hope this little piece of my journey encourages you to slow down, look a little closer at the plants around you, and perhaps discover something that reminds you of home as well.
After all, sometimes the greatest treasures aren't the plants we harvest.
They're the memories they quietly bring back.
If you enjoyed this story, I'd love to have you back for another Wild Harvest Life adventure.
Stay tuned for more Wild Harvest Life adventures! 🌿
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