Bull thistle is edible.... Sort of

You may find some field guides that say bull thistle cirsium vulgare (or some other plant you have to boil and drain 3 times so you don't choke to death or die) is edible. Great! I am picturing a wonderful wild salad or soup now! I don't want to diss any of the field guides, but to say that the thistle "Provide palatable dishes" OK, but at what price?
You can really separate the writers who have actually done it, from the copy and repeat type writers when you come across talking about how GREAT bull thistle is to prepare and eat (it tastes so wonderful, it's so easy, here are 10 recipes for your enjoyment!! blah blah blah).
I mean really, have you ever seen or touched one of these babies?
Come on, by the time you get past all the thistles (and get poked a few times in the process), skin and eat the thing you could have built a really nice green house and grown some real salad food.
Don't get me wrong, I am SURE there is someone out there that will insist that it is the best thing EVER.
I doubt they have a newborn and toddler alongside when they are picking it.
Just a thought

PS- I am thinking the bull thistle has all of this protection for a reason, it must serve a much bigger and better purpose than for us to eat it as food. Considering all the other wild foods there are to choose from, I will let thistle be and enjoy it's lovely purple flowers:)

Dandelion Garden

Ok, I know everyone talks about dandelion this time of year but I just had to share. Our house is in a neighborhood, but we are lucky enough to have a 10,000 square foot lot. We have a good size approximately 300 square foot garden space that the previous owner grew vegetables in. We knew the previous owners gardened organically, and the soil is excellent!
The neighbor peeked over the fence and said," Wow you have a lot of work ahead of you, your garden is covered in weeds"! To his horror I'm sure, I started explaining how delighted I was to have soooooo many wonderful dandelions, my plans for dandelion wine, using the root for medicine, how we have been using the leaves & flowers for food, et. At first he laughed, but when I continued on and he realized I was serious, he had this blank look on his face, one of shock and surprise I guess. Before I could start talking about the blackberry, mullein, and various other "weeds" and my plans for their use, he interrupted with- "well I better get back to work ummm, nice talking to you"!

Purple & White Wood Sorrel Flower

So I was reading Wildman Steve Brill's site. I ran across wood sorrel. He states that the white flower with purple stripes is quite rare in America.
A few days later I am walking through the park here in Sandy and what do you know........
The pics didn't really pick up on the purple that well, but the stripes were purple. Cool

Stonecrop Family Field food and Remedy

Stonecrop Sedum species can be found on rocky hillsides just as the name implies. The common species here in the Pacific Northwest is Broad leafed sedum spathulifolim and Creamy Sedum oregonense both look similar, the one above is Creamy Stonecrop. Most of the leaves are light to medium green in color, some outer leaves may be red, these are the older leaves. Later in the season around May or June the plant will send up a shoot of yellow little star shaped flowers, they look beautiful against the rock face. In the snow you can look for the dried shoots against hillsides & find the plant underneath, it will stay juicy throughout winter. The entire plant is edible, and would be great in a survival situation, or as a trail food. It would make an interesting addition to a wild food salad. It tastes bland, slightly like a cucumber. If your throat is dry from a long day of hiking, the Stonecrops muciaginous and juicy nature is very soothing.
The plant is slightly astringent & muscilaginous. It can be used for externally for cuts, scrapes, stings and minor burns, making it very useful as a field remedy. Break apart a leaf and apply it directly to the effected area as needed.
Native Americans used a decoction of the root for sore throats and eye irritations. The roots are creeping rhizomes or stolons (roots that creep above ground).

Resource Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West By Gregory L Tilford

Spring Greens, Shoots & Berries on the way!

All of these edibles were found within walking distance of each other, around the Columbia River Gorge area of the Pacific Northwest. These plants are abundant in forest areas, along road sides, in yards, along edges of pastures, and local parks here in the Pacific northwest. Of course if you plan on harvesting plants please get permission and be educated about wildcrafting.

Miner's lettuce montia perfoliata (Top) The flowers in the middle are just about ready to bloom. You can identify these from the characteristic leaf shape with the flowers in the middle. I have written more on a previous post here
More fun ways to eat miner's lettuce.

Wood Sorrel Oxalis oregana (2nd top) early in flower, the flowers here in this part of Oregon are white to pink, in other areas of the country they can be yellow. One of my favorite edibles, spreads and grows easily. I have a previous post about this here.

Salmon berry (3rd from top) is one of the first spring blooms. The new shoots are excellent eaten raw, just peal off the outside skin and eat the inside, you can see a picture of the shoots here. You want the new spring shoots that are growing next to the older tougher shoots that get the berries, they are usually growing directly under or near the older shoots. You can also add them to soups and salad.The shoots have a mild sweet flavor. The Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest would gather the young shoots in bulk for food. Of course you can also wait for the berries. I have written about Salmon berry previously, but it is worth another mention so you don't miss the berries this year!

Stinging Nettles Urtica dioica need I say more (4rd and 5th from top)? Over at learning herbs they have some excellent info on nettles, harvesting, recipes as a medicinal and more. Nettles are one of the most versatile herbs. They are used as a medicinal, food, to make cloth , even the stingers are used for flogging oneself for rheumaticism and muscle/nerve type pain (herbalist jim mcdonald reports using this method in recent times with good results). The entire plant can be used medicinally including the leaf, root & seeds. When the plant is about a foot tall (like the picture shown above), before it flowers and it gets tough, is a good time to harvest nettles for food. Nettles can be prepared like spinach, or drink as a tea or infusion. Wildman Steve Brill talks about ways he like to cook them here, along with some great pictures and other tips.


Curly or Yellow Dock Rumex Crispus
(pictured last) The common Dock we have around here is the Yellow Dock, considered to be a common "weed". The roots are yellow and a very beneficial medicinal plant (more on yellow dock in a future post). This is a dock in it's early stages. Here is an interesting recipe Fermented Curly Dock Leaves.
For later in the season yellow dock crackers.

Viola adunca Hookedspur/ Western Dog Violet- new plant ally

Violets are another early spring bloom. I found the blue Hookedspur violet was showing off it's beautiful blooms. The above picture is another wild violet, I am not sure of the variety. I have heard the colors can vary. This will be a new plant to me as a medicinal. My mom brought me some over to the house that were volunteers in my Aunts yard to save them from getting sprayed, I guess they were "taking over". She knew I would like them, but she was not sure what type of plant they were. So now they have a home in my yard, and I am happy to have them! A few days later on our outing we spotted some more out in the wild, and I have been noticing them more along the road side near my home. Although this was not on my list as one of my plants to get to know this year, it seems this pretty blue violet found me!
While doing some quick research online I found that wild violets have a long history of Native American uses. In reading this quick reference I found the roots and leaves were chewed during labor, hmmm that is interesting since I am in my 6th month of pregnancy ( although I have also read the rhizomes and seeds are poisonous). There are also some external applications listed for sore & swollen joints. The leaves and flowers are edible and I am sure will make a pretty addition to salad. This will be an interesting plant to get to know.

First blooms in the Pacific Northwest Indian Plum

One of the first blooms I look forward to in the early spring here in the Pacific Northwest is the native Indian Plum or Oso-berry Oemleria cerasiformis.
The white flowers shine through the green foliage and fill me with excitement and anticipation that spring is on the way.
This Pacific Northwest native plant was used by the Native Americans here. The berries are edible and were collected for future use. They are not very palatable, they are extremely bitter. I have heard that the bitterness goes away in later stages, but the birds love the berries so it would be hard to find them in later stages on the branch. Some tribes would dry them and use them later in the winter, this may make the berries taste sweeter as well. I have not personally tried drying the berries, maybe this year:)
I have chewed the leaves, they are astringent and give you a tingling, numbing feeling on the tongue. This may explain the Native American uses of the leaves as a sore muscle poultice. The
Poultice was chewed, the burned plant and oil was then applied to sore places. The bark was used as a mild laxative.
Indian Plum grows well in moist shady places. I have seen several along roadsides up here in Sandy as well. These pictures were taken by a beautiful waterfall in the Columbia River Gorge. Near the Indian plum you will also likely find nettles, dock and several other medicinals.

Up here on the Mountain it snowed on the first day of spring! I was so delighted to see several other medicinals in bloom when I made a trip down to the Gorge. Trillium, violets, baby monkey flower, bleeding heart to name a few. There was also an abundance of early spring nettle, Dock, cow parsnip, wood sorrel, horsetail and other wonderful plants all poking through the ground. I will be writing about all of these soon in upcoming blog posts.

Resourse
Gill, Steven J. 1983 Ethnobotany of the Makah and Ozette People, Olympic Peninsula, Washington (USA). Washington State University, Ph.D. Thesis (p. 264)
Turner, Nancy Chapman and Marcus A. M. Bell 1973 The Ethnobotany of the Southern Kwakiutl Indians of British Columbia. Economic Botany 27:257-310 (p. 289)

Strengthening autumn Foods Thyme thymus vulgaris

During the last stages of autumn the air gets crisp, cold season approaches and we crave warming comfort foods. I love to eat with the seasons, it is a shock for the body to drink colds sodas and eat cold foods when the weather is cool outside. Many herbs that are used everyday in cooking that were recently harvested from your garden also have healing properties, I love to fresh freeze herbs in ice cube trays, remove when frozen, store in a container (in the freezer) & label;use through the winter for soups, stews, and other recipes. It is also great to add your dried herbs to recipes and use year round for healing teas. Thyme is warming & spicy~ as a medicine thyme is a great respiratory herb, stimulating to the immune system, & is used to clear up phlegm and stop coughing (antispasmodic properties) Thyme is also great combined with other culinary herbs such as sage for sore throats, horseradish for head colds, and combined with echinacea it is great for the immune system.Thyme also is great to add to syrups for colds, Henriette has some great recipes here, herbal Honey's check it out on Rebecca's site, and Kiva writes about using Thyme as a substitute for Monarda in her mountain medicine chest post. Thyme is indicated for acute and chronic respiratory problems. coughs, gas, indigestion, diarrhea, whooping cough, bronchitis, spasmodic respiratory and urinary tract conditions, urinary tract infections. Legends say that if you sleep on a bed of thyme and inhale the fragrance you will never have nightmares, it will cure depression and you will wake rested and exhilarated. In ancient Greece the herb represented courage and bravery, it was often burned as incense to clear the air of illness and disease. In the middle ages women would wear embroidered scarves with a design of a honey bee and a sprig of thyme to protect the solders knights that were going into battle.
Culinary Pleasure~ I love to add thyme to fish and poultry dishes, it combines well with parsley and bay. You can drink thyme alone or with other herbs. Here is a great warming, roasted vegetable recipe from Healing secrets of the seasons by Judith Hurley
Thyme Roasted Vegetables
4 carrots, sliced
2 onions, quartered
2 cups whole button mushrooms
2 medium potatoes, cut into 2 inch chuncks
5 cloves garlic, peeled
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
Pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup vegetable stock or water
In a large cast iron roaster, or other roasting pan, combine all of the ingredients and cover. Roast until the vegetables are almost tender, about 45 minutes. Remove the cover, stir, and continue to roast, uncovered, until the vegetables are very tender, about 20 minutes more. Serve warm as a lunch or dinner entree.
Makes 4 servings
Resource Healing Secrets of the Seasons By Judith Benn Hurley
Healing with the herbs of life Tierra
The Magic Teaspoon By Victoria Zac
Rosemary Gladstar's Family Herbal
Picture used with permission http://www.florahealth.com

Another way to get free plants

Writing the recent blog party Local Herbs post got me to thinking about ways you can get local herbs/ wild foods for free without having to know where to wildcraft and if it is legal. I have talked about asking the land owners permission in the past to gather plants. You may think it is a little embarrassing to ask someone you do not know to gather weeds off of their property. One thing I found this year was people are giving away herbs for free! Many people re landscape their gardens, check the paper and craig's list, often people give the plants away to make room for new ones! Also I would post something yourself on craig's list, simply offer to come to someone's property to collect "weeds" or post "looking to collect your weeds for free" and see how many responses you get! Also, if you see new construction about to go on, ask to talk to the foreman, if you are nice the will probably have no problem with you collecting plants before they break ground (they may think you are a little nutty but o well!) I am sure there are many more ways to collect, including word of mouth, you would be surprised just mentioning you collect plants, someone may know someone who owns private property. My husband and Dad both go to private property sites to hunt and fish, I just ask if I can tag along to collect plants, they always have some teasing remark, but I get my plants!

Devil's Club Oplopanax horridum Pacific Northwest

Image URL: http://www.nawwal.org/~mrgoff/photojournal/20...

Kiva's Post reminded me of some of the Pacific Northwest Native American uses for Devil's Club Oplopanax horridum. Native American tribes in British Columbia used a tea made from the root of Devil's club to treat diabetes (Kiva talks about her success with blood sugar levels in her post)
Other Coast Native American's used a strong decoction of the bark to cause vomiting to purify themselves before important events. It was given to all members of war parties, and to hunters before important expeditions. Strong sacred medicinal power is attributed to this plant by the Pacific Northwest Native American tribes. The medicine man of the tribe would wear devil's club wood as an amulet for protection from negative energies or supernatural beings. Entire lodges were built of devil's club to keep bad intruders out. Pieces of the bark were also attached to fish hooks to ensure a good catch of fish.

Devils club root tendencies are cooling, stimulating and supportive, it is part of the ginseng family. According to Sharol Tilgner (see references) Paraphrased; This is another plant that is indicated for adrenal burnout with mental, emotional and physical exhaustion. Devil's club is indicated for generally worn out individuals who lack mental and emotional strength. It would be indicated for an individual who needed spiritual strength and invigoration. This herb would be indicated for someone who is feeling oppressed and insecure (timid), needs a spiritual uplifting, and is overwhelmed by a stressful situation either physical, emotional or both. I have not used Devil's club for this specific purpose, but the Native American uses tell me at the very least, perhaps it may be a good herb to wear or have on your person(something that not many people think of using herbs nowadays, but can be very effective) for emotional spiritual uplifting & security. I see this plant working on a deep emotional level with the person who is using it as healing medicine. I have read other sources that state it is part of the ginseng family but not the same medicine or to be used as a substitute for ginseng ( not that I would think of it as exactly the same). According to Gregory Tilford it is a strong respiratory stimulant and expectorant. It's use for blood sugar regulation has been documented in this century by scientific studies~ Plus Kiva Rose reports hands on experience or it working great for this purpose~ Quote"Really helps with those evil sugar cravings that potentially drive you to ripping open candy bar wrappers with your teeth" Even Better!. Michael Moore states in his book "Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West" (1993, Red Crane Press, Santa Fe) that it works best for stocky mezomorphs with elevated blood fats, and perhaps hypertension. Devil's club is a plant I plan on working with more, to experience it's subtle energies and especially it's effect on a emotional level.

Devil's club must have gotten it's name from it's brittle sharp spines that can easily break off in your skin, they can be considered a weapon of sorts if one breaks off in your hand while trying to collect it, or it stabs you in your leg as you are hiking past (perhaps this is the plant teaching us awareness and respect) The plant can get quite large under the right rain forest type conditions, some as tall as 8 ft. The stems often curve and turn in several directions and the leaves can be quite large in diameter up to a foot. The flowers are small and white, later developing into long clusters of bright red berries, it blooms from April till June. If you want to eat this plant the young shoots are edible, but catch them early because of the spikes (make sure you know the plant you are identifying) Devil's club can be found in Alaska as well as the Pacific Northwest, mountains of California, parts of Montana, and the Idaho panhandle. The whole bark of the root and the lower portion of the stalk are used as medicine it is very aromatic and high in essential oil; use, or dry and store immediately to retain volatile oil components.


Resource: Profiles of Northwest Plants by Peggy Robinson
Herbal medicine from the heart of the earth S. Tilgner N.D
Edible and Medicinal Plants of the west Tilford

Coho Salmon For Dinner!

Tony Caught this Coho Salmon fishing at Cedar Creek on the Sandy River this morning (that is our dog Koa checking it out). The fish had tons of eggs to use for future bait. Yum! Can't wait for dinner! I think I will broil the fish with some of my garden fresh tomatoes.

Elderberry Sambucus a local forgotten medicinal?

As I am on my way up the mountain to collect elderberry, I notice several trees loaded with berries bordering yards, on the roadway, and in even in a nursing home parking lot. Elderberry used to be called "the medicine chest of the country people" but from the looks of my country town here in Sandy, many have forgotten. I picked some Elderberries a few weeks back for my friend Kiva. When I went to the small deserted country post office to deliver them, the clerk was eager to make conversation. I explained to her that I was shipping my friend some elderberries. "ewwwww where did you get them, I loved those as a child, my thumbs would be blue and numb, my Dad would use them for wine, jelly, cough medicine- I wouldn't know where to find any now" When I explained that they are actually quite common, she was sure they must not be the same berry, and in fact that to be careful that they may be poisonous. Have people gotten away from collecting their own medicinals? If there is one "goal" I have with this blog it is to empower people to get back to the old ways- lost traditions. Of course, be sure of what you are collecting, jim has a great guide for gathering your own herbs.
To (hopefully) get you interested in this wonderful plant, I will attempt to dredge up some interesting facts and legends.
Around here in the Pacific Northwest we have both red and blue elderberry. Blue is the one you want for wine (Rebecca's recipe), jelly, syrup (jim discusses it here), elixir ( Darcy's recipe) and other medicinals (kiva's tea), much more medicinal info can also be found on Henriette's site. There are 3 types of blue species that inhabit the West all similar in appearance; sambucus cerulea, S. racemosa & S. mexicana and one red fruit species S callicarpa (pacific red elder) the red has red berries and pyramid shaped flower clusters, the blue has blue berries and flat top flower clusters. Depending on what source you hear it from, the red can be toxic so I would stick to the blue. You can find the berries around here in the Pacific Northwest at the end of summer into early autumn.
The name Elder comes from the anglo-saxon word "aeld" meaning fire, the association being made because of the hollow stems were used to blow on fire (to increase flame) The name "sambucus" is from the Greek word meaning wind instrument. Both Shepard's & Native Americans used to make flutes from the elder branch, the tree was sometimes called "the tree of music". The hollow reads were also used to make smoke pipes, elk whistles, pop guns, and sprouts on maple syrup trees. Some Native American tribes used the sticks of elder for twirling sticks (the sticks used to start a fire by friction), the straight branches were also used for arrows. It should be noted that the leaves, bark, shoots, twigs, and roots of the fresh plant (of either color) are toxic, and children have been poisoned by chewing or sucking on the bark.
Legends
The Elderberry plant has held an important place in European myth. There have been opposite stories relating to it magical & supernatural qualities. There has been an association with both the devil and witches (the bad ugly ones lol) The wicked witches were believed to live in elder trees, so people were afraid to cut them down. It was considered dangerous to sleep in the shade of an elder or to plant one near a house. It was also believed if you fell asleep for too long under an elder that you would become intoxicated. Six knots of elder wood were used in a Yorkshire incantation to ascertain if the cattle were dying from witchcraft.
In contrast, the elder was believed to be a tree of protection against evil spirits and for this reason people would plant them near their homes. The leaves are an insect repellent and people used to hang the branches from doors & horses bridals to keep the bugs away. Elder was also planted near dairies to keep the milk from turning.
The fairy Folk love music and they used the wood of the elder to make all of their musical instruments. Hilda the mother of the elves is said to live in the root of the elder, and anyone under the elder tree at midnight on Midsummers day would see the king of the fairies and all his retinue pass by.
In England the dwarf elder was said to spring up whenever Danish blood was shed in battle, for this reason it was called "Dane's blood"
In Tyrol elder was planted on graves, if the plant flourished with berries it is believed that the dead person is happy in the other world after passing.
The appearance of berries on the elder would indicate it was the right time to sew the wheat in the field.
Food Uses
As described above in some of the links I provided, elderberry is both delicious and medicinal. In small quantities you can add it to food ( Elderberries do have hydrocyanic acid , in large quantities it can lead to stomach upset and diarrhea, how much I guess would depend on the person, this can be avoided by straining out the seeds or thoroughly cooking the berries, red elder berries have larger amounts of these compounds, which is why they are considered "toxic" Henriette has a nice write up here). Elderberries are good with other berries such as blueberry or raspberry, and a little honey can be added for sweetness.
Salad Dressing
Add equal parts of mashed fresh elderberries and blueberries to your favorite balsamic vinegar, shake well.
Elderberry Iced Tea
Equal parts frozen Blueberry and Elderberry (seeds strained)
Juice of 1/2 fresh Lemon
Approx 6 heaping tablespoons Green Tea (or other favorite tea)
Boil 3 cups water in a small pan. When it reaches boil, turn off the heat and add green tea. let steep for about 10 minutes. Strain and add to pitcher. Puree frozen berries in lemon juice, add to pitcher. Fill with water and ice, chill. Add honey or stevia to taste. (you can also used the dried berries and steep them like a tea, use the fresh blueberries for the puree)
Cream Cheese puree
Add elderberries ( seeds strained,to taste) to cream cheese and puree for quick sandwich spread, to put on fruit, add nuts, other berries, the possibilities are endless! To make it creamer add a dash of olive or flax oil, yum! You can also add
Add Elderberries to..
apple sauce
apple & rhubarb pies
muffins
cottage cheese
honey
and yogurt.

More Delicious recipes

Use your imagination!

Winter Teas
Elderberries are really fun to experiment with in different teas
Dried elderberries, & blueberries equal parts, with a little feverfew & rose hips, honey and a squeeze of lemon for a great winter tea if you feel a cold coming on.

Also try variations with (not all actions are listed) Astragalus (adaptogen, healthy immune function), peppermint and spearmint(digestive aid, antiseptic,analgesic, astringent, calming) , chamomile (anti-inflammatory, digestive aid, relaxing) , licorice (sweet, antiviral), cinnamon (carminative, anticeptic), ginger (carminative, expectorant, antimicrobial -to name a few but can be drying), echinacea (antiviral, antibacterial) and other dried berries such as raspberry.

Resource:Profiles of Pacific Northwest Plants by Peggy Robinson 1977
Edible and medicinal plants of the west Tilford 1997

Nasturtium As Promised

As promised here is my take on Nasturtium tincture.

I am quite fond of nasturtium as a food, as you already know if you read my nasturtium salad post. And a aside, the fresh plant does give off a cabbage sent when picked, this dissipates quickly.
I made a tincture of both the leaves and flowers, fresh plant 1:2. The taste is spicy, hot and peppery, with a slight cabbage like after taste, much like when you pick the plant, the cabbage aroma/slight taste is there and gone, you are left with a pepper taste. Not bad, then again I love spicy.

I experimented with small doses a few times throughout the day. It seems to have a adaptogen type effect, just an overall feel good type of feeling. I went to the store, and the owner gave me a free bottle of my favorite wine because "he like my smile". I had been pretty burned out doing a lot of writing on the computer, it seemed to lift my spirits. Later that evening I felt "lovey dovy" instead of tired and ready for bed(no I had not opened the wine). I think this is why I was attracted to the plant to tincture it, I have had a lot going on and my adrenals have been shot off and on. Funny how that works.

Olivia Boyce Abel makes an antibiotic tincture for her medicine chest using four parts fresh garlic . . . four parts fresh nasturtium leaves and flowers . . . and one part echinacea root. (You can also use echinacea's leaves or flowers.) she uses four ounces of this mixture per pint of vodka. According to Olivia, Nasturtium is an antiseptic and helps one expel mucus from the lungs and throat. This may come in handy this winter. I am looking forward to trying it. I have also heard from another herbalist that you can use the nasturtium tincture on it's own (not a blend), right when you feel a congestion coming on and it kicks it right away.

More uses to come........

Thoughts on collecting plants

Whether your goal is collecting medicinal plants or foraging for wild foods, a few approaches seem to work well (or sometimes not so well) for me.

1. Start with no expectations. I like to check out an area with no intentions of looking for a specific plant or food. Just enjoy yourself, bring a camera and take notes. Collecting the plants is not your objective. When you are not looking for anything in particular, you will be amazed what you will find, you are also a lot more likely to cover a larger area of land. If you start off on a quest for one particular plant, and you have never been there before you may be disappointed and you may also pass up some really good finds. Also, if you happen to run across that particular plant, and you begin to gather, you may find later that there was a much bigger patch or better quality patch else ware. Because you were not familiar with the area and you did not scout it out, you missed it. Use that day for taking in the plants that are there, cover a large area, take mental & hand written notes of the area and where the plants are located. Return at a later date (maybe even the next day if you found the perfect plant) when the plants are at optimum harvesting stage. This is also a good time to get permission to collect if it's private property.

2. Going out with the intention that you will just collect anything you find. This includes any edible or medicinal plant you know. Then when you get back home you improvise and cook up or dry, tincture, any thing you bring back. This can bring many pleasant surprises and off the wall recipes that you would not normally plan. Sometimes you may even hit the jackpot! Study up before you leave and bring a good plant key ( this is why I like the picture before you gather method, you can take plenty of time identifying, and the plant remains there for when you return) Remember the more you know the more you can gather!

3. Spontaneous eating of wild foods or sampling of medicinals. This occurs when you are in the middle of some other activity like a company picnic for example. You cannot control yourself when you see some sort of wild delicacy and you indulge! This is great, especially when bosses, or unknown employees see you and your spouse has to explain that you have obsessive compulsive wild food consumption and collection disorder. Your excitement is enough to justify any weird looks of disapproval from others.

4. Going on a medicinal or wild foods quest for a single plant. This is sort of like gambling and may or may not be rewarding if you are hyper focused on the one plant. You go on a quest for the one plant that you know (or suspect you know) is in season for that region and habitat where you are looking. Say you are looking for huckleberries. If you do find them, they may not be at the harvest stage, or someone or something may have gotten there before you. A lot of disappointment can occur if you search for one plant to the exclusion of all others. You could come home short or with nothing at all. Not to mention the disappointment you have caused the other plants that you ignored that were calling out to you to be gathered.

Walk up the mountain zig zag

I saw many plants today, blogger only lets me post 3 pictures per post so this will be continuing.
Blue Elderberries sambucus cerulea, yummy!
Thimbleberry Rubus Parviflorus
Red Huckleberry Vaccinium parvifolium

Walk up on Wildcat

It was a beautiful day today, I love this time of year, when fall is approaching. Soft breeze on my face, warm and sunny, yet cool enough. I pictured some really great plants today, just when I was getting started my battery went dead! Here is a few I captured.
Centaury centaurium umbellatum a lovely little bitter!
Goldenrod Solidago canadensis. As I learned from Kiva, lovely topical for sore muscles, and has many other fabulous uses.
Yummy Salal berries, nice little treat in the middle of the day!
Some snowberries symphoricarpos albus not really an edible, but you can chew it up and apply them externally on bites and cuts.
I could go on about my plant stories (much like fish stories) of all the other great plants I saw, but alas I do not have proof, I plan on going back up the mountain tomorrow, hopefully this time I will make sure the battery is charged!

Blog Party Harvesting

Well this year was busy, moving into a new house a little late to really get things going in the garden. I did grow some culinary herbs like basil, rosemary, sage, oregano, thyme, fennel, chives.
I have catnip which has come in especially handy for Ella and her teething. I also planted lemon balm, nice tea for me!
Tons of squash & tomatoes. In fact I have so much squash I can't give it away fast enough! I absolutely love garden fresh tomatoes so I will probably eat most of them fresh, I do plan on preserving some too for yummy soups and sauces.
I have one little cayenne plant that hasn't produced, I think I planted it to close to the squash, not knowing that the one plant would be about 5 ft in diameter!
My Husbands brother is a fishing guide in Alaska, he is shipping over 70 lbs of fish. I am looking forward to making a tomato base fish stew with fennel, onions, garlic for the base, nice aromatic white wine with fish stock, some pepper flakes, bay leaves, fennel seed, fresh fennel tops to garnish yummy!
Oh and I have lettuce and nasturtium leaves and flowers, these have made excellent salads. Oh and to spite what Henriette said on one of her rants on her blog not that long ago I couldn't resist taking some of my left over alcohol and making a very small batch of nasturtium leaves and flowers tincture, I am sure that it will taste just as you described ,"really stinky cabbage" but oh well LOL! By the way Henriette if you knew what it tasted like you must have tried it at one point yourself Hee Hee.
For the culinary herbs I like to make herbal ice cubs to add to cooking throughout fall and winter. I also like herb butters.
Just strained out a catnip tincture yesterday.
The garden came with dandelion, since the soil was good I got some really good root. Oh and there was a yellow dock in the corner.
I had big plans for the garden but only got half of it planted, the other half is taken over by morning glory from the neighbors yard, boy she grows fast!

All About Lichen

Above Picture Ella inspecting Lichen
Lichen means "leprous" in Greek, the plant was named by Dioscorides he thought it resembled the skin of people with leprosy. I personally like the name "old man's beard"
The structure and origin of these plants was a mystery to botanists for years. In 16th century Europe they thought the lichens were secretions of soil, rocks and trees. In the 19thg century some experts thought lichens were composed of air and or water, others thought they found an example of spontaneous generation.
Now it has been found that lichen are a combination of an alga and a fungus. In this mutually beneficial partnership the alga, since it is green, can utilize sunlight and carbon dioxide to make food; the fungus holds water and provides structure.
The spoors of algae and fungi are in the air all the time, when they land together in a place they like a lichen is formed. They tend to grow in places where the algae and the fungi could not survive alone.
Lichens are very adaptable to becoming dormant during dry periods and at low temperatures, they can remain this way for years, reviving when the conditions improve. They grow very slowly and if left alone can reach an incredible 2000 years old!
They like to grow on tree trunks. They are not parasites, they do not penetrate the bark of the tree. Often Lichen grows on the North side of a tree, this was an advantage to travelers, especially traveling in the woods at night.
Food Uses
Lichen can provide a good emergency food source but some are poisonous. Some loose toxic qualities when cooked, but do not eat wolf Moss letharia volpina, also called wolf lichen (check it out in this book Poisonous plants and mushrooms of North America scroll down for picture this is usually found in the red woods east of the cascades. Usnea is a common northwest herbal remedy, it has a characteristic white band in the middle when pulled apart. Usnea is pictured above with Ella inspecting it. Usnea can be applied directly to an open wound in emergency situations, it will serve as an antimicrobial compress to stop bleeding and prevent infection. Put this knowledge in your memory bank when you are in the woods, you never know when it may come in handy! Usnea extract has been shown to be effective against a wide spectrum of bacterial and fungal infections. Many lichens are edible. A classic case where lichen was used as a survival food was the story of Martin Hartwell, a Canadian pilot, & his Eskimo companion, they crashed in the Arctic and survived 23 days on a lichen diet supplemented with dextrose from an emergency kit.
Rock tripe was eaten by trappers in Canada in times of scarcity, while in Japan this type of lichen was considered a gourmet food.
Nutritive value of lichens varies from species to species according to the amount of starch present. Lichen is a good source of vitamin C & would prevent scurvy among Eskimos, who rarely ate plants. They would receive their vitamin C by eating the undigested stomach contents of caribou.
Many people from the Ancient Egyptians to the Swedes would make flour for bread from Lichen. To make the flour, the lichen would first be boiled in a alkali solution to neutralize the bitter acids that can be irritating to the intestines. If you are in a survival situation you can put ashes from the camp fire in your water when boiling to get these results. Then the boiled lichen is washed, dried, and pounded into flour. People would mix the lichen flour with wheat flour so their biscuits would keep much longer.
The mana of the Bible may have been lichen (lecanora esculenta) this is still eaten by some desert tribes.
Locally here in the Pacific Northwest, Columbia River Native Americans ate the lichen which grows on fir and pine trees. Sometimes it was boiled. Another method was to wet it, allow it to ferment, and finally baking it.
In India one of the lichens is made into curry powder.
A process of making sugar from lichen was used in Russia in WW2 when beet sugar was scarce.
Lung lichen was used to make beer as a substitute for hops in Siberian monasteries. In the 19th century in Sweden and Russia, there was a brandy making industry that went bankrupt when the lichen supply ran out.
Since some Tribes of the new world & old world were dependent on Reindeer and caribou, and these animals survive the winters by eating lichen, I guess you could say human cultures themselves were dependent on lichen.
Medicinal Uses & Other Uses
coming soon.....to be continued
Resource Profiles of Northwest Plants P Robinson

Nasturtium Basil Fresh tomato salad

Yummy lunch! Perfect for the overcast and kinda cool day.
I started out by roasting some garlic in the oven. Roast until brown w/ a little olive oil and sea salt and pepper, just cut the hard end off and roast it in it's skin, when done squeeze the soft roasted garlic yum!
Then I made the salad.
Fresh garden lettuce
Fresh basil
Fresh tomatoes sliced & roasted in some olive oil sea salt and pepper in a stainless pan on stove.
Greek olives
Goat cheese
Red Onion
Nasturtium Flowers and leaves
Great Balsamic vinegar and olive oil (from what was left in pan from tomatoes)
Assemble the salad with the greens, When tomatoes are done add them with the cheese and olives. The warm contrast with the cool greens is delish!
It would not have been complete without a glass of wine a Cab/ shiraz mix that is to die for (a gift from a good friend)
Oh and the roasted garlic? Add that to some great bread, I like Dave's Killer multi grain.

Enjoy!

Blog Party Berries Salal

I chose the Salal Gaultheria Shallon because it is native here in the Pacific Northwest. The name Salal comes from Pacific Northwest Native Americans. This plant was the first to get the attention of David Douglas when he landed on the Oregon Coast May 9th, 1825, he brought it back to Europe as a garden ornamental. These berries are great, they have a slight almond flavor and are similar to blue berries. You can make Salal jam, syrup, or mix them with other native berries such as Oregon Grape, Salmonberry, or Thimble Berries for pies, jams, and deserts. Salal makes a great wine (see recipe below) The coastal Native Americans used to dry them in large cakes weighing 10 to 15 pounds to store for winter use. Later when they wanted to eat them the cakes were soaked and then dipped in whale or seal oil. The leaves had medicinal uses among Native American tribes as well. The leaves were chewed to relieve colic or heartburn. The chewed leaves were used as a poultice to apply to wounds and sores. The leaves could also be used as a tea for coughs, TB, or diarrhea. Some of the Northwest tribes would blend Salal with Kinnikinnick to make a smoke blend.

Fresh Berry Soup

1 quart fresh orange juice
4 cups of any combination of yogurt, buttermilk, sour cream
1 Tbsp. honey (more, to taste)
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon or lime juice
dash of cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1 1/2 pints fresh berries (raspberries, Salal, strawberries, thimble, Salmonberry)

Whisk together everything except berries.
Chill thoroughly.
Wash and drain berries.
Blueberries or raspberries should be left whole. Large strawberries should be sliced.
When ready to serve, divide berries into individual serving bowls.
Ladle the soup on top.
Garnish with sprigs of fresh mint.

Salal Berry Salad Dressing

Ingredients:
Salal berry jam
Olive oil
Rice wine vinegar, or white wine vinegar
Tossed salad greens, or baby spinach
Dijon mustard (optional)

Directions:
Mix together equal amounts of salal berry jam, olive oil, rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar. Serve over tossed greens. Add Dijon mustard for additional zest.

As seen on "A New Day" with Bruce Williams
VILand Television, April 18, 2003

SALAL BERRY WINE

• 4 lbs salal berries
• 1� lbs granulated sugar
• 6� pts water
• � tsp acid blend
• 1 tsp pectic enzyme
• 1 crushed Campden tablet
• 1 tsp yeast nutrient
• 1 pkg wine yeast

Put half the water on to boil and stir in sugar until dissolved. Meanwhile, wash berries and cull out any that are not ripe or are unsound. Put berries in nylon straining bag and tie closed. Place in primary and mash berries. Pour sugar-water over berries and add remaining water to help cooling. Cover with colth and set aside until room temperature. Stir in acid blend, yeast nutrient and crushed Campden. Recover and wait 12 hours. Stir in pectic enzyme, recover and set aside another 12 hours. Add activated yeast and recover primary. Stir twice daily until fermentation dies down. Remove straining bag, squeeze to extract maximum juice, and discard pulp. Allow to settle overnight and rack into secondary. Top up if required and fit airlock. Rack, top up and refit airlock after 60 days and again when wine clears. Set wine in cool, dark place for 4 months, checking airlock periodically. Stabilize, sweeten to taste (if desired) and set aside for 14 days. Rack into bottles and enjoy.

Resource: Profiles of Northwest Plants Peggy Robinson

wine recipe source