Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) is the usual fern called fiddlehead. It’s a traditional dish in Quebec and New Brunswick and the sprouts are a delicacy called kogomi in Japan. It was the first fern in our edible and medicinal plants series! And presently one of many ferns we’ve covered. As per edibility, this one is … [Read more…]
Wild leek or ramps (Allium tricoccum) is a popular foraged plant by people who aren’t otherwise foragers around here. Some properties have carpets of them. Others have been stripped of them as people don’t know offhand how long the bulbs take to grow and how easy it is to devastate a population of ramps. In … [Read more…]
Dear Wood Folk, Oh my, is this Makwa’s last appearance? I snapped this photo of him before he focused on his denning for the winter: He did not come back the following year. Or did he? There were bear tracks, a couple of bear signs I noticed in 2019. It could have been him just … [Read more…]
Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) tends to make a bad impression on first meeting, as the name suggests. But there’s way more to this needled edible and medicinal plant. The sting never lasts long for me, but I’ve heard of it lasting for days for a rare unlucky few. It’s recommended you wear gloves to harvest … [Read more…]
“Balm of Gilead” can be made from various poplar buds including quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides), a common edible, medicinal and useful tree in our area. Last month we talked about balsam poplar. But quaking aspen was my first ID’d poplar. I noticed a set of trees on the one-acre wood that softly trembled in the … [Read more…]
Apple (Malus spp.) isn’t just an ordinary edible fruit tree. It also has medicinal qualities. It is another plant that was brought to North America by European colonists, but the species originated in Central Asia. Our apples wild ancestor malus sieversii still grows there today. What you’ll find in the wild is a mixed bag, … [Read more…]