Puffballs – Lycoperdaceae SPP.: Edible and Other Uses of the Bland Marshmallow of Edible Mushrooms

Puffballs – Lycoperdaceae SPP.

There are dozens of species of puffballs (Lycoperdaceae spp.) in Ontario alone. The pear shaped puffball (Apioperdon pyriforme syn. Lycoperdon pyriforme) pictured below is the most common. Fairly common is the widely sought after giant puffball (Calvatia gigantea). And pictured in the header image as well as furthur below, common puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum) is the …

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Walnut – Juglans Spp.: Edible & Medicinal Uses of a Highly Prized Wild Nut Tree

Walnuts - Juglans Spp.

In Ontario, black walnut (Juglans nigra) and butternut AKA white walnut (Juglans cinerea) are our native walnut species. Around Haliburton we’re barely in range, with only a few black walnuts and butternuts noted on iNaturalist. Both species are more abundant to the south. There are a few nonnative Juglan species around Ontario too. As a …

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Wild Lettuces – Lactuca SPP.: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Opium of Wild Plants

Wild Lettuces – Lactuca SPP.

Canada wild lettuce (Lactuca canadensis) is one of many edible and medicinal wild lettuces (Lactuca spp.) you’ll find in Ontario. They are often confused with chicory, dandelion or sow thistles, but fortunately these tall wild lettuces have no poisonous lookalikes. Although, at a glance rattlesnake roots have a similar look and height. In Haliburton Flora …

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Purple-flowered Raspberry – Rubus Odoratus: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Underrated Wild Raspberry

Purple-flowered Raspberry – Rubus Odoratus

Purple-flowered raspberry (Rubus odoratus) is common around Haliburton county, Ontario. You’ll typically find this edible and medicinal shrub on bushy roadside banks in sandy, gravelly and rocky ground. It’s a shrubby thornless raspberry that looks like a maple (due to the shape of its large leaves) and is sometimes called maple leaved raspberry. It also resembles a …

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Canadian Yew – Taxus Canadensis: Heartstopper of Not So Edible & Medicinal Wild Plants

Canadian Yew – Taxus Canadensis

Yew is an important shrub to know if you’re going to forage conifers. It’s trendy to make teas out of evergreens like spruce or cedar, but just a cupful of fresh yew leaves can actually kill you. While parts of yew have been used both for edible and medicinal purposes, most of the plant is …

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New Jersey Tea – Ceanothus Americanus: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Redroot of Wild Plants

New Jersey Tea – Ceanothus Americanus

New Jersey teas close relation to prairie redroot. Both have red roots and thus redroot as a folk name. They also have the same uses and host the same caterpillars. This edible and medicinal plant will certainly end up in our pollinator series for the Wood Folk Diaries! (Here is the link to that diary!) …

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