Does anyone have an Anishinaabemowin word for partridge-berry? Not to be confused with wintergreen or cranberries, also sometimes called partridgeberries, or for lingonberry. Partridge-berries are an edible and medicinal evergreen vine, non climbing, with double-berry fused red fruits. The leaves have white veins. Partridge-berry (mitchella repens) is common around Haliburton, Ontario. The first specimen I …
In Chippewa, wini’sibugons’ meaning “dirty leaf”, American wintergreen is often called Eastern tea berry now. It’s edible and medicinal, but you have to mind the amount you use because the oil is toxic if overdosed. Similar to Aspirin, just a tsp of pure wintergreen oil is the equivalent of 21 and a half adult aspirins. American …
In Chippewa, micidji’minaga’wunj meaning “fuzzy fruit”, prickly gooseberry is a fuzzy wild currant. Spiky is more apt. Despite the soft flexible spikes on the fruit, it’s an edible and medicinal wild plant. And native to Ontario. There are many ribes spp. to feature from Ontario. A couple are gooseberries. Prickly gooseberry (ribes cynosbati) is the common …
Does anyone have an Anishinaabemowin word for mallow? Related to marsh mallows, the malva spp. of mallow around Haliburton isn’t native. But it is an edible and medicinal wild plant with similar uses to the more popular marshmallow. Common mallow (malva neglecta) is rare around Haliburton. You’re much more likely to find white or pink …
Does anyone know an Anishinaabemowin word for black-eyed Susan? While not edible like most plants we’ve featured, this medicinal herb is a butterfly favorite that is so easy to plant. It adds bountiful pops of sunny yellow to meadows and path sides. For the most part I’m covering plants that are both edible and medicinal, …
In Chippewa, abo’djigun meaning “something turned out or over”, reed grass has turned me over too. It changed my completely black-and-white thinking about herbicides. It’s hard to tell our native reed grass from the invasive European subspecies, and it may be hard to tell if a patch has been treated. It’s a tread with caution sort …