Wild Strawberry – Fragaria Virginiana: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Early Berry of Wild Plants

Wild Strawberry – Fragaria Virginiana

Wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) is one of the first berries to ripen, around the start of summer in cottage country, Ontario. It’s the “queen berry” of our edible and medicinal wild plants. I titled this entry with the main wild strawberry species you’ll find in abundance here, but we also have wood strawberry (F. vesca …

Read more

Common Fleabane – Erigeron Philadelphicus: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Early Old Man of Wild Plants

Common Fleabane – Erigeron Philadelphicus

These edible and medicinal fleabane (Erigeron spp.) are smaller daisies, that bloom earliest of daisies here, and they are quickly raggedly looking. From all that you can probably figure out why they’re called eri (early) and geron (old man) in greek. Around Haliburton, we have common fleabane, rough daisy (Erigeron strigosus) – more likely found …

Read more

Evening Primrose – Oenothera Biennis: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Midnight Oil of Wild Plants

Evening Primrose – Oenothera Biennis

While not a true “primrose”, common evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) is truly amazing. You might have heard of evening primrose oil as a medicinal supplement (affiliate link), especially if you’re a woman. This foraged wild plant is also amazingly edible! The flowers open at dusk hence the “evening”. Observe them and you’ll notice flowers hanging …

Read more

Lowbush Blueberry – Vaccinium Angustifolium: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Super Berry of Wild Plants

Lowbush Blueberry – Vaccinium Angustifolium

Lowbush blueberry AKA “low sweet” blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) is common here, as is velvet-leaf blueberry (Vaccinium myrtilloides) which thrives around marshes. I’ve heard a few personal anecdotes from locals about picking blueberries all the while watching a black bear or bears doing the same nearby. There’s a myth (I originally believed!) that blackflies pollinate blueberry …

Read more

Common Milkweed – Asclepias Syriaca: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Monarch of Wild Plants

Common Milkweed - Asclepias Syriaca

In Chippewa, ini’niwunj meaning “man like”, common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) is a monarch of the edible and medicinal wild plant kingdom. Let’s cultivate this king of herbs for the butterflies more than we eat it, please! Milkweeds folk names are somewhat all over the place, as there are tons of varieties, and many probably don’t …

Read more