I had the opportunity to sign up for a fantastic course on foraging in Manitoba through Fort Whyte Alive. Barett was our leader who shared the teachings that he had been gifted from his parents, grandparents, Elders, and other community members. As Onondaga Faithkeeper Oren Lyons shared, "it is meant to be shared," and Barett shared the information that had been shared with him for us to share with others. There were 15 others in the group and were families, singles, and couples of all ages. Everyone came with their knowledge, which made the experience even richer.
Within Braiding Sweetgrass, she shared how we should never take more than half, and I have been trying to apply this to many aspects of my life. Barett shared the teaching that he got growing up while foraging, "The first patch is for the animals, the second patch is for someone who needs it more than you, and the third patch is for you to take only what you need." Throughout the evening, we had the opportunity to share many different forest treats and talk about coming later in the season. I plan on going back at the end of August as they run these sessions every other week, and each week is slightly different depending on what is in season. Very little was shared on the medicinal uses, but some well-documented pieces were shared.
The first plant we saw was Wild Licorice. The leaves are sweet-smelling like candy. However, the real treat is the roots. After the first frost, one can dig the roots and steep them in a tea or roast them, and it is both sweet and has a distinct licorice taste. Although we touched very little on the medicinal uses, it has been used for many years as a medicine for a wide range of ailments; to deepen the roots' flavour, pick off the flower midsummer for the plant to put more energy into the roots.
A widespread plant is the wild rose. So much of this plant can be used. In late spring/early summer, the pedals can be harvested for teas or to munch on. These too can be used to tone and treat various health problems. If you pluck just the pedals, you will be rewarded with rose hips that can later be harvested once they have had a deep frost and have turned red. Eating them before will cause you to have an irritated digestive system due to the hairy seeds inside.
A plant I have walked over a million times and never stopped to look at is wild lettuce. It looks like a cross between a thistle leaf and a dandelion leaf and tastes similar to a piece of romaine lettuce but slightly more bitter. This slightly bitter lettuce (but not like when lettuce bolts and becomes truly bitter and horrible tasting) was tasty just on its own but would be even better with a nice dressing or on a burger. Perhaps a nice salad with one of my favourite forest food - the saskatoon.
This has to be our favourite in our home, although it sure can be time-consuming to do - which makes it all the sweeter. The berries pictured in the tart and the blue pail were picked a week earlier. These are tasty treats and go by many names across Turtle Island, including serviceberries, Juneberries, shadberries, and chuckly-pear (Newfoundland). These berries prevented many of the Voyageurs from getting scurvy as they are so high in vitamin C, and they were mixed into the pemmican. We were also able to find chokecherries in the bush, although they were not ready to eat. Due to the devastating drought that is currently ravaging Manitoba, the wild grapes and plums were very small and sparse. These were left for the animals.
Just as the grapes and plums were not for us to take according to following the Honourable Harvest, they were for the animals and to seed. The hazelnuts were also not for us to take and pick, they are not yet in their season. However, these are doing very well this year as they thrive in the dry heat, something we have had many in the last couple of months. I am excited to come back and pick a handful of them to try them.
As our climate continues to change because of the lack of inaction by humans, myself just as guilty, I worry about the plants in the forest and the knowledge that they and their gifts share that they bring to jus through their food, medicine, and by giving of themselves. How long until these plants are gone?
We also explored the willows, and I cannot believe that I have walked by these a thousand times and did not recognize them - I am thankful for the introduction. Just as trembling aspen gifts us power from their bark for sun protection (something that this very fair-skinned person needs to know), the willow gifts bark has the same properties as aspirin. A nickel-sized portion of chopped-up willow bark brewed in water is the equivalent of an extra-strength aspirin (and tastes that way too!). The bark can also be used to brush your teeth. Taking just a small portion and chewing or rubbing against your teeth can give your teeth a good brush if you happen to forget your toothbrush at home.
In the chapter "Sitting in a Circle," Dr. Robin Kimmerer has her experience with her students as she takes them out on the marsh. While on the marsh, they see how the bulrushes are an important part of the ecosystem and how they can use in so many ways.
Although there were no more green flowers left (the corn dog-looking item), Barrett reiterated how it could be boiled or grilled and covered in butter to have a tasty treat similar to corn on the cob. When pulling out a large bulrush, I found the tuber- which I brought home and cooked with butter, salt and pepper (after peeling it and removing the rogue leech). Pulling a smaller one had me find the tasty white middle that tasted like a fresh garden cucumber… a fresh salad with a bunch of those with some dill would have been amazing! The yellow pollen had a bit of a nutty flavour and sprinkled on the inner root, was also tasty- crispy, nutty and refreshing. She shares how 90% of the wetlands are now lost despite their diversity, food sources, and soil builders. Again, we are not placing value on what we have.
Dandelions are well known for being edible from the flower (wine, salads, teas, did I already say wine?!), the leaves for salads, to the root, which can be toasted. Many have roasted dandelion roots, mixed them in with their coffee, or even used them to replace coffee. Barrett shared that if you lightly roast them, it actually has a chocolate flavouring, so I look forward to trying that in the spring of next year.
Looking forward, I am excited to share this with my students, my children, my friends, and my family. I am also looking forward to finding ways of giving back to the plants for the gifts they are given to me so freely. I will do this by only taking what I need, helping support organizations such as this that educate and protect, and getting some rain barrels for my school to use the water from the sky and not pull from the lakes or the ground.
Now off for a cup of tea from the wild bergamot flower (bee balm), where just a couple of pedals (dried or fresh) make a delicious cup of decaf earl gray tasting tea. You can either add the pedals to your regular black tea or orange pekoe or make it with both the pedals and the leaves, depending on what you would prefer.
References
Kimmerer, R. W. (2015). Braiding Sweetgrass. Milkweed Publishing.
Krohn, E. (2017). Medicine of Wild Rose. Medicines of Wild Rose. https://traditionalroots.org/wp-content/uploads/Krohn-Wild-Rose-NOTES-1.pdf.
Wild Licorice facts and health benefits. Health Benefits | Health Benefits of foods and drinks. (2020, October 12). https://www.healthbenefitstimes.com/wild-licorice/.