Salmonberry and Thimbleberry Sprouts
As we walk the nature trail in early May we notice new shoots of salmonberry and thimbleberry. During a week of warm weather they have grown a foot and are perfect to eat. I pinch a pink shoot from the base of a salmonberry bush and easily peel back the outer skin. Mmmm, tart and refreshing with a rosy aftertaste. I give my 2-year old daughter some and she smiles as she devours it. “More,” she says, “more sprouts!” In an instant they become a favorite trailside snack. Tender shoots, tart & sweet, spring treat Other Names: tca’a’xiwap’ut, Quileute. Bear candy (bears relish these first...
Read MoreDandelion
Common weed, nutritious food, powerful medicine. In springtime dandelion’s sunny flowering faces appear all at once. And they are EVERYWHERE — pioneers infiltrating cracks in sidewalks, grassy lawns, well-tended gardens, abandoned city lots, mountain meadows. As an herbalist and wild foods forager, I have come to view them as an amazing gift instead of a weedy curse. They have taught me that sometimes our most powerful remedies are common, the ones growing under our feet. Other Names: spupi’hLiqWadi (Twana), lion’s tooth, blow ball, Taraxacum officinale Identifying Dandelion: For such...
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