Where The Wild Foods Are

Poplar buds

There has been some interesting research done lately on forest therapy. This comes as no surprise to anyone who has spent any time at all in nature. Being in the woods is good for our well-being; physical, mental and emotional. The Japanese call it shinrinyoku, or forest bathing. What ever is good for our overall well being, helps with pain management. We breath deeper, sleep deeper and lower our stress hormone, cortisol. That reduces our perception of soft tissue pain. Forget going into my closet to see what brings me joy, I'm going to get under a tree! 

Today Rodeo and I went for a frolic in the woods. If I stayed home, I would have spent the day doing yard work, and I needed a break from that. She needed a space where she could run more than 10 meters at a time. It was the best way to get today's exercise. To an untrained eye, it still looks a little bleak, there isn't much green showing. But every puddle has ducks and geese in it and I could hear woodpeckers in the trees. I could smell the poplar buds and pussywillows are giving up their fluffy catkins to grow leaves. Rodeo was ridiculously excited to find a snowbank to roll in.  


One of my passions is wild foraging. It started in earnest because my husband is an avid camper and I get antsy sitting around a campsite. I have always been more of a nature walker instead of a hiker. He's a hiker, the dog gets confused about who to stay with, he's usually several hundred yards ahead because I stopped to pick of photograph something. There is only so much time one can spend in a hammock. So I started taking nature books out to identify the flora and fauna of the area. I like to read out the interesting tidbits while we sit around the campfire. The boys call wild rose petals camping candy. (Always leave one petal per flower so the bees will still pollinate it!)

When I was a kid, we always took a day to pick chokecherries for syrup and every once in a while, if the conditions were just right the pasture had buckets of meadow mushrooms. (Not to be confused with meadow muffins or road apples!) When we lived up North, saskatoons grew like weeds. When we visited Grandma on Vancouver Island, you couldn't walk in August without tripping over blackberries. 

Here in the foothills, we have our favourite wild raspberry patch. For my 40th birthday the whole family went on a mushroom foray with the mycological society. I don't think it gets much nerdier than that! We are fortunate to live in a cross-section of prairie, foothills, badlands and boreal forest. A short drive can get you to so many ecosystems.

Every year I learn a little more, often just after the season for something ends. Right after fireweed was done blooming, I discovered that you can make jelly from the blossoms. Many things have a short season, and I'm determined to get out this time. But, life gets busy, and before you know it, a couple weeks have gone by, and the season is over. Rose hips were one that I had difficulty timing. They are abundant here, but better after a frost. Fall is so busy with back to school, harvesting the garden and canning, that I never seem to make it. I finally did this fall, not enough for rose hip jam, which is my ultimate goal, but enough for making my own teas. 

Infusing poplar buds in olive oil

I usually have the same problem in spring, getting out to pick poplar buds. I usually wait too long, and they are leafed out. Nothing says spring to me like the sharp, spicy smell of poplar buds. The bud resin has been used since ancient times as a salve, much like tiger balm. They are incredibly sticky and they stain clothes, so I use a disposable glove and yogurt container for collecting. As soon as I bring them home, I put them in a jar and cover them with olive oil to infuse. This is often called Oil of Gilead.

I have been making soap, lotion and salves for years. I source local ingredients whenever I can, for several reasons - personal satisfaction from collecting or growing, the environmental impact of transporting over long distances, avoiding pesticides, freshness, ethical sourcing, supporting local farms and gardens. I could go on. I'm very excited about my poplar salve, not only for it's great properties for skin, but it's like a jar of spring.

Foraging Guidelines

Only pick where you are welcome - your own property, property where you have permission, public land (not National Parks).

Always make sure someone knows where you are and when you expect to be back.

Don't use or consume anything that you aren't 110% sure of the identity and proper use. Some things are fine if cooked, but toxic if raw, or can only be used at certain stages. Raspberry leaves can be used fresh or dried, but are toxic if wilted - crazy, right!

Bearberries

Consult multiple sources, using the scientific name. Different regions may have two species called by the same name. Use reliable sources: published books, forestry websites. Anyone who's evidence is based on "my grandpappy did it, and it never killed him" isn't reliable. Take that information and confirm it with other sources. 

Learn from locals and learn in person. Taking a class or going out with an experienced guide is the best way to identify plants.

Take only a small portion, so the plants can flourish. Don't yank them out by the roots, use a sharp knife to make a clean cut if you need a stem.

Only take as much as you can reasonable use.

Stay away from roads, the plants will be contaminated with exhaust and road salt.

Dress properly in long pants, sturdy shoes, long sleeves, and gloves. Stinging nettle and rose bushes aren't pleasant to run into - but healthy and delicious! Wear layers, the meadows can be hot and sunny, but the forest is cool and shady.

Handy Tips

I usually wear a glove on my non-dominate hand for holding branches and bush wacking. I like the dexterity of my dominate hand unencumbered unless it's prickly or sticky.

I find a ball cap works best for ducking under tree branches. It rarely catches and the brim protects my face when duck down.

Bunchberries

Ankle boots protect ankle from scratches, if you only have shoes, tuck your pant legs into tall socks.

Wear jeans or other thick pants. Leggings don't protect from thorns, thistles and scratches.

If I'm picking multiple things on one outing, I use paper lunch bags or yogurt containers to keep them separate.

Many of the things we like to forage for are on the edges of meadows and reforested areas, rather than the deep forest, especially berries like raspberries and huckleberries. 

Wear a bear bell, make lots of noise. When we do a family outing for raspberries, we roll down the windows on the truck and crank the tunes. That also helps me keep my bearings in a place that I'm less familiar with. I never wander so far that I can't hear the music and it keeps me from getting turned around. 

Most places we go have little or no phone service for web browsing, and I don't want to carry heavy books with me while I walk. I took pictures of the relevant pages of my favourite foraging book, so I have all the information in my phone.

Huckleberries

Even if you only think you will be out for a short time be prepared. I have a foraging satchel that has a mini first aid kit, flashlight, tissues, water bottle, dried fruit and granola, whistle, jackknife, emergency blanket and matches. When  you forage, you aren't on groomed paths or well worn trails. Even the most experienced hiker can step in a hole and break an ankle, and have to wait for help.

I love picking juniper berries (which are actually a cone), and it took me a few years to find a good way to do it because they are small, the branches are very prickly and they are very low to the ground. I spread my bandana on the ground under the bush, and wearing heavy gardening gloves, rake the branches with my fingers. It's the one time I would rather pick through the debris afterwards! They are delicious with roasted meats.

Forest Jam

We never have problems picking enough raspberries to make wild raspberry jam and raspberry cordial, but rarely do we get enough of other berries to do the same. Once we found a huckleberry patch abundant enough. Bearberries (kinnikinnick) actually make an amazing substitute for cranberry sauce that my family prefers. We keep containers of berries in the freezer and keep adding to it until there is enough to make something. Blended together and following a blueberry jam recipe, I made Forest Jam with huckleberries, bunchberries, and buffalo berries. There may have been a few more. If I would have been using primarily raspberries, I would have used a raspberry jam recipe.

Wild Syrup

Bearberries, bunchberries &
huckleberries

Syrup is an easy way to use wild fruit because you don't need specific amounts and you only need the juice, so if it's a seedy berry, you can strain it. Simmer the berries for about 30 minutes, with a little water to prevent scorching. Mash with a potato masher to make sure you get all the juice out. Strain the juice through a fine sieve and measure. For every part of juice add 1-2 parts sugar and return to a boil for 10 minutes. Seal in jars just like jam.

In all honesty, you can use these recipes any time you defrost your freezer and find random part bags of fruit that you intended for smoothies and got lost. I know you know what I'm talking about.

I hope you got out this weekend and took in a bit of spring time and a little bit of nature therapy!