Interview with Jami Harding at Blue Mountain Plant Nursery

 

Conversations at the plant nursery with Jami Harding

    Speaking with Jami, her enthusiasm and knowledge of plants shines through. Currently she is working at Blue Mountain Nursery in Armstrong and has done so for the last seven years. Prior experience is in forestry and silviculture. Her broad experience of plants and trees gives her a unique lens for which to observe the cultivated versus the wild. Jami speaks of the plants as if they were dear friends. She looks at conditions from a plant's perspective when putting them in the yard and uses words more commonly heard when describing people to explain the plants' needs. When we get on the topic of soil and how a plant thrives she grins widely and states that a wild plant is a stronger, better adapted specimen due to the fungal helpers in the forest soil. She suggests putting a few logs on the ground in your garden to attract the microbial and fungal communities that will nurture your soil as they decompose. A well-manicured lawn will never be as rich in life and as healthy as a patch of wild forest. 

 

    “The benefits of growing native plants and plants suitable for the climate are that they are better for both fauna and the water-table”, Jami says and cites numerous scientific studies from a broad field to give effect to her words. She uses cautionary words and can see trouble ahead with regards to future water in the Okanagan. When people come to her for advice regarding their gardens she will steer them towards native plants that can handle less water. She points to the hills and says: “Those plants up there will always be more robust and stronger than a nursery plant. They are accustomed to the area. Besides, they will be lower maintenance in your yard once established”.

    She describes how a yard can be both productive in terms of food for you and your family as well as be aesthetically pleasing. “Mimic the way the forest grows but prune your bushes and fruit trees to make them accessible for picking”. She sincerely looks at me and states with confidence: “ We [humans] all know what to do to save the planet, we just choose not to! Grow your own food, keep the water clean and be frugal with it, nurture the soil and the insect community; we all know that we need to take care of our land.”

 

    We continue to discuss what is done on a regulatory level from regional and governmental bodies to ensure that new developments or riparian zones (next to waterways) get planted with at least a percentage of local native plants. Jami does not know of any regulations that state that homeowners or developers need to grow even a single, native plant. Home owners and orchards spray pesticides that end up in our waterways, who regulates that? Jami looks up from the plant she is tending, intently locks eyes with me and says: “Let's hope it doesn't take a crisis before we change our ways.”

 

    Let's heed Jami's advice and make our yards and gardens healthy places that will sustain the local fauna. According to studies done by the Provincial Ministry of the Environment, Central Okanagan Regional District and Environment Canada “Okanagan has become home to the largest concentration of rare, endangered and threatened species in BC.... and since 2002 Okanagan River is classified as one of Canada's most endangered rivers.”

 

    Each one of us has the power to remedy this by re-creating local habitat and choosing local plants over exotic ones. We can choose to not use poison/pesticides in our yards and gardens. We can use our water wisely, exchanging all or part of our lawns for drought hardy plants and avoiding washing our car in summer. We can influence others and we can put pressure on our governmental bodies that more is done to protect this bio-diverse and marvellous region. Let's follow Jami's advice and listen to her warnings. Let's not wait until it is too late!

Purslane

 

Right now the purslane (Portulaca oleraceae) is thriving. I thought I'd share with you some of the info I have compiled on this remarkable plant. The fact that it can handle severe drought makes this a plant to pay attention to. We need to look into plants that need less water and that can handle heat and dry conditions since our future will probably have more heat waves in store for us.

Purslane (Portulaca oleraceae) Portulacaceae                                                                                   

Synonyms: Green Purslane, Little Hogweed, Verdolaga, Pursley, Red Root

Description: Annual herb that grows prostrate to the ground. It has fleshy hairless leaves that are paddle shaped. They are arranged in clusters/rosettes off the stem with smaller leaves overlapping larger ones. Stalk is thick and fleshy, sometimes with a reddish tint. Flowers are small and yellow with five petals that are notched at the top. They are formed at tips of branching stems. When they bloom they last for a few hours only. Here at the farm it is rare to see it flower. The presence of cleistogamous (petal-less, self-pollinating) flowers is a possible explanation for this phenomenon. Seed pod is smooth, oval and splits in half crosswise to form a little cup that holds the seeds for dispersal. Seeds are black, round and flattened. The root is a deep taproot.

 

Uses: We are able to harvest purslane from mid-summer until late fall where we are (North Okangan, BC). After we harvested some of our root crops the ground was left bare and the purslane took the moment to establish itself and spread out over the garden beds. It is doing us a great favour by holding the soil and retaining moisture. Besides it is one of the tastiest plants you will ever eat. I feel that we never get enough purslane in a year. All parts of it can be eaten. The succulent leaves and fleshy stalks are juicy and a little tart with a hint of salt. The sour flavour is stronger in the morning. We pick the entire aerial part of the plant and add it raw to salads and sandwiches. Sometimes the lower stalks can be a bit tough, if so, snip off your purslane greens a bit higher towards the tip and you should have no problem. I love adding purslane fresh to a potato salad. It gives a tangy little surprise that makes a potato salad more interesting and less heavy. It works really well in cold foods such as a quinoa salad and cold couscous salad. It mixes especially well in Greek yogurt and makes an interesting addition in a tzatziki dip. For a sweet treat the purslane leaves can be mixed with fruit and ice cubes and be whisked in the food processor for a delicious smoothie/slushy. Sometimes I add hemp seeds and frozen grated zucchini to my smoothies to make them extra nutritious and yummy.

    Purslane can also be used in cooking, it is mucilaginous so will thicken up soups and stews. Another fun way to use the stalks and leaves of this plant is to turn them into a refrigerator pickle. They do not hold up to regular canning processes so are best added fresh to a jar and covered with pickle brine. Set in fridge for three days to a week before opening. It is recommended that refrigerator pickles be consumed within a month. In our house there is no risk of them going bad. We gobble them up long before then.

    The seeds can be gathered and eaten too. Here we don't get enough purslane to make that worthwhile but I have read that in other parts of the world the seeds were ground up and made into seed cakes. I can clearly see it now, I need to deliberately cultivate more of this wonderful plant! 

  

Other uses: Purslane has been used for a very long time by various peoples all around the globe. The name oleracea means vegetable or herb in Latin. Some uses in Traditional Chinese Medicine dates back thousands of years. It has been used for headaches, fevers, intestinal worms, dysentery, eczema and diabetes to name just a few. Personally I like using the juice of it on a sunburn. It feels cooling and it soothes the damaged skin.

    This plant has a high amount of omega-3 which is not so common in green plants. We more often find omega-3 in fatty fish and nuts. Omega-3 has been found to have multiple benefits for the heart and the brain. Purslane is also a good source of vitamin A, iron and potassium.

    Purslane makes a great companion plant because it retains the moisture in the soil and its long and strong roots can penetrate the ground and allow other plants' roots to get further down into the ground and tap into water and minerals at a deeper depth.

    This plant can handle severe drought and is unusual in that it can utilize both C4 and CAM photosynthetic pathways. In the CAM process the plant keeps its stomata closed during the day to reduce water loss. It appears as if purslane switches to CAM (Crassulaceaen Acid Metabolism) after a period of extensive drought. Plants like these might be of crucial importance as our climate changes.

The seeds of the plant are popular with sparrows and songbirds.

Caution: Contains some oxalic acid which will lessen if cooked. If you have a history of kidney stones be cautious using this plant since it may increase such a condition.

Similar species/ Look-alikes:

Prostrate Spurge/Spotted Spurge (Euphorbia maculata/ Chamaesyce maculata) Native prostrate annual. Leaves are oval and grow in a flattened opposite pattern. They do not form the small rosette-like structures with small leaves overlapping large ones like purslane does. Often the leaves will have a darker spot on their top. Flower is white and seed pods have three ridges. Sparsely covered in hairs. It exudes a sticky milky latex that can cause skin irritation. Poisonous.

 

purslane (left), ridge-seed spurge (right)

Ridge-Seed Spurge (Euphorbia glyptosperma) Looks very similar to prostrate spurge apart from the lack of hairs and no red spot on top of leaf. There are also differences in fruits and seeds. E. glyptosperma has a smooth seed pod/fruit, whereas E. maculata has one that is covered in fine hairs. The seeds differ too, E. glyptosperma has clear transverse ridges. Flower is tiny, pink with with edges. The plant exudes a sticky milky latex that can cause skin irritation. Poisonous.

Common Knotweed (Polygonum arenastrum/Polygonum aviculare) Prostrate annual, sometimes perennial. Leaves are alternate and oval. They are not fleshy like purslane. At each leaf base a papery silver-coloured ochrea can be found. Flowers are green with pink-white edges. Edible.

Climate Change

 

I am worried.

Our climate is spinning out of control. Two weeks of extreme heat forecasted with temperatures in the 40s. We had left a thermometer in the sun for a few hours and it read 60° Celcius. 46° C in the shade. That is crazy!

The saskatoons are just ripening now, but with the lack of rain and intense heat they shrivel up to nothing as soon as they ripen. Creatures such as bears, birds and insects rely on the wild berries to see them through summer and winter. If the berry crops fail it could impact them severely. Inside I am quietly freaking out. Global climate change is real and the consequences are going to be dire. We are all going to suffer from water shortage, crop failure and loss of species if we don't do something NOW. 

I feel that there is nothing as important as working towards a solution to this so here is my action plan:

The kids and I are posting the question to the community what their ideas are on what we can do on an individual as well as on a community level. We plan to take our findings and ideas to the mayor of Spallumcheen and to the mayor of Armstrong initially, and later on branch out and contact regional as well as national representatives. We will also post our findings here. We are hoping that by doing this we will show our leaders that climate change is an important topic for their voters.

If you have any ideas/want to join/chat about this topic please contact us on email: mikicannon@gmail.com

There is a song by Karliene called Mother Earth that speaks to me right now. Here is a link to the video with lyrics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caIo1UGSDgw

Rose petals

 

    The roses (Rosa spp.) are flowering along the roads and grace us with their sweet scent. There are many different kinds of rose. They can be tricky to tell apart. Luckily, the petals of all the roses can be used interchangeably. 

    I love making rose petal water with them. The scent infuses in the water and I use it to wash my face. It calms me and allows me to feel pampered. There are studies that show that rose scent has a calming effect on humans by lowering blood pressure and calming the breathing. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19370942/

 

 

Dog Rose petals (Rosa canina)

    The astringency in the petals help to close the pores and clean the skin while re-moisturizing it. It's a dreamy feeling. It's very easy to make. I pop a couple of handfuls of rose petals in a jar, fill it with water and let sit in a sunlit window for 2-3 days. Then I strain the petals out and discard them. The water will have the scent of the rose captured within it. I sometimes freeze containers with this water to add to body products later in the year or to add to Turkish delight candy made with Mountain Ash/Rowan berries (Sorbus spp.). Rowan is another member of the very large rose family, Rosaceae. Rose petal water also tastes great as a drink on its own and is a good remedy if you have diarrhea.

 

Western Mountain Ash (Sorbus scopulina)Turkish delight

    The petals taste great as a trail nibble. The kids and I took a hike up Mt Rose Swanson the other day and ate the petals of the various rose species we found along the trail--Prickly Rose (Rosa acicularis) and Baldhip Rose (Rosa gymnocarpa). Whenever we pick the rose petals we make sure to only take a few from each flower so that the bees and other pollinators can still find the flowers to do their magic. In the fall we reap the wonderful result- the rosehip.

 

Baldhip Rose (left), Prickly Rose (right)

      

    There are many recipes online for rose petal jelly as well as for rose petal jam. I have yet to make a successful jelly with rose petals, my experiments tend to be more syrup than jelly. The petals can also be added to sugar and left to impart their flavour there. The rose scented sugar is nice to use in baking or in a cup of rose leaf tea. I like drying both the petals and the leaves in early summer. These I use throughout the year as tea or in baking. 

    An infusion from the rose leaves is helpful to clean wounds in. It helps to disinfect as well as close the pores and enables the skin to heal faster. 

 

 

Prickly Rose bud

Large Dog Rose bush (left), formidable prickles of Dog Rose stem (right)

    The roses all have prickles. These differ from thorns and spines. A prickle is defined as "a sharp pointed emergence arising from the epidermis or cortex". A thorn on the other hand is, "a sharp-pointed, and leafless modified stem". To contrast, a spine is classified as, "a stiff pointed plant part that is a modified leaf or leaf part". These definitions are taken from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary.

    No matter what you call those spiky parts, they can rip your skin if you move around roses without caution. Luckily, the kind rose also provides medicine if you do get scraped. Chew up a couple of rose leaves and place the wad over your scrape and you will be good to go in no time.

Enjoy your summer and don't forget to stop and smell the roses.

Love,

Mikaela

Saskatoon

 

    I've been admiring the delicate flowers of the Saskatoons (Amelanchier alnifolia). I'm now praying that we get some rain so that juicy berries can form. It has been so incredibly dry lately. We need many days of good solid rain to get the forest's thirst slated. The heart-leaved arnica are looking wilted and the oxeye daisy leaves have barely grown this year. Even the stinging nettle down in the usually soggy field are looking parched! I am hopeful that June will bring rain. In the past that has been the pattern, although it is hard to say nowadays what kind of weather and precipitation to expect. It seems as if spring is coming earlier and that it's hotter. This troubles me. I worry that species such as paper birch won't be able to withstand extensive hot and dry climate. See blog entry on birch. 

    I am gladdened by the fact that many different kinds of bees are visiting the flowers, their back legs heavy with pollen. Thanks to their incessant collecting of nectar and pollen, the flowers become pollinated and fantastic fruit/berry follows.

    The saskatoon berry (pome) goes from green to light pink, to purple/pink to dark blue when ripe. They are juicy and delicious and can be used as you would blueberries. The berries won't be ready for a little while yet, here at the farm they ripen anytime from mid-June to mid-July depending on the year. Here is a recipe for one excellent use of the berries.

Gluten Free Saskatoon Cookies

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1/2 cup rice flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup white sugar (I usually cut this amount in half)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup liquid coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup saskatoon berries

 

Mix dry ingredients together first in a separate bowl. Mix all the wet ingredients in the mixer. Then add the dry ingredients while mixing. Stir in saskatoon berries gently, 1cup (sometimes I add 1,5 cups of the berries if I have an abundance). The berries add juiciness and the seeds add a crunchy and nutty flavour.

Form into little balls, pat down and cook on greased plate in oven for 10 min on 350 °F / 180° C.

Enjoy!

Inside the berries are crescent-shaped seeds. They contain a small amount of cyanide just like an apple seed does. I usually eat them anyway. If you're worried, cook or dry the berry as the cyanide content then lessens or disappears. The leaves and bark also contain cyanide. The amount of cyanide is higher in the bush during a drought. 

The leaf is shaped a bit like an alder leaf and the name alnifolia means just that- alder leaf.

    There are a couple of bushes/trees that could be mistaken for saskatoon. One that often grows right next to it is the black hawthorn (Crataegus douglasii). The best way to tell the two apart are by the impressive thorns of the hawthorn. See pictures below of black hawthorn. The black hawthorn berries are also edible and they ripen a couple of weeks later than saskatoon does.

   seeds

 

All photos above: black hawthorn

    Another look-alike that is often planted in people's yards is Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa). I have not used it much myself, but it is edible.

 

    To conclude: we are fortunate to have so many delicious berries growing here in this region. Make sure that you have correctly identified anything before consuming. Another very important aspect of foraging is to harvest sustainably. That means not harvesting every single berry but rather leave enough for others who need them to survive, such as bears and birds. Tread lightly and care for the plants and they will be able to provide for you for many years. At the moment I give an offering of water to any plant I harvest from to show my gratitude for their food, medicine and material.

Hope this was helpful to you. Happy harvesting!

Dandelion

 

    Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) has it all! It is pretty and cheerful. It can grow just about everywhere. It is highly nutritious. It is good medicine. The bees love it and make delectable honey from it. What's not to love?

    At this time of year as the flowers dot the fields the kids and I collect the flowers and gorge on them. The kids eat them raw, savouring the sweet nectar inside the flower. My personal favourite way of eating the flowers is to coat them in flour and fry them in butter. They are just the right bite size and their taste is salty and sweet, a little chewy and oddly reminiscent of mushroom. We eat this treat almost daily when they are at their peak. I have even been successful at freezing them and using them this way in the winter. It's not as good as when they are first picked but they still taste great.

    I also like adding the flowers as filling to a quiche or in an omelette. When I make sweet muffins I pull the petals off the flowers and only use the yellow part. The green part of the flower can create some bitterness.

 

    The leaves are great eaten raw or added to any meal you are making. I also dry a bunch of them to have in my larder for winter. I use them as tea or add them to baking. The leaves are an excellent diuretic. They pull water out of your body but they do not deplete you of potassium in the process, rather they replenish it. The leaves will increase your urination and can also work as a laxative.

 

    The root is great for the liver. It helps to detoxify your body. Avoid if you have diarrhea as it is laxative. I like picking the spring root and I eat it raw or add it to casseroles. Some find it a little bitter. I find it to be a little milder in taste earlier in the year. The fall root tends to be bigger and are better to use for coffee substitute. Their bitterness is perfect for a coffee!

    That today's society seems to despise dandelion is peculiar given this plant's long standing history as a remedy and food. Search the internet for the history of dandelion and its uses and you will come across it being mentioned as a remedy in ancient Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Japanese and Chinese traditions. People have used it for food wherever it popped up. So instead of trying to rid ourselves of this gift, why not embrace it,  perhaps in the process we will even see some marked improvements to our health.

I, for one, raise my glass in a salute to dandelion. One of the best plants on the planet, if you ask me. 

Early Blue Violet

 

What a marvellous sight a clearing with the ground covered in vibrant blue violets is! The smell is soothing and the heart-shaped leaves welcome you to sit down for a while and relax. As the sunlight plays through the trees and the chickadees serenade one another with their spring "hi sweety" call, I marvel at the preciousness of this moment. This moment, I can feel completely at  peace hanging out with the Early Blue Violet (Viola adunca).

 

Description:   

Flowers have the distinct shape of violets; five petals -- two at the top and three at the bottom. At the back of the flower there is a spur, a rounded heel-like protrusion. It's approximately half the length of the bottom petals. The flower of this particular violet ranges between vivid blue to a more subtle purple. Their scent is unmistakable.

Leaves are heart-shaped with jagged edges. It is sometimes hard to see, but they are covered in tiny hairs. They are bright green when new and dark green throughout the summer.

 

Seed pod forms under the leaves, close to the ground. It is mottled white and purple and when the seed within it is ripe it catapults the seed away from the mother plant. Ants carry the seed underground, their reward, a fatty substance that coat the seed. They feed this to their babies and the violet gets a lift underground to perfect growing conditions as an exchange. How ingenious is that!

 

Root is a rhizome.

Do not ingest seeds and roots! They are poisonous and can cause respiratory and circulatory problems.

Important fact!

Viola adunca is hugely important for some Zerene fritillaries butterflies (Speyeria spp). Their larva feed solely on early blue violet. They also pupate in the violet debris. Without this plant they will no longer exist and many of the species are on the endangered list. These violets should be encouraged to take over our lawns to give these beautiful butterflies a chance of survival. Be mindful that what might appear to you as ugly old plant matter can be a nursery to a species on the brink of extinction. Don’t clean it away, leave it. If you wildcraft this species do it gingerly and make sure that any critters in and amongst the violets do not get injured! In some provinces this plant is considered vulnerable. If that's the case in your area, avoid harvesting any at all.

Here on the farm we are lucky to have several healthy patches of early blue violet. Now in April we harvest the flowers. I like putting them in a jar of water and setting that jar on the windowsill to infuse. After a day or two the water smells lovely and will keep its scent even through freezing. The water I like to use to wash my skin and drink. Sometimes I pull one of these jars out of the freezer in winter just to smell it. Instant transportation to spring! It can really lift your spirits in the darkest month of the year.

The flowers are also lovely placed in sugar and left for a few days. The violets will become coated in the sugar and the sugar will take on the mouth-watering smell and taste of the flowers. The sugared violets we use as topping for our morning yoghurt. The sugar we use to bake sugar cookies with. Make sure to not add any strong flavours to your cookie dough as it will overpower the violet scent.

Violets scent is magical, one moment it is there, the next gone, only to come back again after a few minutes. The reason for this is the ionone that gives the violet its scent. Once the ionone has stimulated your scent receptors it shuts them down temporarily. It shuts them off completely. A few more moments go by and the brain is not registering any scent at all. You are now experiencing anosmia (loss of sense of smell or smell blindness). Then the scent comes back and the brain registers it as a new stimulus and the cycle continues. That is why it so hard to pin down the scent of violet.

The leaves can also be used. I pick them throughout the summer and and cook them and add them to lasagna, quiche and spanakopita. Any recipe that calls for spinach works well for the violet leaves. Make sure to not consume too much though as it can cause digestive upset.

Enjoy your spring time and be sure to stop and smell the flowers, fleeting as it may be.💗

Sheep Sorrel

 

 

Sheep sorrel leaf, note the hastate/ arrow shape of the leaf.

    There's nothing as lovely as nibbling on a fresh sheep sorrel leaf (Rumex acetosella) in the spring sun. Its flavour is sour and refreshing, similar to rhubarb. They're related. Both are in the Polygonaceae family. Another relative, yellow dock (Rumex crispus) can also be found at this time of year. I love the leaves of sorrel or dock in a spring salad with some mustard greens (Sinapis spp.), dandelion leaves (Taraxacum officinale) and oxeye daisy leaves (Leucanthemum vulgare).

    Soon spring will be here in earnest and everything will be green but for now we'll have to settle for the few greens that are ready for eating. Somehow they seem the more precious because they're the first to come and they have been missed. In today's society here in the Okanagan there are fresh produce to be bought in the stores all throughout the winter but this was not always the case. The fresh greens in early spring must have been such a welcome addition to the winter fare, not to mention the nutritional benefits that the spring greens would have brought. Sheep sorrel is high in vitamin A and C.

Sheep sorrel leaves, spring onions and eggs in time for Easter.

 

Description

Perennial. Likes open spaces such as meadows and pastures. Forms colonies with its long skinny roots. Grows to about 30cm tall when in flower. Leaves are arrow-shaped with two distinct lobes at the base (hastate). Leaves form a basal rosette. They are juicy, kind of glittery and dark green, turning a vibrant red in autumn. Plant is dioecious, meaning that plants are either male or female. Male flower has 6 sepals, no petals and 6 stamens. Female flower looks the same, but instead of stamens it has a frilly white pistil. Plant is wind pollinated. Both types of flowers initially have green sepals that turn red as the plant flowers and sets seed. Seed is a papery achene. It is brown-red and has three angles.

Left photo. Comparison of female( left) and male flower (right).

Right photo: Close up of male flower.

 

 Caution /Warning

Sheep sorrel contains oxalic acid and should not be consumed in excess as this can interfere with calcium uptake in the body. Cooking lessens the oxalic acid. Many common everyday foods contain oxalic acids and we are not scared of them, examples are: spinach, rhubarb, chocolate, tea, parsley. If you eat this plant in moderation you should have no problem at all. If I eat many foods that contain oxalic acid in a week I increase my consumption of dairy to counter any calcium loss. People with kidney problems however should consume less of the plant or avoid it altogether. Also avoid if you have diarrhea since it is a laxative.

When you cook with sheep sorrel it is better to avoid pots made out of aluminium, copper or iron as the acid in the sheep sorrel reacts with these metals. Rhubarb does the same thing, turning from beautifully pink to ugly brown.

 

Often sheep sorrel leaves will have red spots on them.

Sulphur Cinquefoil

 

Today I thought I'd share with you about an early abundant spring plant that can be used for food.

 Sulphur cinquefoil (Potentilla recta) 

In our fields it is everywhere! Below is a quick guide to recognising it, as well as some uses.

Flower- note the heart-shaped petals in two tones of yellow

Sulphur Cinquefoil

Potentilla recta

Rosaceae

Synonyms:

Erect cinquefoil, Rough-Fruited Cinquefoil, Five Fingers

Description: Perennial herb that can grow up to 80cm tall. Likes to grow in open fields. 

Leaves are palmately divided into 5-7 deeply toothed and veined leaflets. The name cinquefoil, which means five leaf or five petal refers either to the five petaled flower or to the five leaflets that are arranged like fingers on a hand. Some people think that the leaves resemble marijuana leaves. Most sulphur cinquefoil have seven leaflets at maturity, but some have five. They are dark matte-green on top and pale below. The leaves form a basal rosette as well as forming an alternate pattern up the stalk. At each petiole there are two jagged stipules attached to the stalk. 

Stalk is woody and green/yellow. Both the leaves and stalk are covered in soft hairs.  

Flower is yellow in two tones, light yellow on petals and dark yellow towards the centre. It has five petals, each shaped like a heart. Flowers grow in flat topped clusters (cyme). Early in the morning the flowers are not yet opened; they open as the day progresses. 

Fruit is small and strawberry-looking and enclosed within a papery husk. This husk turns brown and dries in late summer. Inside are many small seeds that fall out once the husks dry up and open. The seeds are dark brown and wedged-shaped.  

Tap root is fibrous and woody.

 

 

Husk and seeds in August

Uses:

    This species is an introduced variety that can become quite widespread. The leaves, in early spring, or when they are immature, can be picked and added to any meal you cook. They are not suitable raw in a salad due to their texture and the fine hairs on the leaves. However, the dried leaves can be added to bread and muffins. They dry fast and are easy to crumble up. Their flavour is similar to strawberry leaves (Fragaria spp) or rose leaves (Rosa spp): Fresh, sour and drying. They are all part of the same family, Rosaceae.

    We also use the flower petals as garnish. They need to be added at the very last minute before serving because the petals are fragile and do not hold up to a lot of handling. They look like beautiful little yellow hearts. The fruit is small and covered in a papery husk. It tastes like an unripe strawberry. Once the husk dries up, the seeds from the fruit scatter freely and abundantly. If you pick the plant just before it has released all its seeds you can put it upside-down in a paper bag and gather the seeds for muffins or as sprinkling on your yoghurt. They taste a lot like strawberry seeds. The seeds are tiny, but there is usually a great abundance of them since the plant tends to grow in large patches. I find them worthwhile to gather.

   

    The leaves can also be used medicinally whenever an astringent is called for. The astringency in the plant helps to tighten the skin and heal wounds. I have used it with great success when I have bit the inside of my cheek and the puncture wound has become infected. I make an infusion or decoction of the fresh plant, stalk, leaves and flowers. I gargle with this liquid three times per day until I see an effect. After using it for only a day I can already see a marked improvement and the pain is almost all gone. A tea made from the leaves can also be drunk if you are suffering from diarrhea.

     

    Many people complain about sulphur cinquefoil due to its invasive tendencies and how it can make hay of inferior quality when it gets into the hay fields. We have found that the sulphur cinquefoil thrives in pastures with poor fertilizing and low irrigation. Here on the farm we run chickens in large movable tractors over parts of the fields and it seems as if the cinquefoil is kept in check where the chickens have been able to scratch and poop. Where they have not been, the land is much drier and has less grass and more cinquefoil. The hay from the pasture with the cinquefoil is popular with goat owners.

Look-alikes:

There are many different kinds of cinquefoil and they can be hard to tell apart. Below are just a few examples.

Graceful Cinquefoil (Potentilla gracilis) is a native species. The flowers tend be one-toned rather than two-toned in colour. Leaves are more finely divided and are more likely to be in a basal rosette rather than on stem. This plant can be used in the same manner as sulphur cinquefoil.

Sticky cinquefoil (Potentilla glandulosa). As the name implies, it has sticky glands. Flower petals are rounded rather than heart shaped. Sepals are very prominent. Also edible. See picture below.

Tomentil/Erect Cinquefoil (Potentilla recta) See caution below!

 

 Caution

Note that there are two species with the same common name and almost identical Latin names. Sulphur cinquefoil/ Erect cinquefoil (Potentilla recta) that we speak of here, (an introduced species from Eurasia) and Tomentil/ Erect cinquefoil (Potentilla erecta) that grows in Europe. Tomentil can not be eaten as food but has been used for medicine. Any amount over 1g can cause gastrointestinal problems and issues with absorption of minerals and iron in diet. I have not seen Tomentil here, but it may be around. An easy way to tell them apart is by the flower petals. Sulphur cinquefoil has five petals, Tomentil has four.

 

Sticky cinquefoil (Potentilla glandulosa)

 

Paper Birch

 

Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera) is one of those rock star plants that support humans with food, beverage, medicine, material and firewood, not to mention aesthetic decoration. It is often mistaken for trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) because they both have whitish bark with black markings on it. The paper birch has bark that flakes off which the aspen does not. The aspen tends to have more bluish/greyish bark and the birch is brightly white. They both have black markings around where branches attach. The aspen bark is coated in a powdery dust. The birch has some of that but nowhere near the amount that the aspen does. For more info on aspen and pictures, go to entry on trembling aspen.

https://foragingforestfables.blogspot.com/2021/01/trembling-aspen.html

Comparison between paper birch bark on left and trembling aspen on right
 

    Now in March we're just seeing the snow give way to muddy spring grounds. The sap has started to run. The sun is warm during the day and the nights are still freezing. Here at the farm we have had many birch fall prey to what I believe is the Bronze Birch Borer (Agrilus anxius). The name anxius means just that: anxious or troublesome. They attack trees that have been stressed by drought or unusually high temperatures, and as the borers eat their way through the tree the birch first develops stunted yellow growth and later complete die-back of upper limbs. A sign that it is the bronze birch borer that is the culprit are D-shaped holes in the bark- their exit holes. 

Bronze birch borer exit holes in bark

 

     Once the trees develop dead tops they do make me anxious, rotten limbs can fall off without warning. They call these trees "widow-makers" for this reason. We're trying to fell these trees safely before the sap rises too much. This way the wood (that can still be salvaged for firewood) will season faster. Birch makes the best fire wood. At this time we're also harvesting the outer bark to use for crafts such as basket making and decorations. The small bits of bark are put aside to use for fire starters. They are excellent, they make a bright hot flame that can set your kindling alight.

   Birch log fire and fire starter
 

    The inner bark, (the cambium), is another fantastic resource that this tree has. I shave off chunks of it and dry it slightly before roasting in oven. The last batch I roasted for 15 min at 350°F and then turned off the oven and left the bark in there for the night. The next morning they were nice and crumbly. This crumbly stuff I grind finely into a flour. The finer you grind it the easier it is to bake with. I add this flour to cookies and bread.

                                                    Close up inner bark/cambium (left), harvesting cambium (right)

                                                  Ground birch bark flour (left), birch bark cookies (right)

 

Chocolate chip/birch bark cookies

Ingredients

2 cups regular flour

1/4 cup birch bark flour

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 eggs

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup finely chopped dates

 Directions

Whip egg and sugar

Mix all dry ingredients, then slowly mix in with egg mixture.

Add dates and chocolate at end and gently fold into the mixture. 

Place dough balls on oven trays with parchment paper and bake for 10 min at 350°F. Let cool. Enjoy!

 

    Below are some pictures of paper birch throughout the year to use for identification.

 

Birch twig Feb (left), birch seeds in snow Jan (right)

 

Birch catkin February

 

Birch flowers in April

 

  

Young birch leaves in May

 

Mature birch leaf in May bottom and top

 

 Comparison: paper birch on left, trembling aspen on right (left photo)

Comparison: paper birch on left, beaked hazelnut on right (right photo)

 

Dead birch with Birch Polypore fungi (Fomitopsis betulina) in October 

There are a multitude other uses for birch and I will cover them in different blog entries. I'm so grateful to our birch trees for everything they give us. One concern with global warming and rising temperatures across the continent is that extending seasons of drought means that the paper birch will have a harder time to fight off pathogens such as the bronze birch borer and we might see further losses of this species. Just think about how connected everything is. A few degrees warmer and we stand to lose so much. This is such a serious issue and it needs addressing now. What can we do? There are many ways to take action: 

Contact government and local politicians and explain your concerns and demand that they have a plan to minimize carbon emissions and hold them to it. Use you vote, vote for the party that will do something about climate change.

Plant trees

Grow a garden and harvest your own vegetables. 

Avoid using plastic. 

Ride your bike or walk instead of using the car.

These are just some simple ideas. I'm sure you already have a handful of ideas that can help. It is never futile to try your best to keep the planet safe. 

Here is a quote by Edward Everett Hale that I chant to myself when I feel helpless about environmental damage and climate change.

 

"I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do." 

-Edward Everett Hale

 

Humans are incredible, I really hope we can turn this around before it's too late.

Here is a song I find inspiring and sing with my kids: Glyn Lehmann, I am the Earth

To listen click on link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wkn1B7cJYQo

Until next time, keep safe and always harvest sustainably.