Wild Summer Mushrooms

After some mid-week rain I was quite confident there would be a few wild mushrooms out today and Chanterelle topped the list of what I was hoping to find. It was interesting to see the different families of mushroom with the Russula, Amanita and Chanterelle family members out in numbers. Above we see 2 of the Chanterelle clan with the larger and best considered (inedible) Scaly-vase Chanterelle upfront and Chanterelle at the back of the photo.

I won’t show any Amanita mushroom photos though I did see 4 different members in good numbers, the above photo though is of the plentiful Russulas with many pass their prime with visible spores already released, Russula compacta and the Almond-scented Russula were everywhere and a few white russula were out to which made me suspect the (parasitic) Lobster mushroom may have already gone to work transforming some of the white russulas in to the splashy orange clad lobster mushrooms.

In the photos above are 2 of the young Lobster mushrooms I did find in this conifer area. Hope you are enjoying a wild summer. ciao

Soil settlers

Here are a few edible and medicinal plants you may find in disturbed soils in the Maritime Provinces and also over much of N.A. and even many of the world’s other temperate zones as well, though it is kind of interesting to see what will turn up in some small areas when the soil is dug and left awhile, in fact all these photos were taken on the edge of my driveway where my neighbor had some work done a few months ago on a very small piece of land 25 ft by 6 ft, some of these seeds potentially may have lay dormant for the best part of a century.  First up is Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) above.

Pineapple-weed (Matricaria matricarioides) makes a nice tea.

Lambsquarters

Lady’s-thumb (Polygonum persicaria), I find this is one of the better edible Smartweeds.

Peppergrass (Lepidium densiflorum)

Hedge-mustard (Sisymbrium officinale)

Sheperd’s-purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris)

(Left side) Mallow and Creeping Woodsorrel with the heart-shaped clover type leaves to the (right)

Common Plantain (Plantago major)

Black Medick (Medicago lupulina)

Evening Primrose, first year basal leaves.

Sow-thistle, this one is not the same as the perennial Sow-thistle I gather near the salt marsh, this one is an annual.

I’m hoping my neighbour will not mow or lay sod until some of these plants develop seeds for me to collect as I would enjoy having some young shoots for winter salads from at least some of these plants nature finds away to share with itself.

Here is the kind of thing I would do with some of the seeds I’m hopeful to soon gather, above is a bag of Yellow Goat’s-beard shoots from seeds I collected fresh a few weeks ago, they look like grass though they are quite good in salads, Life blows me away with its natural goodness. ciao

The Tide says hi

Mostly I seem to arrive here on the salt marsh during low tide when lots of marsh mud is in view, but today it is truly full.

Low tide view.

Again my 2 crow friends flew over to visit as I noticed a nice close shadow and raised up to watch them circle around me while I was gathering some Sow-thistle leaves. No photo of them as they seem to prefer it this way, though I will show the fresh Sow-thistle leaves which were very tender for late July.

Back on the ridge above the marsh a few berries are ripe. Here on hand we have Blue, Amelanchier and Northern fly-honeysuckle berries.

Raspberries to. ciao

Wild Caraway and kin

Caraway seeds are now ready to be gathered in the Maritime provinces as Water Hemlock (Cicuta maculata) is in full bloom. In the photo we see a group of already cut Caraway stems laying on the ground. Most places Caraway grows (including here in the high marsh) a dangerous relative or 2 is most likely close by so get to know this family well before you start gathering this or any wild edible carrot relative for food.

Here we see some young green Caraway  leaves laying on top of the mature Caraway stems. This plant has edible roots, leaves and seeds. I like to chew the seeds and grow and eat the young shoot leaves.  Caraway (Carum carvi) was a popular plant in southern Europe and Asia for thousands of years and does also grow very well in the north as it has become quite popular in Germany and England in more recent centuries.

Water Hemlock and Caraway are both members of the carrot (Umbelliferae) family and luckily they flower and mature at different times. Here we see the mature brown stems and seeds of Caraway in the bottom half of the photo with the poisonous Water Hemlock with white flowers in the top half of the photo.

A closer look at the upper parts on a Caraway stem with seeds and the taller poisonous Water Hemlock still flowering in the windy background.

Another carrot family member a few miles down the road side, the common vegetable Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) in its second year flowering stage. Water Hemlock is again growing right beside its cousin Parsnip only this time it is the smaller plant of the family.

Parsnip is quite noticeable with its yellow flowers though Dill another family member has yellow flowers,  I should also mention you will need to wear gloves if you want to collect Parsnip seeds at the end of the summer due to potential strong contact dermatitis with Parsnip’s toxic leaf sap.

Farther down the road Queen Anne’s Lace AKA Wild Carrot (Daucus carota), the direct ancestor of our orange colored carrot of today.

A few more miles to the dykes edge where we see another Umbelliferae has like Caraway already gone to seed, the difficult to see here Scotch Lovage (Ligusticum scothicum)

Back home, the last of the carrot family to be shown today, Cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) which I believed was (Myrrhis odorata) for several years, this plant is rare to find in the wild in N.B. except here in my yard where it roams quite freely. There are lots more Umbelliferae family members you see on a regular bases along roads, in flower and vegetable gardens, at the grocery store and restaurants. ciao

Close caw near the Silverweed

You may find lots of Silverweed (Potentilla anserine) in the salt marsh but if you plan on gathering some of their roots for food you better turn around and head to a sandy shore or dune area in the fall where it is even more common and easier gathered. This is another member of the rose family which is a good edible plant best known for its roots though  the shoots and young leaves can also be eaten.

Silverweed is common in most of the northern half of the northern hemisphere and has been a popular food over the last 10,000 years, most notably in Tibet, British Columbia in Canada and Scotland. It has been one of or the most important root crop for some coastal groups with their best beds considered important territory to lay claim to. Silverweed in this maritime salt marsh is a little different from the one found in maritime sandy areas with this one here known as var. Rolandii

As I was admiring this ancient food out on the salt marsh I was unknowingly approached by a pair of crows who flew up beside me with one waiting till he was a few feet away from my ear before surprising me with a loud caw, I hoped they would circle and approach again once I had my camera ready though that of course wasn’t the case and I had to settle for this photo with them returning to the dyke where they sat and snickered for awhile,  it seems the birds and animals out here enjoy playing tricks as vision is amazing here being able to see great distances, though the wind is loud and occasional you will be surprised with a close encounter with fox, skunk, hawk, raven, coyote and today crow, luckily I haven’t cross paths with bear out here yet.

Lastly, leaving the Tantramar marsh area today there are lots of Witherod  shrubs blooming (Viburnum cassinoides) AKA wild raisin which has very common and productive tasty fruit though they are hard to eat due to the large seed which works out well for small creatures and birds in winter with plenty left available.

Daylily buds

Staying close to the nest today I decided to try some Day-lily buds as a cooked vegetable. Last year I dried a lot of flowers for use in tea and soups and have been very pleased with them, also the fresh flowers were very crunchy and good in salads last summer. This year I will explore the flower buds during their 25 days of development before flowering which from what I’ve read change quite a bit in taste and nutritional value with the buds being most beneficial to eat in the last 4 days before flowering.

Day-lily bed

These few buds here are a little  over 2 inches long and were delicious boiled in a small amount of water for 4 minutes. I honestly rate them as better than any cooked green beans I ever had which I also tend to enjoy, so. Here you also see my Stinging Nettle, Jerusalem Artichoke patch with Day-lilies behind them. Some Day-lilies varieties may not be totally safe to eat so I suggest you learn to recognize and stick with Hemerocallis fulva the (Tawny Day-lily) which has become a very common wild Day-lily on the east half of N.A.

Milkweed

I’ve only become familiar with Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) in the last 10 years as it didn’t grow in my home area and seems to only grow along railway tracks in the area I live now which is Moncton N.B.  With its large thick leaves and attractive flowers this plant you will take notice of right away once you see it.

I’ve been rather slow in sampling Milkweed as a wild edible due to the location where it grows as I’m quite concerned with the potential toxins in the plants related to the sprays railways periodically receive which has been going on in these areas for over 100 years. This one is just 2 feet from the railway track.

Today I’ve found a patch which has spread a few hundred feet into an open field which I suspect is a safe enough distance to try a few young flower buds which even in the most pristine environment would need to be boiled to be a safe edible, some even recommend changing the boiling water 3 times while cooking. Since I’m new to this plant this is the cooking process I followed.

Here are the unopened flower buds. Milkweed comes by its name honestly as the amount of white latex the runs forth when a leaf breaks away from the stem is impressive to see and this latex has been used to make rubber, also some folks of long ago used the dried latex as a chewing gum.

This is my collection of the uncooked buds which turn out to be very good vegetable when cooked in the 3 boiling water change process for total cooking time of 15 minutes. The flower buds turn a dark green once the are boiled. I’m also interested in trying the young seedpods as a wild edible when the time is right, the white seeds inside the young pods look to be an interesting food.

Yellow Goatsbeard is set to jump

Yellow goatsbeard open seed-heads look like giant dandelion.

This one is Tragopogon pratensis

Here is Tragopogon dubius, I am collecting the seeds from both of these forms of Yellow Goatsbeard before most of the seeds blow away.

I’ll be sprouting many of these though a few will be left to produce young roots and leaves to be eaten in the late fall.

In the Maritime provinces of Canada usually you will find a wild member of the pea family growing beside Yellow Goatsbeard and the photos today show no exception.

Favorite green, Live-forever

Since the late 70s (Sedum telephium) Live-forever leaves have gone into more of my spring and summer salads then any other green. In those days the only place I found Live-forever was where ostrich fern fiddleheads also grew near my local river.

On the land surrounding the Tantramar marsh Live-forever is much more common in damp old fields, thickets, forest and even tall grass as we kind of see today if we look closely. (click on for better view)

Live-forever in some soils produce bitter leaves, though in the Tantramar area I haven’t found any as bitter as the commonly used romaine lettuce, plus Live-forever can be stir-fried as well.

That’s enough green only,  here are some Aronia shrubs in blossom with a little more green and why not some blue too. ciao

Large-leaved Aster (Eurybia macrophylla)

Approaching someone’s home garden of Large-leaved Aster.

The best time to notice Large-leaved Aster is the month of June in eastern Canada. The best time to eat the cooked leaves of Large-leaved Aster is in the month of May.  So today I’m locating large beds of this perennial plant in areas close to where I live or frequently travel in preparation for observing the plant through its different stages as it grows and then returning in late April to start gathering the young tender leaves while they are still shiny and around 4 inches long. I may also gather  the seed heads after flowering in the fall to see how this plant grows from seed inside the house or in the spring outdoors in my garden.

A look at a young plant as this aster bed seems to be expanding outward in this area.

The 3 leaves on the left are acceptable for cooking, but the 3 leaves on the right though of similar size would be leathery to eat.

Here is another local animal who is fond of Large-leaved Aster and the Ojibwa hunters were well aware of this and dried Large-leaved Aster leaves and smoked them as a deer charm.