Posts Tagged ‘pencil drawing’
Grove-sandwort (Arenaria lateriflora L.)
Our summer property is a constant source of learning for me. Every year I seem to find at least one new plant. This year the plant is Grove-sandwort (Arenaria lateriflora L.).
Grove-sandwort is a common plant, found in meadows, along shorelines and at the borders of woods. It is a low-growing herb, first noticeable in June. The starry, white flowers each have five petals and grow near the top and along the sides of a simple stem. The leaves are elongated, elliptical, and in pairs.
Arenaria comes from the Latin arena meaning ‘sand’, where many of the members of the genus grow. The specific name lateriflora means ‘flowering on the side’.
Have you learned to identify any new plants this summer?
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new neighbor
Grove-sandwort (Arenaria lateriflora L.)
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met her in the meadow
by the split-rail fence
strewing the grove
with flowers
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her leaves paired,
clapping hands,
delighted only ‘to be’
a bystander in the arena
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© Jane Tims 2012
growing and gathering – ethics
Some of the poems in my collection will address the ethics of eating wild plants as food.
As a botanist, I know how many wild plants are edible. However, I also know there are ethical considerations to eating wild plants.
Plants differ greatly in their availability. Eating Dandelion greens puts no pressure on the survival of the Dandelion. Weedy species in general respond well to being harvested, by putting out copious seeds, by filling in the spaces with new rhizomes and shoots, and by growing in many habitats and conditions.
However some plants are very specific in their requirements. They need certain conditions of light, moisture and soil to thrive and reproduce. On our own property, I have watched the Painted Trillium (Trillium undulatum Willd.) struggle to maintain its presence. The Painted Trillium needs acidic, rich soils and lots of shade. Remove a single tree, cut a new trail, or let the Balsam Fir overtake the understory, and the place where a few Trilliums grew in previous years is suddenly vacant. The young leaves of the Painted Trillium can be used as a pot herb, but should I pick them to add to my knowledge about eating local foods?
a Painted Trillium in our Grey Woods, near the end of its blooming
Many woodland plants deserve this special consideration. In his Flora of New Brunswick (2000), Hal Hinds wrote, of the Indian Cucumber-root (Medeola virginiana L.): “… Although this plant produces a deeply rooted, 2-3 cm edible white tuber with a bland cucumber taste and crisp watery texture, it is truly unfortunate to destroy the plant for such a tiny morsel…”
In some circumstances, harvesting and eating these rarer wildflowers would be acceptable. In the past, for example, people of the First Nations depended on wild plants for their existence. A lost hiker, needing sustenance or hope in an emergency situation, could be excused for eating any edible wild plant.
In other circumstances, rarity, the size of the population, and habitat health are probably the fundamental issues. Take the time to know a little about the plant you are thinking of picking. Is its habitat under stress or becoming hard to find? Is it rare, threatened or endangered? Local abundance may not be a deciding factor, since rare plants often grow abundantly where they are able to grow.
Eating local is an environmentally responsible life-style choice. It saves energy and supports local farmers. Eating local wild plants as food is a nutritious and thrifty way to supplement the larder. But these benefits must be weighed against the possible harm to plant populations.
Pick with some rules in mind. Understand the plant you harvest. Gather only what is sustainable. Sometimes this means gathering nothing at all.
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Indian Cucumber-root
(Medeola virginiana L.)
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step carefully
in your quest,
lured to the wood
by a sorceress
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search carefully
among the shoots
for Indian
Cucumber-root
~
count carefully-
two layers of leaves
purple berries
stalk wool-sheathed
~
dig carefully-
below the stem
in dark, damp earth
awaits a gem
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clean carefully
leave no trace
of the woodland soil
on the creamy face
~
taste carefully-
best to savour-
slightly celery
in flavour
~
think carefully
now you possess
one dead plant
and emptiness
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© Jane Tims 2012
Partridge-berry (Mitchella repens L.)
One of the evergreen plants in the spring woodland is a little vine called Partridge-berry. It trails, low to the ground, in shady, mossy woods, sometimes covering moist banks and hummocks with its shiny greenery.
Partridge-berry (Mitchella repens L.) is also known as Twinberry, Snakevine, Running Fox and Two-eyed Berry. The word repens is from the Latin for ‘creeping’.
The leaves of Partridge-berry are small, ovoid and opposite on a vine-like stem. The leaves have a bright yellow midrib and veins, giving them a clear outline against the background of dry leaves.
The flowers are white or pinkish, and bell-shaped. They occur in pairs – the two flowers are closely united at the base, sharing a single calyx. As a result, the bright red berries are two-eyed, each showing two blossom scars.
This time of year, in July, Partridge-berry has flowered and set its berries. The berries are dry and seedy but edible, with a slightly aromatic flavour. They are a good nibble along the trail or can be used as emergency food. The berries are ordinarily eaten by birds, such as the Ruffed Grouse.
Warning: 1. never eat any plant if you are not absolutely certain of the identification; 2. never eat any plant if you have personal sensitivities, including allergies, to certain plants or their derivatives; 3. never eat any plant unless you have checked several sources to verify the edibility of the plant.~
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common names
( Mitchella repens L.)
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1.
Running Fox
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a glimpse of red
between hairmoss and hummock
the fox slips into shrewd spaces
seeks the vacant way
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2.
Snakevine
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a twist and a Twin-berry
trail woven and worn
mottled and mid-ribbed
Mitchella meanders
over feathermoss, under fern
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3.
Partridge-berry
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Ruffed Grouse pokes and pecks
tucks a Two-eyed Berry in his crop
lurches on
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© Jane Tims 2012
coastal barren, coastal bog
On our vacation to Nova Scotia last month, we revisited the Peggy’s Cove area near Halifax. I spent a lot of time along this coast years ago, but I had forgotten the unique wildness and beauty of this landscape.
We explored two habitat types, the dry and rocky barrens, and the wet coastal bog. As we found each new plant, I felt like I was greeting old and well-loved friends.
On the higher areas, growing in the thin soil on the bedrock were several species. One of these included Crowberry (Empetrum nigrum L.), a small moss-like plant with spiky leaves and small pink flowers. Later in the season, these will bear edible back berries.
We also found Three-toothed Cinquefoil (Sibbaldia tridentata (Aiton) Paule & Soják) with its three leaflets and the characteristic three teeth at the tip of each leaf. The leaves are thick and outlined in red at this time of year. Later in the year the leaves turn bright red. The white flowers each have five petals, and are starry with stamens.
In the low-lying, boggy areas, we found a ‘merriment’ (my word) of Pitcher-plants (Sarracenia purpurea L.).
The leaves of these insectivorous plants are shaped like vessels. Insects climbing into the leaves encounter downward pointing hairs. They are trapped! Eventually they drown and are digested in the water at the base of the ‘pitcher’.
We also found another carnivorous plant, the Round-leaved Sundew (Drosera rotundifolia L.). The leaves of these plants are covered with tiny hairs… these exude a sticky liquid and trapped insects are slowly digested. For more information on the Sundew, please visit my post for October 31, 2011, ‘Round-leaved Sundew’. https://nichepoetryandprose.wordpress.com/2011/10/
All was not gruesome. We also found Arethusa (Arethusa bulbosa L.), a member of the orchid family. This beautiful pink orchid is also known as the Dragon’s Mouth.
Overall, our trip to Peggy’s Cove was a wonderful adventure. We plan to return in the early fall, when the Crowberry and the other edible plants we saw have set their berries.
Have you ever been to Peggy’s Cove and what did you think of the coastal landscape and the plants growing there?
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© Jane Tims 2012
Warning: 1. never eat any plant if you are not absolutely certain of the identification; 2. never eat any plant if you have personal sensitivities, including allergies, to certain plants or their derivatives; 3. never eat any plant unless you have checked several sources to verify the edibility of the plant.growing and gathering – picking berries with friends
As I am deciding how to organise my poetry manuscript on ‘growing and gathering’ local foods, I am considering the themes of the various poems. I think these themes will become the sections in my manuscript.
One of the first themes to emerge, perhaps the easiest to examine, is about ‘relationships’.
Although I have often picked berries alone, my best memories are of picking berries with members of my family. Both my Mom and Dad loved to pick berries. My Dad was a fast picker and I was always in silent competition with him to pick the most berries… I never won. My Mom picked berries quickly, but took the time to enjoy the fresh air, the blue sky and the expanse of the berry field. When I think of picking berries with her, I feel calm and a little lazy. My relationship with my mother-in-law was also shaped by our many berry-picking experiences; when I pick raspberries, I hear her quiet laughter in the breeze.
As I write poetry for my ‘growing and gathering’ manuscript, I have explored my relationships with the various people in my life.
Some of these are based on real experiences I have had picking berries or gathering greens. Examples include poems about trying to find an old berry field, now grown over, or how changes in a relationship can be observed over the years in the annual picking of berries. Although most of the poems are about plants, I have included production of other local foods – so a poem about beekeeping, for example, explores how two people interact during a small emergency.
In other cases, the gathering of local foods is a metaphor for some aspect of a relationship, whether good and bad. At least some of these metaphors are related to the characteristics of plants or animals – for example, the serrated edges of leaves, the slipperiness of a trout, the gentle feel and fragrance of Bedstraw, or the bitterness of taste common to so many ‘salad’ greens.
Some of the metaphor is based on the place where plants grow. Examples include the seclusion of many berry-picking spots, or the physical spaces created by rows of corn plants.
As I look over the Table of Contents for my manuscript, I realise some poems will be stronger if placed within another theme. So I have moved, for example, a poem about picking berries over a three-week period from the theme on ‘relationships’ to a theme about ‘change’.
This consideration of the themes in my poetry has given me a good start to organising the poems, and identifying gaps I have to fill. I know now there are lots of gaps, and many poems yet to write!
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Bitter Blue
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of all the silvery summer days we spent none so warm sun on
granite boulders round blue berry field miles across hazy miles
away from hearing anything but bees
and berries
plopping in the pail
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beside you I draped my lazy bones on bushes crushed berries and
thick red leaves over moss dark animal trails nudged between rocks
baking berries brown musk rising to meet blue heat
or the still fleet scent
of a waxy berry bell
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melting in my mouth crammed with fruit sometimes pulled from
laden stems more often scooped from your pail full ripe blue pulp
and the bitter shock of a hard green berry never ripe
or a shield bug
with frantic legs
and an edge to her shell
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Published as: ‘Bitter Blue’, Summer 1993, The Amethyst Review 1 (2)
Published on www.nichepoetryandprose.wordpress.com on July 31, 2011
© Jane Tims 2012
Warning: 1. never eat any plant if you are not absolutely certain of the identification; 2. never eat any plant if you have personal sensitivities, including allergies, to certain plants or their derivatives; 3. never eat any plant unless you have checked several sources to verify the edibility of the plant.Pineapple Weed (Matricaria matricarioides (Less.) Porter.)
I bear weeds no ill-will. When I pull them in my garden, I am just helping my vegetables to get an edge in the great competition. Also, as you now know, I consider many ‘weeds’ to be edible and delicious. But, in one case, I cheerfully stomp on the weeds and consider the benefits to outweigh the sorrow.
When I went to meetings at our provincial Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries, I had to follow a wide path of concrete slabs to get to the door of the building. In the cracks between the slabs grew a small, rather pretty weed. I loved to step on this weed, or pick it, to smell its fragrance. The weed is Pineapple Weed and, crushed, it smells just like pineapple. Its scent is also reminiscent of Garden-camomile, or Hay-scented Fern.
Pineapple Weed grows along roadsides and in waste places, wherever the soil is disturbed and competition from other plants is low. It is an inconspicuous cousin of Garden-camomile (Anthemis nobilis L.) and looks a little like Camomile except the flowers have no white ray-florets. The leaves of Pineapple Weed are very finely divided and feather-like.
The generic name Matricaria comes from the Latin word matrix, meaning ‘womb’, a tribute to its reputed medicinal properties. The specific name matricarioides means ‘like Matricaria’ since it was originally considered to be another species.
My husband tells me, as a child, he used plants of Pineapple Weed as miniature trees when he played with his Dinky cars!
To make a pale yellow, pineapple-scented tea, steep the fresh or dried flowers of Pineapple Weed in hot water.
Warning: 1. never eat any plant if you are not absolutely certain of the identification; 2. never eat any plant if you have personal sensitivities, including allergies, to certain plants or their derivatives; 3. never eat any plant unless you have checked several sources to verify the edibility of the plant.
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Matricaria
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two in the morning
and the canister of Camomile
yawns empty
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crush Matricaria
steep a sprinkle of flowers
in water, tea the color
of straw
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surround of pineapple
hay-scented fern
sleep
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© Jane Tims 2012
Ground Juniper (Juniperus communis L. var depressa Pursh)
Last fall, when I made our Christmas wreaths, one of the greens I gathered was Ground Juniper. It was so prickly and difficult to handle, I decided not to use it again. However, since I am now looking at plants from the point of view of edibility, I want to take another look at the Common Juniper bushes growing on our lake property.
Ground Juniper (Juniperus communis L. var depressa Pursh) is a low, evergreen shrub, growing in bogs and on barren soils in abandoned pastures. The specific name of Ground Juniper, communis, means ‘in clumps’. The branches of Ground Juniper take the form of a dense, oval mat, spreading horizontally across the ground.
Ground Juniper is also known as genévrier in French. The name of the spirit ‘gin’is derived from this word since the oil of the Juniper berry is used to flavor gin.
The needles of Ground Juniper are a yellowish-green. They are flattish, three-sided and have a whitened stripe on the lower surface.
one branch of the shrub turned over to show the white stripe on the underside of the needles
The bluish, waxy berries are actually cones. They are light green at first and mature over three years to a dark blue. The berries of Juniper appear covered by a whitish powder.
The berries of Ground Juniper are woody and hard, but edible in small quantities as a spice for meat, especially game. They have a resinous odor and a sweet taste, and are crushed, dried and ground to release the flavour.
The young berries and young leaves can be also boiled in water for ten minutes and then steeped for another ten minutes to make a tea.
The berries are known for their medicinal properties and so should be used sparingly and with caution.
Warning: 1. never eat any plant if you are not absolutely certain of the identification; 2. never eat any plant if you have personal sensitivities, including allergies, to certain plants or their derivatives; 3. never eat any plant unless you have checked several sources to verify the edibility of the plant.~
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Ground Juniper (Juniperus communis L. var depressa Pursh)
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boughs spread horizontal,
hug the ground
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cones disguised as berries,
leaves as needles
all, dusted with powder
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waxy berries glow
like blue planets, offer themselves –
we harvest, reach, mindful of sharps
and moon-dust, the true distance
between pasture and sky
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meat spiced with wooden berries, ground
and sorrows drowned in jiggers of gin
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© Jane Tims 2012
limits of the tide #4 – Orach (Atriplex patula L.)
Orach (Atriplex patula L.) is a common inhabitant of coastal areas in New Brunswick. It lives in sheltered locations on the upper shore, out of reach of the highest tides.
The leaves of Orach are fleshy and arrow-shaped. The margins of the leaves are variously toothed and the lowest teeth point outward (‘hastate’, similar to the leaves of Sheep Sorrel in the June 8, 2012 post under the category ‘growing and gathering’). The leaves are grey to bright green and lighter on the underside of the leaf. Orach is a highly variable and poorly known species with respect to taxonomy.
Orach flowers from July to August. The flowers are like many seaside plants, inconspicuous and small, in the axils of the leaves.
Orach is tasty and salty. It can be used in salads, or cooked in boiling water for 15 minutes and served like spinach.
Warning: 1. never eat any plant if you are not absolutely certain of the identification; 2. never eat any plant if you have personal sensitivities, including allergies, to certain plants or their derivatives; 3. never eat any plant unless you have checked several sources to verify the edibility of the plant.
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hunting the orach
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I know the place where the orach hides –
out of the way of the rising tides
between the rocks and deep in the sand,
with his halberd drawn, he makes his stand
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© Jane Tims 2012
limits of the tide #3 – Sea-blite (Sueda maritima (L.) Dumort.)
Another edible coastal plant is Sea-blite (Sueda maritima (L.) Dumort.). Sea-blite is a low-growing plant, often forming mats on the shore. Sea-blite can also be found at inland locations, near salt springs.
Sea-blite has thick, linear leaves. The flowers are small and fleshy, and grow in the axils of the stem. At this time of year, Sea-blite is still a small, inconspicuous plant. Later it will grow to between 3 and 5 dm.
The leaves of Sea-blite are very salty, and can be used as a source of salt in soup or stew, or an ingredient in salads. Used as a pot-herb, they should be cooked for 10 to 12 minutes in two to three changes of boiling water, to reduce the salt content.
Warning: 1. never eat any plant if you are not absolutely certain of the identification; 2. never eat any plant if you have personal sensitivities, including allergies, to certain plants or their derivatives; 3. never eat any plant unless you have checked several sources to verify the edibility of the plant.~
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persuasion
Sea-blite (Sueda maritima (L.) Dumort.)
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fingers of Sea-blite
poke the salt air,
rebuke the salt sea
crave attention –
pick me! pick me!!
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fingers of Sea-blite
point politely at the pot
propose, diplomatically,
add a little more salt
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© Jane Tims 2012
Wood-sorrel (Oxalis spp.)
When I walk around our property, whether in the woods or in the open areas, I often overlook a little group of plants I am certain grows almost everywhere. The leaves are like those of clover, but the five-petalled flowers of the genus Oxalis are as delicate as any spring wildflower.
I am familiar with two Wood-sorrels, one a plant of the woods and one a plant of more open areas.
Common Wood-sorrel (Oxalis acetosella L.) grows in damp woods. Other names for this plant are Wood-shamrock, Lady’s-sorrel, and, in French, pain de lièvre (literally, rabbit bread). The flowers of Common Wood-sorrel are white with pale red veins and can be found blooming from June to August.
The Yellow Wood-sorrels (Oxalis stricta L. and Oxalis europaea Jord.) are low-growing weeds, found in waste places, along roadsides, in thickets, or in lawns and meadows. The Yellow Wood-sorrels are known by many names, including Lady’s-sorrel, Hearts, Sleeping-Beauty, and, in French, sûrette or pain d’oiseau (bird-bread). The flowers of Oxalis stricta and Oxalis europaea are yellow and bloom May to October. Oxalis stricta and Oxalis europaea are considered separate species, but there is a lot of ambiguity in the various references, probably since both are called Yellow Wood-sorrel. According to Grey’s Botany, Oxalis stricta has a tap-root, whereas Oxalis europeae has spreading and subterranean stolons.
The leaves of both Common and Yellow Wood-sorrels are pale green and clover-like. Each leaf consists of three heart-shaped leaflets. At night, the leaves fold downward.
The generic name oxalis comes from the Greek oxys meaning ‘sour’. The common name ‘sorrel’ comes from the French word for ‘sour’. Leaves of all species of Oxalis have a pleasant, tart taste and can be included in a salad as greens. The leaves are also used in a tea, to be served as a cold drink.
Oxalic acids cause the plants’ sour taste. Use caution ingesting this plant since it can aggravate some conditions such as arthritis, and large quantities can affect the body’s absorption of calcium.
To make a tea and a cold drink from Oxalis leaves, first pick, sort and wash the leaves…
Pour hot water on the leaves. They turn brown instantly! I left the tea to steep for about 10 minutes.
Strain and pour the sorrel-ade over ice cubes. The Wood-sorrel tea makes a pleasant cold drink, with a tart taste and a familiar but elusive flavour. Enjoy!
Warning: 1. never eat any plant if you are not absolutely certain of the identification; 2. never eat any plant if you have personal sensitivities, including allergies, to certain plants or their derivatives; 3. never eat any plant unless you have checked several sources to verify the edibility of the plant.~
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Common Wood-sorrel
Oxalis montana Raf.
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Oxalis montana
carpets the grove
three green leaflets
lined in mauve, held low
in folds at night
narrow petals
creamy white, fragile
veins inked in red
Lady’s sorrel
nibbled, sour
rabbit bread
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© Jane Tims 2012
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