NORTHERN FOREST FORAGING GUIDE Northern Forest Foraging Guide

• Although foraging for edible plants Ideally, people will become exceptional is permitted on most public land stewards of Ontario’s natural areas. in Ontario, obtain permission from Sustainable harvesting methods the owner before collecting plants relating to trees, shrubs, plants and on private property. Another best fungi vary, so in some cases additional practice is to obtain permission research may be required to ensure from the local First Nation sustainability. The timing of harvesting community before harvesting is also important, as some parts of on traditional territory. a plant (such as flowers or fruit) are • Management goals vary for protected not available year-round, while others areas and nature reserves. Ensure (such as tree needles) are. Not taking that wild food foraging is permitted in more than is needed at one time is also Vladimir Melnikov/Essentials Collection/ Getty Images International these areas before harvesting. important, as taking too much reduces available resources for other users and • Most importantly, take only what contributes to increased waste of these Ontario’s forests, meadows and waters provide an incredible range of nutritious you can use and use what you take. resources. Harvesting too much can and delicious edible wild plants. Ontario Nature has prepared this foraging guide Edible wild plants are a shared also impact a species’ ability to grow as an introduction to this local resource, and to encourage people to get outside resource. Users of them must take and reproduce. and experience the wonders the natural world provides. responsibility for ensuring that they will continue to thrive year after year. The trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants and fungi listed in this guide are a sample of some of the abundant local species that can be harvested Sustainable Harvesting sustainably in Northern Ontario, though there are many other wild edibles to Improper harvesting techniques and explore. The guide is intended to be a starting point for people interested in overharvesting can have a significant foraging for edible wild plants and should not be considered to be a definitive negative impact on the ability of a resource for their identification and use. species to reproduce. This practice can lead to the disappearance of a species from an area and the loss of a local Basic Rules for Harvesting can positively identify as edible. food source, affecting both humans Edible Wild Plants and Fungi Learning about plants from a local and other species. A general rule is to Harvesting edible wild plants can be expert, consulting books and collect only 5 percent of any individual a fun, educational and sustainable taking courses or workshops are patch of a given species within a Kendal Donahue activity for all ages if it is done recommended (see the resources maximum of 25 percent of an area. properly. Ontario Nature has identified at the end of this guide). Following this guideline helps ensure Practicing sustainable methods of some basic rules for harvesting that the plants are able to reproduce. • Harvest plants in areas where you harvesting the species listed in this wild plants to ensure the safety of For plants that have a long life cycle know the risk of contamination from guide is crucial to minimizing human participants and the sustainability and take many years to grow to industrial and other pollution is low. impact on them and other species that of plants involved. maturity, sustainable harvesting entails rely on them. Such methods contribute • Eat only a small quantity of any plant picking even less. • Be sure you know what you are to increased food security and you have not eaten before and assess harvesting, and eat only plants you independence, which are particularly how it affects you before eating more.

TREES SHRUBS HERBACEOUS PLANTS FUNGI 2 3 TREES

Cedar Thuja spp. important in communities where species. Be extremely cautious about healthy foods are not always available look-alike and poisonous species. IDENTIFICATION USES & RELATED INFORMATION or easy to obtain. • Large conifer tree with rough, crumbly bark • Tea made from the leaves is said to • Leaves scaly and very fragrant soothe the throat, and tea made from Caution! the bark is said to aid kidney function If you are uncertain about the • Soaking in bath water containing cedar identification of a species, before LOCATION leaves is said to soothe rashes, skin consuming it consult additional • Moist areas in forests and swamps or irritation and shingles field guides and expert sources to near water confirm what it is. Experts suggest • Cedar oil can be produced by putting the that if you have not eaten a plant cedar buds/tips in a jar with olive oil and HARVESTING TIME before, try only a small sample of it; letting it sit, sealed, for 4-6 weeks. Some people’s responses to even known • Year-round people use this oil to treat warts and cold edible species may vary. When you sores, and as a natural insect repellant use a plant for the first time, allergic reactions or other sensitivities may Amber DeGrace CC BY 2.0 CAUTIONS occur; if they do, consult a medical professional. Aboriginal peoples have Acknowledgments • Consume only a small quantity, because traditional medicinal uses for some Ontario Nature would like to cedar leaves release small amounts of the plants mentioned in this guide, acknowledge all of the experts of toxins and many of these uses have been consulted during the preparation of included in the text. Consult a medical this guide. They are listed at the back professional or expert Indigenous of the guide, along with other knowledge holder before using any resources. Additionally, the guide plant for medicinal purposes. includes Aboriginal knowledge about using and preparing plants, Disclaimer and Ontario Nature thanks Indigenous Ontario Nature takes no responsibility knowledge holders for their sharing whatsoever for any adverse health and contribution. effects due to the consumption or other use of any plant described in this guide. It is intended to provide general information only. Check with your healthcare provider before using wild plants to treat any medical condition. Before consuming any wild plants, you should be absolutely certain of their identification. Seek expert advice and use at least two reputable field guides to confirm the identification of a davelogan/Signature Collection/Getty Images davelogan/Signature

TREES SHRUBS HERBACEOUS PLANTS FUNGI 4 5 TREES

Jack Pine Pinus banksiana Paper Birch Betula papyrifera

IDENTIFICATION USES & RELATED INFORMATION IDENTIFICATION USES & RELATED INFORMATION

• Short needles in clusters of two that are • Some people use the needles to prepare • Older bark white and papery, younger • Sap can be boiled to reduce it to a syrup, not twisted together tea high in vitamin C (honey or cinnamon bark smooth which has half the sugar of maple syrup • Cones closed and tight to the branches may be added to mask the bitter taste) • Triangular leaves with toothed margins and is more savoury (tastes similar to soy • Some people chew the raw pitch to treat sauce or Worcestershire sauce) LOCATION sore throats LOCATION • Inner bark can be added to soups and • Some people warm the sap and apply stews or dried and powdered to use as • Throughout boreal forest, but also in • Sunny, moist areas a flour some open areas it externally as a salve which is said to relieve joint and muscle pain, swelling, • Catkins and leaves can be added raw to HARVESTING TIME bites, burns and irritations salads or cooked in vegetable side dishes HARVESTING TIME • Spring to fall • Tea can be made from the twigs and leaves • Year-round CAUTIONS • Do not eat this plant if you are pregnant CAUTIONS (can cause miscarriage) • Harvest the inner bark only from recently downed branches or small branches clipped from the main tree to minimize the impact on overall tree health and growth Allie KF CC BY-SA 2.0 Allie KF CC BY-SA Collection/Getty Images nikamata/Signature

TREES SHRUBS HERBACEOUS PLANTS FUNGI 6 7 SHRUBS

Cranberry Rubus idaeus Vaccinium oxycoccos and macrocarpon Common Red Raspberry

IDENTIFICATION USES & RELATED INFORMATION IDENTIFICATION USES & RELATED INFORMATION

• Mostly under 20 cm in height • Berries can be eaten raw or processed • Up to 2 m in height • Berries can be eaten raw, made into jams, • Flowers pink, berries red/purple into jams or jellies, juices, sauces or teas • Prickly spreading stems, becoming jellies, or juices or added to desserts • Berries can also be added to both sweet smoother with age • Young, peeled stems are edible in both LOCATION and savoury foods, such as pies, muffins, • Alternate compound leaves on prickly raw or cooked preparations soups, stews and salads stalks, usually three to five leaflets per leaf • Wet areas and near bogs, ponds and lakes • Some people boil the leaves into a tea to • The health benefits of cranberries are said • Flowers white/green treat diarrhea and cramps to include reduced risk of the formation HARVESTING TIME of kidney stones, and relief from bladder LOCATION CAUTIONS • September to November (best after infections, cramps and nausea • Do not consume wilted leaves, which can first frost) • Moist, temperate regions • Tannins in the cranberries are said to be toxic improve heart health and reduce both HARVESTING TIME tooth decay and the formation of plaque on teeth • Summer

CAUTIONS • Consume only in moderation to avoid possible irritation of stomach Mako CC BY 2.0 Avalon_Studio/Signature Collection/Getty Images Avalon_Studio/Signature

TREES SHRUBS HERBACEOUS PLANTS FUNGI 8 9 SHRUBS

Northern Bush-Honeysuckle Rosa acicularis Diervilla lonicera Prickly Rose

IDENTIFICATION HARVESTING TIME IDENTIFICATION USES & RELATED INFORMATION

• 1 m or less in height • June to July • Up to 1.5 m in height with prickly stems • Raw petals can be added to salads, • Leaves usually oval but pointed at end and branches teas and jellies and are said to soothe (edges tend to curl inwards) USES & RELATED INFORMATION • Red hips (fruit) usually 1 to 2 cm in length, headaches, mouth sores and indigestion • Flowers yellow for most of the season, • Infusions made from the bark and stems flowers pink • Buds, young shoots and leaves can turning orange by late summer are said to flush toxins from the body and be eaten raw or sautéed with other improve kidney health LOCATION vegetables LOCATION • This plant was used in traditional • Open woods, thickets, rocky slopes • Rose hips are high in vitamins and nutrients and can be dried and boiled • Sunny to moderately shady wet or dry Aboriginal medicine, though this use is in teas, or preserved in jams or jellies areas, edge habitat not common today HARVESTING TIME (though this can be very time-consuming • Spring to winter due to their small size and the large number required to make a small to medium sized batch of jam) • Three rosehips are said to contain the same amount of vitamin C as one orange

CAUTIONS • Use only whole rosehips or their fleshy outside layer, as the seeds can cause intestinal discomfort Homer Edward Price CC BY-SA 2.0 Price CC BY-SA Homer Edward Malcolm Manners CC BY 2.0

TREES SHRUBS HERBACEOUS PLANTS FUNGI 10 11 SHRUBS HERBACEOUS PLANTS

Bluebead Lily (Clinton Lily) Salix spp. Willow Clintonia borealis

IDENTIFICATION USES & RELATED INFORMATION IDENTIFICATION USES & RELATED INFORMATION

• Can exceed 10 m in height, depending • Shoots are watery in taste and texture, • Up to 40 cm in height • Leaves can be eaten raw or cooked and on species and can be used similarly to cucumber • Large leaves with parallel veins and taste similar to cucumber • Four buds completely encircling the stem • Catkins can be cooked with other smooth margins • A poultice made from the leaves can be • Flower shape, size and colour variable, vegetables or added to soups for a boost • Yellow-green flowers and blue berries on used on wounds and bruises and is said depending on species of vitamin C long stalks to prevent infection and promote healing • Bark contains salicin (similar to Aspirin, or LOCATION acetylsalicylic acid) and can be chewed or LOCATION CAUTIONS made into a tea that is said to relieve pain, • Variable depending on species, but • Forests with open understorey • Do not eat the berries, which are toxic inflammation and digestive problems usually moist areas or near water • Leaves and twigs can be boiled to make a HARVESTING TIME HARVESTING TIME rinse that is said to increase the shininess of hair and reduce dandruff • Spring • Spring to summer (bark and catkins best in spring, leaves best in summer) CAUTIONS • Do not consume willow if you have a known sensitivity to Aspirin Charles de Milles-Isles CC BY 2.0 AlinaMD/Essentials Collection/Getty Images

TREES SHRUBS HERBACEOUS PLANTS FUNGI 12 13 HERBACEOUS PLANTS

Burdock Arctium spp. Cattail Typha spp.

IDENTIFICATION USES & RELATED INFORMATION IDENTIFICATION USES & RELATED INFORMATION

• 0.5 to 1.5 m in height (on average, will vary • Young leaves (picked in spring or early • 1 to 3 m in height • The core of the stem tastes similar to by species) summer) can be added raw to salads, • Leaves long, slender and stiff cucumber and can be eaten raw, boiled, cooked in soups and stews, or boiled sautéed or fried • Pink/purple flowers with large burrs • Flowers forming tight cylindrical clusters (one or two changes of water may be • When green, flower heads can be • Heart-shaped hairy green leaves with soft needed to reduce the bitter quality of white undersides LOCATION steamed or roasted once the stalk and the leaves) papery outer layer are removed • Marshes, lakes, and streams with LOCATION • Peeled roots can be boiled, stir-fried • The pollen can be collected by shaking or pickled calm waters the flower head into a bag and then sifting • Roadsides, disturbed areas • Medicinal teas made from the leaves the contents to separate out the pollen, are thought to help purify the blood and HARVESTING TIME and can be used in both savoury and HARVESTING TIME improve liver and kidney function • Spring for flowers and pollen, fall to early sweet recipes • August to October spring for roots and shoots CAUTIONS CAUTIONS • Do not consume if you are pregnant (can • Ensure that you have correctly identified cause spotting or miscarriage) or diabetic this plant before eating it, because young (can affect blood sugar levels) cattails may be mistaken for some wild members of the Iris family, which are poisonous • Avoid cattails growing in stagnant water due to their unappealing taste and possible uptake of contaminants • Do not eat brown flower heads larslentz/Signature Collection/Getty Images larslentz/Signature rtyree/Signature Collection/Getty Images rtyree/Signature

TREES SHRUBS HERBACEOUS PLANTS FUNGI 14 15 HERBACEOUS PLANTS

Common Dandelion Common Evening-Primrose Taraxacum officinale Oenothera biennis

IDENTIFICATION USES & RELATED INFORMATION IDENTIFICATION

• 5 to 45 cm in height, with a long taproot • Leaves can be eaten fresh in salads, • 0.5 to 1.5 m in height with a hairy stem • Rubbery stem containing a milky cooked in soups and stews, or dried • Leaves slightly toothed at margins and white liquid and used to make tea (young leaves are attached directly to the stem preferable as older leaves become bitter) • Bright yellow flower at the end of the stalk • Leafy spike of large yellow flowers at the • When roasted in the oven for several top of the plant LOCATION hours, the roots develop a coffee/cocoa like flavour and when ground are good for LOCATION • Disturbed areas, roadsides, lawns and making tea or using in baking gardens, meadows • Moderately dry, open sites, roadsides • Stems can be boiled and used as a substitute for pasta HARVESTING TIME HARVESTING TIME • Flowers can be added to salads • May to August (flowers increasingly bitter • June to August • Dandelion is thought to decrease blood later in the season) pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol USES & RELATED INFORMATION • The leaves of dandelion plants grown in • Roots, which are similar in taste and shady areas are less bitter than the leaves texture to parsnips, can be eaten raw or of plants grown in sunny areas boiled for two hours (changing the water • Drying or freezing dandelions best several times lessens the peppery flavour) preserves them for later use • Cooked roots can be fried, pickled, roasted and served as a side dish, added CAUTIONS to soups and stews or candied in syrup • Avoid eating dandelions from lawns or • Young leaves, flower buds and green Collection/Getty Images jferrer/Essentials urban landscapes on which pesticides pods can all be boiled like other leafy and pollutants may have been deposited greens (changing the water several times) Ontario Nature

TREES SHRUBS HERBACEOUS PLANTS FUNGI 16 17 HERBACEOUS PLANTS

Common Mullein Verbascum thapsus Common Plantain Plantago major

IDENTIFICATION USES & RELATED INFORMATION IDENTIFICATION

• First year of growth produces soft, • Leaves and flowers can be used in salads • Up to 15 cm in height woolly leaves similar to lamb’s ears or teas, though teas must be strained to • Leaves egg shaped with wavy margins • Second year of growth produces a remove seeds and almost parallel veins flowering stalk up to 1.8 m in height • Teas made with the flowers and leaves with yellow flowers are said to be useful in treating colds and LOCATION diarrhea, while teas made with the stalks LOCATION are said to be useful in treating cramps • Disturbed areas, clearings, roadsides, and fevers edge habitat • Dry, sunny, disturbed areas such as • Some people use the leaves in a poultice roadsides, open fields and areas HARVESTING TIME near railways to treat ulcers and hemorrhoids • Mullein contains a variety of vitamins • Summer to early fall HARVESTING TIME and nutrients essential for healthy growth and development USES & RELATED INFORMATION • July to September • Campers know this plant as “cowboy’s • Leaves can be eaten raw in salads, toilet paper,” but when used as such it steamed or sautéed, or tossed in oil may irritate sensitive skin and cooked in the oven (prepared like kale chips) CAUTIONS • Some people use the leaves in a poultice to treat insect bites and stings • Before consuming tea made from mullein, strain out the seeds, as the seed hairs • Some people make tea from the may irritate the throat leaves which is said to soothe toothaches, coughs, sore throats and breathing problems

• To preserve the taste, texture and 3.0 Rasbak CC BY-SA nutritional properties of the leaves, plantain should be stored in a dark place Mallory Vanier

TREES SHRUBS HERBACEOUS PLANTS FUNGI 18 19 HERBACEOUS PLANTS

Common Yarrow Achillea millefolium Field Horsetail Equisetum arvense

IDENTIFICATION IDENTIFICATION USES & RELATED INFORMATION

• 10 to 80 cm in height • Two forms of growth: in spring, stiff, • Some people use the leaves and shoots • Leaves long and slender, similar in branchless stem (10 to 20 cm in height); to prepare tea which is said to be useful in appearance to a fern from summer to early fall, flexible, green, treating kidney stones and inflammation; feather-like plant (10 to 80 cm in height) this tea can also be used as a hair rinse • Flowers yellow, white or pink, forming for shinier hair flat clusters • Usually growing in large clusters • Shoots, which contain essential nutrients, LOCATION LOCATION can be cooked thoroughly with other vegetables • Meadows, disturbed areas, roadsides, • Clearings, open areas in conifer and • The whole plant can be used as a steel waste areas mixed-wood forests, roadsides and disturbed areas wool substitute when camping because of the high levels of silica in the stem HARVESTING TIME and leaves HARVESTING TIME • June to September • Outer layers are tough and fibrous and • Early summer should be removed before use USES & RELATED INFORMATION • Because horsetail contains high levels • Leaves can be eaten raw or cooked, but of silica, it is said to strengthen hair, young leaves are best in raw preparations nails and bones when consumed like salad CAUTIONS • Tea made by boiling the flowers and leaves is said to be useful in treating • Do not consume horsetail growing in sore throats, colds and fevers contaminated soil, because these plants • Some people use the leaves as a poultice can absorb toxins from it to stop bleeding, as well as a natural • Because horsetail contains silica and the band aid due to the plant’s antibacterial kidneys cannot process large amounts

properties Collection/Getty Images Victor_Kitaykin/Signature of it, consume only small amounts of • Hang the plant to dry at room this plant temperature, away from direct sunlight

CAUTIONS • Do not consume this plant if you are pregnant alantobey/Signature Collection/Getty Images alantobey/Signature

TREES SHRUBS HERBACEOUS PLANTS FUNGI 20 21 HERBACEOUS PLANTS

Lamb’s Quarters (White Goosefoot) Solidago spp. Goldenrod Chenopodium album

IDENTIFICATION USES & RELATED INFORMATION IDENTIFICATION USES & RELATED INFORMATION

• 30 to 150 cm in height, depending • Flowers can be added to salads, and • Stems 30 cm to 1 m in height • Fresh young leaves are best and can on species leaves can be cooked like spinach or • Leaves variable in shape, with a white be eaten raw in salads or added to • Long slender leaves with sharply added to soups, stews or casseroles coating on the underside smoothies and soups or other cooked preparations toothed margins • Some people boil the flowers and leaves • Flowers forming long green clusters • Long clusters of yellow flowers at the top to make a tea which is said to be useful • Leaves are similar in taste and of the plant in treating cold or flu symptoms, gas, LOCATION preparation to spinach, with four times cramps and headaches as much calcium and 50 percent more • Gardens, disturbed areas, areas near LOCATION • Blanched leaves can be frozen and protein – six cups of raw leaves cook agricultural activity used at a later date down to about 1/2 cup • Moist areas, forests, fields, roadsides, • The plant produces small seeds in late disturbed areas • When eaten raw or cooked, goldenrod HARVESTING TIME has a licorice-like flavour summer or early fall, similar in appearance • Summer to quinoa (as the plants are relatives), HARVESTING TIME • Roots contain inulin, which is said to which can be sprinkled on salads promote healthy stomach bacteria • July to September for flowers and leaves, fall or early spring for roots CAUTIONS NOTE • Because it contains some oxalic acid, • Many people believe they are allergic to consume only small amounts of this plant insect-pollinated goldenrod, but usually it is ragweed (which is wind pollinated) • Do not consume large amounts of seeds, that causes their symptoms. due to the saponins they contain MIMOHE/Essentials Collection/Getty Images Elenathewise/Essentials Collection/Getty Images

TREES SHRUBS HERBACEOUS PLANTS FUNGI 22 23 HERBACEOUS PLANTS

Pearly Everlasting Matteuccia struthiopteris Ostrich Fern Anaphalis margaritacea

IDENTIFICATION USES & RELATED INFORMATION IDENTIFICATION HARVESTING TIME

• Approximately 1 m in height • A popular way to prepare fiddleheads • 10 to 90 cm in height, covered in smooth • July to September • Two forms of fronds: long, feather-like is to first boil them and then fry or sauté white hairs green fronds and short brown fronds with butter and seasoning • Leaves long, narrow and hairy on the USES & RELATED INFORMATION underside • Bright green emerging fronds (fiddleheads) • Cooked fiddleheads can be added to • Some people use the leaves in a tea tightly coiled with a scaly brown paper-like salads and soups and taste similar to • Flowers small and white with yellow eyes, which is said to relieve sore throats, covering and a U-shaped groove in celery- asparagus usually clustered at the top of the plant indigestion, nausea or diarrhea like stem • Fiddleheads should be collected when (younger leaves are more palatable less than 15 cm in height and still LOCATION than older leaves) LOCATION tightly curled • Sunny open areas, disturbed areas, • A poultice made from the leaves is said • Moist areas, near water (streams, lakes), • They keep in the fridge for about two edge habitat to relieve joint pain or arthritis swamp edges, some open forests weeks or can be stored either dried or • Aboriginal peoples smoked the dried frozen (clean and blanch before freezing) leaves of this plant both to relieve HARVESTING TIME headaches and breathing problems, CAUTIONS and also used the leaves in traditional • Mid-spring • Consume only cooked ostrich ferns, smudging ceremonies to promote health because raw preparations may cause and wellness stomach irritation CAUTIONS • To ensure the plant’s survival, take no more than half the fiddleheads on it • Use only the leaves in edible applications as they contain the beneficial nutritional and medicinal properties Jay Sturner CC BY 2.0 vblinov/Essentials Collection/Getty Images

TREES SHRUBS HERBACEOUS PLANTS FUNGI 24 25 HERBACEOUS PLANTS

Red Clover Trifolium pratense Stinging Nettle Urtica dioica

IDENTIFICATION USES & RELATED INFORMATION IDENTIFICATION USES & RELATED INFORMATION

• 5 to 40 cm in height with hairy stems • Flowers can be eaten raw in salads, made • From 1 m to 2 m in height, and covered • Leaves are very similar to spinach and • Classic clover leaf with three leaflets into a detoxifying tea or lightly battered in stiff “guard hairs” can be boiled as a side dish, sautéed and deep-fried • Flowers green, sometimes with a with other vegetables or (like carrot or • Light green V-shaped mark on each leaf zucchini) chopped and added to muffins • Flower round and red/pink • Clover is said to relieve premenstrual pinkish hue syndrome symptoms, such as cramping and breads and hot flashes, and is thought to reduce • Fibres from the stem can be made into LOCATION LOCATION bad cholesterol and plaque that causes twine for fishnets, snares and so on • Fields, pastures, roadsides, backyards heart disease • Disturbed areas, hillsides, stream banks, moist woodlands • Boiling the leaves (as if making a tea) • The flowers and leaves can be dried creates a rinse that improves the HARVESTING TIME and stored for later use shininess of hair HARVESTING TIME • Late spring to fall • Cooking, crushing, drying and soaking CAUTIONS • Spring to early summer the plant eliminates the stinging hairs, • Consume the leaves and flowers only making the leaves safe to eat in moderation, because they may • The health benefits of the plant are said to cause bloating include relief from muscle and joint pain, • Do not consume clover if you are as well as cleansing of the kidneys and liver pregnant or nursing as it can affect the hormonal balance of the body CAUTIONS • Wear thick gloves when harvesting this plant – the hairs on it can pierce through latex gloves and inject chemicals that cause skin to burn and itch • Do not consume this plant if you are pregnant (stimulates the uterus and can cause miscarriage) or diabetic (affects blood sugar levels) davidmartyn/Essentials Collection/Getty Images Chushkin/Signature Collection/Getty Images Chushkin/Signature

TREES SHRUBS HERBACEOUS PLANTS FUNGI 26 27 HERBACEOUS PLANTS

Wild Mint Mentha spp. Wild Sarsaparilla Aralia nudicaulis

IDENTIFICATION USES & RELATED INFORMATION IDENTIFICATION USES & RELATED INFORMATION

• 15 to 75 cm in height • Steeping a small handful of leaves and • Up to 50 cm in height • Roots can be prepared and cooked like • Square stem with opposite, toothed leaves stems for 15 minutes creates a delicious • Leaves pointed at the tip and compound, potatoes, or boiled down to make a tea ending in a sharp point tea that is said to be useful in treating with three to five leaflets per leaf with a mild bite menstrual cramps • Strong peppermint smell • Flowers small and green or white • Some people use the roots as poultices • Dried, ground mint can be added to a for skin problems and tinctures for LOCATION variety of sweet and savoury dished such LOCATION stomach and joint pain as cakes, scones, pastas, pestos and so on • Sarsaparilla roots are a traditional • Low-lying areas, near marshes or • Moist areas, uplands, usually mature ingredient in root beer swamps, near beaver dams CAUTIONS forest stands, often near oak trees • Do not use the plant if it is covered in CAUTIONS HARVESTING TIME HARVESTING TIME white mould (typically in fall) • Do not consume the berries, which have • Spring to fall • Late summer through fall an unpleasant taste and may cause illness • Do not confuse sarsaparilla with poison ivy, which has similarly shaped leaves; the stem of sarsaparilla is non-woody unlike the stem of poison ivy Ontario Nature Ontario Nature Superior National Forest CC BY 2.0 Superior National Forest

TREES SHRUBS HERBACEOUS PLANTS FUNGI 28 29 HERBACEOUS PLANTS FUNGI

Woodland Strawberry Fragaria vesca Chanterelle Cantharellus cibarius

IDENTIFICATION USES & RELATED INFORMATION IDENTIFICATION USES & RELATED INFORMATION

• 7.5 to 15 cm in height • The fruit, which ripens in June, can be • Caps 2 to 10 cm in diameter • Chanterelles can be added to any dish in • Trailing plant with dark green leaves in made into jam, but doing so is highly • Cap edge wavy (instead of smooth and flat) which mushrooms are used labour intensive due to their small size groups of three • Caps and gills (long, thin tissues found • Drying chanterelles makes them tough and the large number required to make and chewy; fresh or frozen preparations • Flowers small and white with five petals; a small to medium sized batch of jam under the cap) yellow to dark yellow in bloom in spring colour, stalk colour generally paler are recommended • Leaves are high in vitamin C and can be • These mushrooms keep best if boiled in LOCATION used to make a subtly flavoured tea LOCATION salt water and then frozen • Trails, roadsides, meadows, forest • Moist, shaded areas, near hardwoods CAUTIONS CAUTIONS edges, clearings • Do not consume wilted leaves, which may HARVESTING TIME • Do not confuse the chanterelle with be toxic HARVESTING TIME the false chanterelle (Hygrophoropsis • Spring to summer aurantiaca), which has a significantly • Late spring to early summer skinnier stalk and is orange rather than yellow Mantonature/Signature Collection/Getty Images Mantonature/Signature Stefan Holm/Essentials Collection/Getty Images

TREES SHRUBS HERBACEOUS PLANTS FUNGI 30 31 FUNGI

Lobster Mushroom Morchella spp. Hypomyces lactifluorum Morel

IDENTIFICATION HARVESTING TIME IDENTIFICATION HARVESTING TIME

• Cap size around 5 to 12 cm, though this • Midsummer • Heads are long (conical or ellipsoid • Spring will vary based on the original mushroom in shape) with a series of ridges and parasitized USES & RELATED INFORMATION pitted chambers USES & RELATED INFORMATION • Bright orange mushroom with firm cap • Hollow inside from tip of cap to bottom • Lobster mushrooms can be sliced and • Morels, which have a meaty flavour even and stem of stalk pan-fried in butter, and pair well with soy when they have been dried, make great • Irregular or seemingly deformed sauce or other Asian sauces stuffed mushrooms and pair well with appearance LOCATION butter or light cream sauces • They should be firm and white inside, • Lobster mushrooms result from a not grey, soft or spotted • Forests, open meadows and highly • Dried morels can be stored for a relatively relationship between Lactarius mushrooms disturbed (e.g., burned or grazed) long period of time and should be and a parasite; this parasite turns the • Part of the mushroom cap may have to landscapes rehydrated in hot water before use mushrooms bright orange and affects the be removed to get rid of all dirt shape and growth • They can be dried and stored CAUTIONS LOCATION • Do not confuse the morel with the false morel, which is poisonous; always • Wooded areas confirm identification by consulting guides, images and experts • Do not eat raw morels • Cook morels very thoroughly, to avoid any possible stomach pain or discomfort Jello5700/Signature Collection/Getty Images Jello5700/Signature Jason Hollinger CC BY 2.0

TREES SHRUBS HERBACEOUS PLANTS FUNGI 32 33 Resources

Experts Consulted Text Resources Gray, B. 2011. The Boreal Herbal: Minnesota Forest Stewardship Program Gammond, Pete: Wild food enthusiast, Barron, G. 1999. Mushrooms of Ontario Wild food and medicine plants of the et al. Balsam Bough – Careful Harvest Fact who focuses on edible and practical and Eastern Canada. Lone Pine Publishing. north (A guide to harvesting, preserving Sheet. U.S. Forest Service. applications of plants Edmonton, Alberta. and preparing). Aroma Borealis Press. http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/forestry/um/ Whitehorse, Yukon. carefulharvest_brochure.pdf. Moses, Raphael: Traditional elder in Boulet, A. et al. 2014. Beyond the Fields: northwestern Ontario, who focuses on The value of forest and freshwater foods Legasy, K., S. Labelle-Beadman and Reeves, L. 2011. Laura’s Guide to Useful traditional uses of plants (both medicinal in northern Ontario. Ontario Nature. B. Chambers. 1995. Forest Plants Plants: From acorns to zoom sticks. and edible) by Aboriginal people of Northeastern Ontario. Lone Pine Laura Reeves. Manitoba. Evergreen. 2014. Native Plant Database. Publishing. Edmonton, Alberta. Reeves, Laura: Botanist/wild food nativeplants.evergreen.ca/search/view- Stephenson, K. 2012. Fields of enthusiast, who focuses on increasing plant.php?ID=00258. Lincoff, G. 2011. The Complete Mushroom Nutrition. Ontario. public knowledge of and respect for Hunter: An illustrated guide to finding, the beauty, diversity and usefulness Freedman, L. 1991. Wild about harvesting and enjoying wild mushrooms. of wild plants Mushrooms: The Mycological Society of Quarry Books. Beverly, Massachusetts. San Francisco cookbook. Addison-Wesley. St. Amand, Dave: Local mushroom expert, mssf.org/cookbook. MacKinnon, A., L. Kershaw, J.T. Arnason, who focuses on edible wild mushrooms P. Owen, A. Karst and F. Hamersley Gibson, W.H. 1895. Our Edible Toadstools Chambers. 2009. Edible and Medicinal Stephenson, Karen: Owner of and Mushrooms and How to Distinguish Plants of Canada. Lone Pine Publishing. ediblewildfood.com, who focuses on Them. Library of Alexandria Publishing. Edmonton, Alberta. nutritional aspects of plants, as well as Ithaca, New York. both medicinal and edible applications Diane Labombarde/Signature Collection/Getty Images Diane Labombarde/Signature Todd Van Hoosear CC BY-SA 2.0 Hoosear CC BY-SA Van Todd

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