5 minute read

Check out the Duckabush

from Fall Fjord 2022

by Imagination

from Fall Fjord 2022, page 68

COVER STORY Hikes guide & wate...

TREASURES BENEATH THE POWER LINES

"Wild Edible & Medicinal Plants, Lichen and Fungi of the PNW Tour"

If you live in the Pacific Northwest you've probably entertained the fleeting dream of "living off the land." I'm definitely guilty of the notion. Growing up on a remote island off the outer coast of British Columbia I've had my share of wandering the forest with my brothers and sisters – berries, licorice root ferns, and thimble-berry shoots were happily munched as we schemed the next adventure.

When guests would visit we'd gleefully encourage them to place a wad of spruce pitch in their mouth and chew it until it was beaten into the consistency of bubble gum. The sticky glue would coat our teeth and we'd spend the next hour chipping it off as we hiked. Eventually it did work, but it never actually "tasted" like bubblegum. Licorice fern could be pulled from it's mossy nest and, sinking your teeth gently into the debearded root, the savory sweetness would flood your mouth. Sometimes we would combine the two to get a flavored gum. Honestly, it was all quite terrible tasting. Last August Tracing the Fjord videographer Jeff Slakey and I were invited to attend Hood Canal Adventures' "Wild Edible & Medicinal Plants, Lichen and Fungi of the PNW" tour. The experience reignited my desire to learn more about foraging in the Pacific Northwest.

The group gathered at the Hood Canal Adventure's Base Camp office located in Brinnon. Here we were met by owner and resident biologist, Christina Maloney. Christina also operates a successful kayaking rental and tour operation at the nearby Yelikavik beach. In the last few years she has expanded the company's profile to 25 include education marine and forest tours. Christina works with a bunch of local naturalists and guides to lead her tours. Today our guide was herpetologist and professional forager, Jerry Novak. Growing up in southern California, Jerry cemented his fascination with edible and medicinal plants and fungi working Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife as a steward at an amphibian sanctuary near the Columbia River. The days connecting with the land fueled his infectious curiosity that is clearly a mantra of his current foraging tours. From the moment he pulled up in the dusty passenger van the tone was set with energy and anticipation.

After loading up (some participants chose the option to drive their own vehicles to the trailhead) Jerry drove us the 15-20 minutes to a Jefferson Land Trust preserve located on the Duckabush River. Literally under the power lines, we piled out in the hot August sun and surveyed the seemingly uninteresting logging slash around us.

The unseen quickly became seen. Jerry reached down and grabbed a handful of dusty weeds with a head of purple flowers intertwined in the blackberry vines. His first plant was one that I had often mindlessly topped the heads of these flowers as they are ubiquitous on the forest floor. But never had I understood their varied healing properties. Some of which, Novak claimed, rivaled those bought over the counter.

Jerry shared the historical lore of each plant and his own personal experiences using the plants for their early medicinal uses. He expressed a disregard for writers who reported on the benefits of flora without actually testing the methods themselves.

The tour descended into a sun dappled shady giant maple glen near the Skokomish River. Here we explored different fungi and trees and even sunk our teeth into a STING NETTLE LEAVES can be gather for teas, soups and more. But be warned, the tiny little silica hairs break when you brush them and inject a "sting." into your skin. It is claimed that Dock leaves are the remedy for the sting but Novak feels that there is little evidence that the properties of dock counteract the nettles. Having said that, the vigorous rubbing and sap from the broad leaf may have had an effect of soothing and dislodging the silica spikes.

rhizome of licorice fern. Despite it being mid-August and most of the plants past their prime and fungi still hidden beneath the soil, everywhere our guide stood, whether it be in an elk-trodden meadow or near the bank of the Duckabush River, there were countless opportunities to bring the "goodness" from the earth. You could do this walk anytime of the year and it was would an utterly different experience as the season changed.

As for poisonous plants and berries, he had some advice. "If they are too easy, don't eat them." Often times the plants that have no natural protection like thorns or "stings" are actually poisonous. I mulled over this later and could think of lots of plants that this rule doesn't apply to – like Huckle or Thimble berries for example, but unless you are sure, this is a good rule to adhere to. Nighshade and Snowberry (Ghostberry) definitely fit the definition.

The tour concluded with picnic lunch on the beach at the Duckabush River while Jerry prepared a hot wild foraged tea for the participants.