Camping and woodcraft - Scoutmastercg.com

EDIBLE PLANTS 381baked in hot ashes. These cakes are of a gray color,rather coarse looking, but palatable and very nutritious.Having eaten of the bread made from sunflowers,I must say that it is as good as much of thecorn bread eaten by whites." (Palmer.)The oil expressed from sunflower seeds is a goodsubstitute for olive oil.Valerian, Edible. Tobacco-root. Valerianaedulis. Wet open places. Ontario to B. C, southto O., Wis., and in Rocky Mts. to N. Mex andAriz. May-Aug."I ate here, for the first time, the kooyah or tobacco-root(Valeriana edulis) ^ the principal edibleroot among the Indians who inhabit the upper watersof the streams on the western side of the [Rocky]mountains. It has a very strong and remarkablypeculiar taste and odor, which I can compare tono other vegetable that I am acquainted with, andwhich to some persons is extremely offensive. . . Torather an agreeable one,others, however, the taste isand I was afterwards always glad when it formedan addition to our scanty meals. It is full of nutriment.In its unprepared state it is said by theIndians to have very strong poisonous qualities, ofwhich it is deprived by a peculiar process, beingbaked in the ground for about two days." (Fremont,Exploring Expedition, 1845, p. 1 35-)POT-HERBS AND SALADSAll of the plants hitherto mentioned are native tothe regions described. In the following list will befound many that are introduced w^eeds; but a considerableproportion of these foundlings may nowbe seen in clearings and old burnt tracts in thewoods, far from regular settlements. Directions forcooking greens are given in Vol. I., pp. 369-371.Adder's-Tongue, Yellow. Dog's-tooth Violet.Erythronium Americamim. Moist woods and thickets.Nova Scotia to Minn., south to Fla., Mo., Ark.Mar,-May.Sometimes used for greens.Bean, Wild Kidney. Phaseolus f>olysiachyus