Page 120 - The Forager’s Guide to Wild Foods

Sweet Gale, Myrica

gale (MYRICACEAE)

SWEET GALE, Bog Myrtle, or Sweet Bayberry is com-
monly found in Pacific Coast bogs in BC, WA, and OR.
Plants can reach 4-5 ft. (1-2m) tall, are shrubby, and
spread slowly with many smooth, red, woody branches,
sprouting from the base.

FLOWER: Dioecious flowers have no petals or sepals,
and are hidden inside catkins or cones that grow out of
leaf axils from March to May. Female flowers are found
in greenish-yellow, waxy, 0.3-0.4 inch (8-10mm) long
catkins, that look like miniature leafless pineapples.
Male flowers are found in 0.3-0.6 inches (7-15mm) long,
KEY MEDICINAL USES: It has been used to treat
reddish-brown, stalkless catkins, that look like minia-
stomachaches, liver issues, bronchial problems, and
ture Douglas Fir cones. Bright green fruit capsules are
acne.
tightly packed, each containing a single seed or nutlet.
HOW TO HARVEST AND EAT: Leaves and nutlets
Seeds do no split when they ripen, August to September.
can be used as a sage-like flavoring for meats, soups
LEAF: Firm, leathery, wedge-shaped leaves, 0.4-3 inches and stews. Steep leaves to make a delicate tea. The
(1-8cm) long, and 0.15-1 inches (0.4-3cm) wide, are on leaves can be used to flavor drinks; they have been
round petioles that attach to the basal margin of the leaf. used to flavor Schnapps and beer before using hops.
Leaves are widely serrated on the ends and blunt tipped. Leaves can be eaten raw or cooked.
Leaves drop off in winter, leaving buds at terminal ends.
SWEET GALE TEA: Pour a cup of boiling water over
EDIBLE PARTS: leaves and nutlet 6 leaves, and steep 5-10 min. Sweeten to tast.

Tiger Lily, Lilium columbianum
and L. lancifolium (LILIACEAE)

COLUMBIA TIGER LILY (L. columbianum), also known
as Columbia Lily, is a perennial plant native to western
North America. When mature, a single stem develops
L. columbianum L. lancifolium
from each bulb, which can grow up to 5 ft. (1.5m) tall. It
prefers moist sites with well-draining soil. L. lancifoli-
um has the same edibility.
FLOWER: Large flowers are orange, with obvious brown
spots on petals, and can reach 2 inches (6cm) long. Mul-
tiple flowers are arranged at the top of a single stiff stem
and produce a soft scent. Tiger lilies flower from June to L. columbianum L. lancifolium
early August; pods ripen to produce bulbils, which are
TIGER LILY RICE BAKE RECIPE: Ingredients: 1 ½
edible and can be harvested when dark and almost dry.
cups of washed rice, 1 cup each of diced tiger lily
LEAF: Lance-shaped leaves are light green, about 2-4 bulb, diced pumpkin, chopped broccoli, and chopped
inches (6-10cm) long, and arranged in a whorl around cauliflower; 1 diced carrot; 1 diced onion, 1 cup cook-
the upright stem. ing cream; 2 cups of chicken stock/broth. Spread the

EDIBLE PARTS: bulbs rice on the bottom of a large casserole dish, add all
of the vegetables, and pour the cream and stock over
HOW TO HARVEST AND EAT: Dig up the bulb in the
the top. Cover and cook in an oven at 400°F (200°C)
colder months, when vegetation above ground has died
for 1 h. You can serve with a sprinkling of parmesan
off and the softer ground makes for easier digging. When
cheese.
cooked, it tastes like a slightly bitter chestnut and is
starchy like a potato. You can use it as a substitute for WARNING: Lilies in the Lilium genus are edible, but
any root vegetable. highly poisonous to cats.
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