Stalking the Wild Asparagus

At the beginning of June I started this series on Edible Wild Plants. We’ve ventured into swamps and forests, gardens and roadsides. We tasted wild teas, fruits, and garden weeds. We’ve taken a cautionary peek at mushrooms, and had a reminder that not all plants are edible.

Our journey began at the beginning of June, with a review of two books: Lee Allen Peterson’s “Field guide to Edible Wild Plants”, and Euell Gibbons “Stalking the Wild Asparagus.” You can read the entire 20 article series on the Kukagami Lodge website (see hotlink below). We’re going to end this year’s look at what’s good to eat in the wild with a closer look at those ‘wild asparagus’.

Mid-autumn may seem to be an odd time to be talking about wild asparagus. After all, it will be next spring before it can be gathered for the table. Yet the key to knowing edible wild plants is getting to know where things grow. Often, the best time to see the most deciduous plants is long after the best time to pick them. Wild asparagus is one such plant.

If you have cultivated asparagus in your garden, you may be well aware of the tall, lacy plants as they appear in autumn. In my garden, the mature asparagus plants stand more than a metre tall. The lacy branches are brilliant gold, and a few of them support dozens of small red berries that hold the seeds.

Over the winter, birds will come to take these seeds near and far. That’s how “wild asparagus” gets planted. This seed dispersal has been going on for as long as people have been planting asparagus in their gardens. There are more than a few places to find these wild patches, and right now is the best time to look for them. They are easiest to see along roadsides, and most predominant along country roads.

While you are out and about over the next few weeks, keep a look out for the tall, lacy asparagus plants. Generally they grow in dense clumps with a dozen or two stems. Make a note of where you see them, then go back next spring to bring in some of the first ‘edible wilds’ of the year.

Like most edible wild plants, wild asparagus will have a much finer flavour than anything you can buy in the store. This is partly because of the joy you get from finding such treasures, and partly due to the minimal time between picking and dining.

I hope you have enjoyed reading the last five months of dining in the wild, and I hope you took some time to gather a few of the gifts from Mother Nature. All too often in these modern days we lose track of what is important. Taking some time to forage from the wilds can bring back a joy of life that is so easily lost in the shuffle of business that overwhelms us.

If you have comments or questions about this series, or if you just want to get in touch, you can write to me at the email address below, or post a letter to me at RR 1, Wahnapitae, ON P0M 3C0.

Viki Mather is owner of Kukagami Lodge, a northern Ontario wilderness resort at the southern boundary of the Temagami forest. Web: www.kukagamilodge.com , email: lodge@kukagami.infosathse.com Viki has lived in the wilderness for 26 years, without electricity or running water. Read these columns monthly to discover wonderful ways to live in harmony with nature, bring edible wilds into your kitchen, thrive without plugging into the grid, and enjoy a healthier life.