Medicinal & Nutritional Benefits of Poplar Bark, Sap & Catkins

Growing up in rural western Canada, our family relied heavily on natural, wild remedies and food sources. My father’s close ties to the First Nations of the Fairford reservation meant that we were privy to dozens of secrets to wild harvesting of plants for medicinal and culinary use. Yet, we overlooked one of the most prevalent and beneficial sources: the poplar.

Although the local native people did use poplar bark, poplar catkins and poplar sap, we relied on the white willow, a close relative of the poplar.  For us, its primary use was as a pain reliever.  The inner bark of the willow contains salicin, a natural reliever of headaches, muscle pain, fever and blood disorders.  Similarly, poplar bark contains salicin, one of the components of aspirin. Natives used the bark, as well, for cuts, fevers, and coughs.  The bark has antiseptic and expectorant properties.

Poplar sap, readily available in the spring, often is harvested and boiled down like maple syrup.  However, it does not store well, and must be used in season.  Like the sap, the slippery inner bark does not render well, and has limited use as a winter remedy.

Many wild plants, cattails and common plantain among them, are mucilaginous and act as a thickener for stews.  The inner bark, when dried and ground, can be used in a similar manner.  Like the former two plants, it also acts as an excellent digestive system cleanser.

Poplar bark powder, used in a poultice, is an excellent dressing for wounds, acne, sore joints and even rheumatic complaints.  Some people have used the finer root tendrils similarly, or have chewed them foe toothache relief.  The bark can be made into a tea-like infusion by steeping the ground bark in boiled water for ten minutes.  It is not unpleasant-tasting.

Poplar sap tea is a commonly used spring tonic, or a seasonal pick-me-upper for the elderly, to treat urinary infections, relieve nausea, alleviating hay fever and to relieve allergy symptoms by clearing the nasal passages.

Catkins, available in early spring before the leaves grow, are much more bitter tasting than either the bark or the sap. They, though, can be dried for use throughout the spring, summer and fall, with effects similar to that of the bark or sap.

Poplar offers an array of health and nutrition options, but, unfortunately, has a limited season. Nonetheless, this tree should be on your list of chosen plants for wild harvesting.

Fiddlehead Ferns Offer Music For Your Tastebuds With

It’s spring in the moist woodlands of North America when fiddlehead ferns begin to unleash their soft green tongues like a frog set to strike at an insect.  These greens are one of the most tender and juicy wild harvest foods, available worldwide. 

Fiddleheads in North America commonly are associated with the wet east coast or west coast rainforests, yet varieties can be found in abundance across the continent.  Simply put, the fiddlehead fern is not really a type of fern of its own, but a general description of the new growth shoots for all of the fern family. 

Like morels and other short-season spring delicacies, fiddleheads are available for brief days each year. They appear through the soft leaf beds of wet woodlands and shady waterway edges as soon as the ground begins to warm, quickly unfurl their fronds and rush toward full growth in a week or so.  Unlike morels, they do not hide from sight, but form the lush carpets and undergrowths of many forests and thickets.

Two varieties of ferns – Bracken and American Royal – grow across North America, with the Ostrich fern found mostly on the east coast. Harvest them by clipping the uncurled sprouts.  These wild plants are havens for small insects, dust and pollutants, and should be washed thoroughly before eating.  While many instances of mild illness have been reported (mostly due to improper washing or cooking), there are very few reports of allergic or toxic reactions.

Because fiddleheads are neither a soft leafy vegetable or crisp root-like consistency, they are suitable for a variety of cooking styles and recipes.  Simply sautee the greens in butter and a dusting of garlic, pepper, basil for a delightful side dish.  Alternatively, boil the greens and serve with a little thyme. Top angel hair pasta with steamed fiddleheads spiced with paprika, thyme, cayenne and onion powder.  Dash olive oil over dish and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  Fiddleheads can be a feature ingredient for a number of salads, used as a soup ingredient, served with a lightly-cooked root crop mix, breaded in oat bran, flax flour and corn meal prior to deep frying, or even pickled in brine after blanching.

One of the most exhilarating wild harvest meals that I have enjoyed in early spring began with a salad of fiddlehead, dandelion and strawberry leaf, doused with raspberry vinaigrette.  The main course included boiled and buttered cattail root (potato-like consistency), fried dandelion roots, boiled fiddlehead greens, morels served with hamburgers blended with ground common plantain seed (harvested the prior year and dried) and freshly harvested horseradish root, grated and mixed with vinegar.

Spring is a season of opportunity for the lover of wild foods, and the opening act of that season is fiddlehead greens!

Medicinal And Culinary Uses For Corn Silk

Corn silk may now be associated with a healthy lifestyle and medicinal benefit, but, as an adolescent, my memories of the use of corn silk was as a cigarette alternative. I have been told tales of those people in the Dirty Thirties who regularly rolled dried corn silk into cigarette papers, since tobacco was prohibitively expensive. While I do not recommend this practice today, the anecdote illustrates that desperate people use creative tactics to achieve an end!
Corn silk, ironically, has significant medicinal benefit and use, unlike tobacco. It is used to treat cystitis, prostatitis and urethritis, and has a long history in the treatment of bedwetting, kidney stones, jaundice and oedema. Studies have found that it reduces blood clotting time and blood pressure. As a gentle treatment for gout, it rivals the effectiveness of cherries. (As a gout sufferer, I can attest to the effectiveness of both.)
Rick in Vitamin K, it is a good diuretic, eliminating fluids but not decreasing the body’s potassium. Since it contains significant potassium, whatever is lost through the diuretic effect of the corn silk is more than offset but its input levels.
While the most popular method of consuming corn silk is to make a tea or infusion by steeping a handful of fresh or dried silk in two cups of boiled water, there is a wealth of other options for using this valuable grass in recipes.
I dry corn silk (preferably in open air, as opposed to a dehydrator), then crumble a small handful over my cereal, similar to sprinkling flax seed over cereals. It has a slightly sweet and nutty taste. In early summer, I harvest the silk fresh, chop it fine, and use it in salads. I have found that the full silk is quite stringy, unless chopped. In soups, I use chopped silk along with cream corn and finely chopped potatoes, parsley, a little tarragon, pepper, chopped onions and cayenne. On occasion, I will toss in chopped zucchini or pumpkin and a little pumpkin spice as an alternative. Dried & crushed corn silk also works well in breading for chicken and pork chops.
Ideally, the silk should be harvested just prior to the ears forming, so that the pollen is captured, as well. Because of its high moisture content, do not store in plastic, and dry any silk that you will not be using immediately. To dry corn silk, spread it thinly on a fibreglass screen in an area without direct sunlight, but moderate air movement. In a dehydrator, corn silk tends to clump.
There have been no significant reports of side effects regarding the consumption of corn silk. However, as in all foods and medicines, moderation is recommended.