Camas Bulbs Edible

Edible bulbs a forager s conundrum.

Camas bulbs edible. Common camas is a stout robust plant 12 28 inches 30 70 cm tall with a dense inflorescence. It should be noted that while the bulbs of this camas plant are edible it is often confused with a similar toxic plant referred to as death camas zigadenus venenosus before eating camas bulbs or any plant for that matter check with your local extension office or other reputable resource or herbalist to ensure its proper identification. I could imagine the area without cattle and without crops. Camas vancouver island bc photo by bud logan.

Varieties in british columbia are great camas camassia leichtlinii and common camas camassia quamash. The leaves are long. Citation needed it grows in the wild in great numbers in moist meadows. Common camas is a stunning and iconic northwest wildflower with a sweet edible bulb and blue purple flowers.

The sweet bulbs of the great camas are considered by many to be a northwest native food. The older i got the more i wanted to know about the plants around me especially the culturally important ones like camas. Common camas flowers by mid may setting seed and then going dormant into it s underground bulb until emerging the next spring. Great camas flowers by mid may setting seed and then going dormant into it s underground bulb until emerging the next spring.

If you want to experiment with types of edible flower bulbs you can buy the lampascioni bulbs in jars at certain upscale gourmet markets. They are perennial plants with basal linear leaves measuring 8 to 32 inches 20 to 81 cm in length which emerge early in the spring. It is a perennial herb that grows from an edible bulb. Part of what i do in my leisure time is read scientific articles about the wild food plants that live here in north america.

The bulbs from this wildflower grow a little closer to home. Edible camas bulbs and is toxic. Grows in moist plains and foothill regions. Bulbs are edible raw.

A camas plant has grass like leaves and a tall stalk of flowers but it s the bulb that is consumed. Be sure of your identification of camas bulbs before eating them. The blue would have seemed endless. Photo by holly a.

The bulbs have a densely packed center covered in a black to brown tunic. Bulbs can be roasted or boiled but are best when slow cooked and dried. Camassia is a genus of plants in the asparagus family native to western north america common names include camas quamash indian hyacinth camash and wild hyacinth. Blue camas and other edible bulbs.

By hank shaw on july 21 2011 updated june 23 2020 18 comments. For most of my life the blue fields of the camas prairie near mountain home struck me as simply something pretty to look at while driving to sun valley to catch trout.