The weather has been beautiful around here lately. After a rainy winter I have been trying to get out in the sunshine every chance I get. This is why its taken me so long to sit down and write anything about the The Wild Edible Plants Bike Tour that I led on Earth Day here in Portland. Thank you to all who participated! I believe about 22 people in total. It was a perfect day for a bike tour and I got to meet a lot of cool folks. The route we followed took us down Mississippi to two vacant lots where we discussed such plants/trees as burdock, dandelion, chicory, chickweed, plantain, yarrow, miners lettuce, beaked hazelnut, douglas fir, and fennel to name a few. From there we headed down to Oaks Bottom Park on the Springwater Corridor trail. I forgot to talk about a few plants along the way such as oregon grape and salal and when we reached the park I realized that I also had forgotten something else. My backpack! I must have left it sitting outside the cafe that morning before we all departed. It contained my camera and some library books so I was a little nervous but tried to convince myself that it would all work out somehow. At Oaks Bottom we covered the very important difference between poison hemlock and wild carrot, the usefullness/yummyness of stinging nettles, and (new to me), a balm made from cotton wood buds. I learned some new things I didn't know about plants and a little about leading bike tours such as making sure you let everyone no you are stopping when you have 22 people riding closely behind you! The Earth Day Celebration at Sellwood Park afterward was a good time to relax and listen to some fun music. On my bike ride home I got word that my backpack was safe and secure at the cafe! A good ending to a good day. I hope to host more of these in the future, maybe monthly. It would be cool to cover the different edibles as the seasons change. Also hoping to lead a workshop series this summer that will focus on sewing your own camping gear and then doing a bike tour/camp out where such skills as wild edible plants, animal tracking, friction fire, shelter building, etc. will be taught. Keep an eye on the ol' blog for more info.
The above photo from the tour is courtesy of Carye Bye who didn't forget her camera like I did. Thanks Carye! You can check out her blog at msbathtub.blogspot.com
