The project went really well. We went fiddlehead picking at the end of April and were successful in the identification and collection. We cleaned them up at my house and then blanched and froze them. In July we went out and picked Saskatoon berries on Keith Ave right in Terrace. The ladies were surprised to learn that there were berries right under their noses in town that were so delicious. We washed them up and froze them and later in the summer I invited part of the group to my place for a taste of Saskatoon pie. In the fall we went mushroom picking on multiple occasions. The first few times we came back empty handed because there was no chanterelles growing in our area this year. On our fourth excursion we finally managed to find 3 chanterelles! Then we went out again in October and changed our focus to finding pine and bolete mushrooms. We also managed to identify some oyster, cauliflower, and lobster mushrooms. Everyone went home with a wild mushroom assortment and we compared dishes made with them.
I included a local first Nations elder from Kitsumkalum this year on the project. She came out for the fiddlehead picking and one of the mushroom excursions in October. She was a lot of fun and we had lots of laughs. She explained that if a mushroom was just a little wormy that you could soak in salt water for a spell and those critters would all come out, making the mushroom just fine to eat. She also shared some dishes that she makes with the mushrooms. She was a great addition and I gifted her with a homemade Saskatoon pie to say thank you.
The group varied in size from three to a full dozen. Everyone wanted to focus more on identifying mushrooms so that is why I ended up inviting the group out on six different occasions to ensure everyone had at least two opportunities to go foraging. With a larger group I learnt it is tough to get schedules lined up so everyone can take part. With offering multiple days everyone managed to take part and make this project successful.
