Skunk Cabbage-An Unlikely Wild Edible

Skunk Cabbage

Skunk Cabbage, Symplocarpus foetidus, got its name for good reason. My apartment reeked of  its sulfurous odors all weekend. The Peterson field guide states that "the thoroughly dried rootstocks can be made into a pleasant cocoalike flour." I was determined to put this claim to the test.

This plant is pretty amazing. It has thermogenetic properties meaning that it produces enough heat to melt the surrounding snow and ice. If you take a walk as early as February you will likely come across these plants surrounded by a ring of melted snow. These plants stink. Some sources liken it to that of rotten meat but I disagree, its more garliky without the good garlic smell. The foul smell attracts the earliest pollinators of Spring. Its roots are contractile, meaning they look like a bungie cord at rest-ribbed. As the roots extend deeper into the ground the roots contract, pulling the Skunk Cabbage deeper into the ground. I am not sure why this is beneficial to a plant that reproduces via pollination but Mother Nature has her mysteries. When I look at this plant it reminds me of a bird, with its round belly-like spathe that folds over itself and ends in a point like that of a beak. Its mottled maroon and yellow shiny rubbery skin is absolutely mesmerizing. 

The rootstock is the part of the plant that connects the flour to the roots and for this plant it is underground. This stinky bird-like flower likes wet woods and can be found by streams and ponds or marshy habitats. It just so happens that I came across this plant in the park across from my work in the flooded area adjacent to the pond. 

You'll need rubber gloves (if you don't want to get your hands muddy), a spade (to sever the rootstock from the roots), a plastic bag (to transport the harvested plant), and possibly a gas mask depending on how well you tolerate the smell. When you get home you'll want to thoroughly rinse off any mud and debris. Next cut the flower and any roots from the rootstock. Be prepared as imparting any damage to this plant causes it to release more of its odiferous sent. Next, dice the rootstock and leave it out to dry in the sun or dry in a food dehydrator at 105 degrees for as long as it takes for the rootstock to have the consistency of chalk (you should be able to carve into it with your fingernail). Next grind the dried rootstocks with mortal and pestle or any type of grinder on hand. At this point nausea set in as I thought the dehydrating process would send the stench on its way but it seemed to instead increase in potency. And now I am about to eat this?! I thought. I licked my fingertip and dipped it into the stinky white powder feeling my stomach turn. I finally drummed up the courage to lick my finger and...I could not describe the taste other than it tasted like is smelled. It made me queasy and I would love to have a conversation with the person who likened the dried rootstock to a cocoalike flour! 

Skunk Cabbage-Mottled Bird

Spadix up close

Intact Plant

Skunk Cabbage Parts

Thoroughly Dried Leaves and Rootstock

Powdered Rootstock

Bark

Northern Red Oak

You may think that the only way to identify a tree is by its leaves, however, Michael Mojtech shows you how to identify trees based on the structure of the bark in his field guide, "Bark: A Field Guide to Trees of the Northeast". This guide makes it possible for the novice tree enthusiast to identify trees in the dead of Winter when the leaves have long since detached and are buried under feet of snow. From studying Mojtech's guide I learned that the bark we see reveals how the tree is responding to its expanding girth. It can be smooth, cracked, fissured, scaly, stripped, shaggy, curled, woven, furrowed. Awareness of the diversity of bark structure can result in a Winter hike that is aesthetically pleasing. Below are just some of the trees I came across during a recent snowshoe. Take notice of each tree's individual characteristics.

American Elm-bark is spongy, layered like that of a wafer, develops intersecting vertical strips that build in thickness  

Striped Maple-smooth bark, forming green/black/white vertical lines, with visible diamond-shaped lenticels

American Hornbeam-smooth/unbroken bark that is muscular-looking 

Black Cherry-bark that breaks into scales that curl away around the edges

Black Birch-smooth bark-break off into thick sections, with clearly visible horizontal lenticels

American Beech-smooth bark often with algae eating slug tracks

Yellow Birch-bark peels horizontally into thin fringe

White Oak- forms vertical cracks that build in thickness and break horizontally into blocks with maturity

White Pine- forms scaly ridges with horizontal hairline cracks

Chestnut Oak- forms smooth/ dense ridges with characteristic rust pigment lining the furrows

Northern Red Oak- smooth surface that cracks into intersecting ridges with rust colored fissures

Shagbark Hickory-bark forms sheets of bark that peels away from the trunk at both ends

Hophornbeam - vertical strips with square edges that can detach at both ends

Pignut Hickory-woven appearance with horizontal hairline cracks

Red Pine-large scaly plates forming ridges

Red Maple-bark forms long cracks which build in thickness and wing away from the trunk-this one with characteristic target canker

Winter Trail Nibble: Rose Hips

Rose Hips in January

You have been snowshoeing for the past 2 1/2 hours, trudging through the deep fluff and the whipping wind, armored with wool and fleece. Your muscles burn and sweat accumulates but you are fueled by Mother Nature's extreme conditions. Through your ski goggles you catch a glimpse of something red against the stark white background. You stand there with your multiple layers of synthetic insulation enamored by this tiny sphere with its shiny red skin exposed and clinging to its woody anchor in the middle of January. You notice the thorns and the fine dark hairs atop the crimson ball resembling that of a toupee. You reach down, pluck the little fruit from its stem and taste its pulpy flesh for the first time. You savor its mildly sweet and tart flavor. A surge of excitement runs through your body as you realize you have discovered the rose hip.

Rose Hip Cross Section

A rose hip is packed with vitamin C so it makes for a nutritious trail nibble in the dead of winter if you are lucky enough to come across one. The cross section above shows the seeds and the fine fibers that are encapsulated by the pulpy flesh.