By Elizabeth King
I don’t know about you, but I love wild strawberries – one of nature’s delicious gifts! Not the movie, not the band - but the beautiful little creeping plant that grows in forests, fields, along the County roads and behind our very own Fife Cabin on the edge of the wooded area before you hit the riverbank here at Lang Pioneer Village Museum. There is something about the delicious, sweet little berries on this wild perennial herb that remind me of the carefree days of summer weekends in the sun. And of course, did I mention enough that they are delicious?
You probably might not even realize the plants are there if you aren’t looking for them. They are fairly small compared to the berries we are used to seeing at our supermarkets and cultivated farms. They tend to grow well among with weeds, grasses and poison ivy, which means they often get killed off or cut with the mower before they can flourish. But let me tell you, if you ever get the chance to lie down in a field of these wild gems – do so. Breathe in and enjoy the aroma, which is subtle and reminiscent of roses and clean, fresh air.
In The Canadian Settler’s Guide by Catherine Parr Traill she talks about the abundance of wild fruits in newly surveyed townships, and the benefit they were to the settler’s. I have included the excerpt below:
“The absence of fruit from their diet would be most severely felt were it not that Nature has bounteously scattered abroad some of these blessings in the shape of wild fruits which are met with in many situations and often brought as it were almost miraculously to the settler's very door springing up without his care or culture.”
These treats are not just for us humans though. Many different types of birds and other animals enjoy their bounty; skunks, chipmunks, wild turkeys, voles, mice and some turtles too apparently enjoy this sweet indulgence. Thank goodness they share! These birds and other animals help to spread the plant around by pooping out the seeds. Now there’s something you probably didn’t think about! I love it.
I’ve opted to not share a recipe this time around…simply because they don’t need gussying up! Sometimes it’s the unpretentious things... So go out and pick some – you won’t regret a juicy handful of these naked berries, I promise!
Elizabeth King is the Administrative/Volunteer Coordinator at Lang Pioneer Village Museum. She has been working at the Village since May of 2009. Elizabeth is passionate about history, costuming, reading, vegan culinary crusades and environmental pursuits. When she isn’t in the middle of a project at Lang, she is often found with her head in the clouds.
