Evening last, I walked a distance into the sun-setting woods from
my cabin and, choosing a random log, sat.
What, I wondered, would I find most interesting if I sat there as all
the shadows gathered together in one darkness?
I found two mosquitoes first. Then, a half-sized chipmunk dancing on the
bough of a fir above me. A half-dozen
arrowhead blue butterflies stitched past.
Fading arnica flowers. Sticky
geranium purpling against the shadows at the beginning of their bloom. A curtain of kinnikinnick draped across the
punky remains of a long fallen branch. A
beetle clunking across the understory. Floppy pine grass just standing there being,
well, floppy. Nameless birds chirping
and peeping.
But most interesting?
I found a sprawling patch of woodland strawberries right at my
feet. A mat of them, in fact. A tangle of red creepers and triple-leaf
clusters.
A closer inspection revealed several ripe berries.
These will not soon be a cash crop. They are not the hulking cousins you find at
your nearest grocery. The woodland
strawberry is quite small. Generally,
smaller than a pea.
I ate one.
Super sweet. I do not like
“store-bought “strawberries. I never
purchase them and only rarely eat them. But
the woodland strawberry is delicious.
Wondrous, in fact!
The woodland strawberry has a fairly wide distribution—extending
from Alaska to California. Not only is
the fruit sweet and edible, but the entire plant boasts medicinal properties.
The strawberry plant is antiseptic. The Okanagan-Colville Indians used powders
made from the leaf as a disinfectant on open wounds. Agents within the plant will cause tissue to
contract. The woodland strawberry plant can
be used in the treatment of toothaches and gum problems. The plant has been used to regulate menstrual
cycles. Powders made from the plant have
been used as a poultice for open wounds.
Teas made from the strawberry plant induce urination.
Hooray for the woodland strawberry!
Posted is a photo of one of the berries I found.
—Mitchell Hegman
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