Curious people are learning about the uses of different plants in Northern BC.
Nearly 50 people turned out for ‘A forager’s Supper’, a presentation about identifying plants and how to use them.
“You see them, you don’t know anything about them, but you’re curious. Living in the north, people are out and walking trails, they like to enjoy the wildlife and nature… But to most people, they walk through the forest and just see green plants. They don’t see the uses,” explains Organic Farmer Andrew Adams.
The room was buzzing with questions about everything from mushrooms to bark, eventually extended the session by an extra 45 minutes.
“The first time someone suggested I try eating stinging nettle, I thought they were insane. We had some pop up ion one of our carrot beds, and it was just horrible on my hands,” explains Adams. “But we were told it makes a great tea, and you can use it as spinach, so my wife harvested this big bag of it, and it made a delicious pizza!”
It appears to be a growing trend in what Adams calls a skill in self-reliance.
“Grocery stores hold about three days worth of food in them- one if there’s a panic. British Columbia alone imports 80% of its food. So if there’s a small blip in the transportation industry, strikes, and environmental catastrophe, we would be extremely vulnerable.”
He says emphasizing local food is important for economy and health, adding the Trans-Pacific Partnership could be detrimental to food security.
“We’re giving our money to foreign countries, so the money isn’t staying here. It’s not coming back, we’re just getting food. It is disenfranchising farmers from being able to produce food for a reasonable price, when you have other people undercutting at a lower price and don’t have subsidies.”
The federal government has promised $4.3 billion in compensation over 15 years to help farmers battle losses.
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