Village Squire, 1977-10, Page 11"Many of them are delicious," Mrs. Garrett said.
Another aspect of wild plants that interests Mrs. Garrett are
their medicine aspects. She said that even though today people
scoff at the idea of the Indians and early settlers using wild herbs
and plants to alleviate a very kind of pain, there are many pills
that we pay money for today that have a plant base. Mrs. Garrett
hopes to do a little reading about that subject this winter.
One thing that Canada shouldn't have to worry about with its
wild plant wealth is the problem of starvation.
"I would stress that I think there's really enough wild plant
wealth that nobody need ever go hungry," Mrs. Garrett said.
She said that people in Europe go out regularly and pick such
things as chicory, cress and dandelion and that they make up a
big part of the European staple diet.
"1 really think we should be taught to recognize them at any
rate, in case the day ever comes that we do need it," Mrs.
Garrett said.
So where does Mrs. Garrett come up with her recipes to use
this plant life? Many of them she experiments and evolves, she
said adding that nobody in the wild plant field was naturally
inventive so a lot of her recipes have also come from a collection
of old cook books. She even has some old Canadian cookbooks
which date back to the 1800's. She also gets a lot of recipes from
people who have interests similar to hers.
Mrs. Garrett isn't one for keeping good things all to herself as.
can be noted by her books and she graciously consented to
sharing a recipe for this article. Here is an introduction to one of
many.
To quote from Mrs. Garrett's book from her introduction to an
arrowhead, "The family name is Arrowhead, and there are more
than a dozen different members. The most common, the one we
use for arrowhead treats in autumn, is the broad-leaved
arrowhead, with its shiny leaves shaped unmistakably like the
three -pronged tip of an arrow.
"We know exactly where to harvest it in early October, for in
July we watch the delicate, waxen -white, three -petaled blossoms
with their golden centres transform our reedy lagoon into a circle
of bloom. The flowers are quite unlike the large, exotic white
water lily that floats on the surface on its ballast of rqund green
leaves. They grow in the water near the shore, on very straight
stems that lift from one to three feet above water level. with the
arrow shaped leaves rising strong and erect from the underwater
root.
"It is these roots. or tubers. that are the culinary delicacy.
Long before either English or French settlers came to these
shores. native peoples were harvesting arrowhead roots as we
would gather in a cultivated potato crop. Arrowhead tubers look
somewhat like new potatoes, and if you dislodge them with a
canoe paddle. or a garden rake of hoe. they will loosen from the
pond muck and float to the surface. They vary in size from a large
marble to a small egg. Try for the largest, for each one has to
be peeled after cooking for 30 minutes in salted water.
ARROWHEAD AND MUSHROOM SOUP
Boil for 20 minutes. drain, peel and coarsely slice enough
arrowhead,tubers to yield
2 cups sliced arrowheads
Place in the blender and add
11/2 cups chicken stock
Blend to a smooth puree
Empty it into a large saucepan, and add to it
21/2 cups more chicken stock
1 cup sliced, raw mushrooms
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. salt
' tsp. white pepper
Bring to the boil, and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Remove from
heat.
Stir in
2 tbsp. dry sherry
Garnish each bowl with a sprinkling of chopped parsley. Serve at
EXPANSION
t!'")
We will soon be expanding to
next door - offering you
greater selection, greater
value. But first, we have to
reduce our inventory - includ-
ing new fall arrivals - so,
everything in the store is now
The perfect opportunity for the
early Christmas shopper;
everything is at half price,
including all velour lounge
gowns. blouses, slacks, skirts,
fall sweaters, dresses, wool
pantsuits, long dresses, etc.
All sales cash and final.
the Svc
Se
8 King Street, Clinton 482-7735
OPEN: Daily 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.;
except Wednesdays and Sundays.
VILLAGE SQUIRE/OCTOBER 1977, 9.