Monthly Archives: November 2012

November 4, 2012 · 8:25 pm

Plant of the day: golden chanterelle

There are glints of orange on the forest floor. Graceful little mushrooms, shaped like an upside-down funnel, have risen proudly above the duff. It is a patch of golden chanterelles, the treasure of many a mushroom-hunter! They have stout, smooth stalks ribbed with fleshy ridges that run out underneath the umbrella of the cap. There are several species of golden-yellow species of chanterelle; the one most common in the Bay Area is Cantharellus californicus but the similar looking (and tasting) Cantharellus formosus is also found in California–and others may be as well, according to the Mykoweb database.

I DO NOT recommend eating chanterelles (or any other mushroom) unless you’re absolutely sure of what they are. But. It is worth finding a mentor or joining a mycology outing to learn this stuff. They have a unique, mild flavor and a meaty texture and are absolutely delicious when sautéed with olive oil and garlic. Last night we had them over pasta, sautéed with basil, sweet garden tomatoes, and bacon. It was heavenly.

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November 3, 2012 · 10:49 pm

Plant of the day: common plantain

Plantago major

Green and brown spikes rise six inches above a green rosette of leaves. This is common plantain, or Plantago major, a European weed that you can see usually growing in wet soils. Though the leaves (and seeds) aren’t poisonous, they are tough and bitter, and not generally recommended for eating; if you want to try some, make sure they are young. However, the medicinal uses listed for common plantain are extensive. Heated leaves are used to stop bleeding and encourage tissue repair. Taken internally, it has been used to treat diarrhea, gastritis, peptic ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, hemorrhage, hemorrhoids, cystitis, bronchitis, catarrh, sinusitis, asthma and hay fever.

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November 2, 2012 · 8:35 am

Plant of the day: harding grass

It’s going to be a long day away from the computer, so this one is going to be quick & dirty (hopefully updated later). This is harding grass (Phalaris aquatica), a nasty invasive that not only takes over fields, meadows and lawns but is the bane of hay-fever sufferers’ existence. Luckily it isn’t in bloom right now, but the dried stalks can still be standing tall.

It is another example of human hubris, as it was deliberately introduced to California for forage…

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November 1, 2012 · 11:15 pm

Plant of the day: fat hen

One doesn’t usually think of a salt marsh as a colorful place. It’s pretty much all green plants and brown mud, right? WRONG. Especially at this time of year. The pickleweed is looking like a Christmas decoration, fat little stems of mottled red and green with the bright orange threads of dodder twining around it. As if this weren’t color enough, great swathes of pink have begun to emerge.

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Look close and you’ll see sprawling stems with slightly fleshy triangular leaves. Small seeds are also turning rosy, each small and spiky like a tiny spaceship. This is fat hen, or Atriplex prostrata, a non-native weed has naturalized here from Eurasia. The leaves are said to be bland but edible, and the seeds are as well–if anyone cares to take the time to collect them.

Also known as spear-leaved orache, it can be found growing in salt marshes and weedy places throughout the country.

Random fact: it inhibits the growth of potatoes if the two happen to grow near one another.

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