Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-06-16
THE WILD GARDEN OF NATURE
HINTS TO THE WANDERER IN
WOODS ON PLEASURE BENT.
Many a Backwoodsman viii Sit at
His Campfire Eating Pork and Wish
ing For Green Stuff When the vi
cinity Contains all He Wants.

backwoodsman will sit at his camp
fire, eating his pork, vension and fish,
and wishing for some green stuff,
when by going few rods into the
woods he can find all he wants To do
this takes little knowledge of nature
Many men know nothing about the
garden of nature, but speak of TIE
birds, the fish. the animals or signs
of season, and they will tell yoil
enough to fill a fair-sized volume.
They understand everything that can
minister to health, comfort, profit or
sport. 1t is strange. The woods
and streams, the fields and ponds are
an inexhaustibie wild garden, always
well stocked, save in midwinter, with
the native vegetables that are so de-
ligntful and wholesome an addition to
the bill of fare of the camper. Study
the botany of nature from May to De-
cember. and no one need go without
a bountiful supply of vegetables from
the wild garden. It is interesting to
study the woods, and many man has
been glad he put his time on it when
lost in the woods with only knife
and little salt in his possession.
Carry bit of salt when you go into
the woods and see how handy it is
when you come to bunch of the roots
Of the toothwort or crinkled root.
What delicious flavor it lends to the
bread and butter, when eaten like
radishes and dipped in salt. The
ground nut, or dwarf, is another pun
gent root growing plentifully in the
woods. 1t may be found in any moist
clearing, but you must dig deep for
the root that has such a wild taste.
Again the salt comes for the wild
crabapple one must hunt diligently for.
There are the wild fox grapes with
their sweet flavor. the wild plum and
the cherry, and the bark of the black
birch. The last is both unknown and
well known among the lovers of ma
ture. There is the root of the fern,
and it is rare fun to hunt for it in the
wild glens of the woods, pull it up and
eat of the pure white meat. The
wintergreen and it's little red berry,
the fragrant root of the sassafras, and
the sweet root of the sweet flag come
in for their share of the honors of
the garden
AS an article of diet would rather
not speak of the mushrooms They
are plentiful around the old stumps
and logs of the woods. If | were go
ing on the hunt for them, would
want knowledge of them to guard
against confusing them with the poi
sonous toadstool In the spring the
wild garden grows many varieties of
fine and wholesome green's. Along
the brook in the old beaver meadows
grows the lucious leaves and stalks
of the cowslips, or marsh marigolds
Here I might say, it would be a very
good idea for the camper to bring
a small jug of vinegar with him into
the woods. Think of the cowslip
green's boiled in the camp pot. and
served up with salt, pepper and vim
egari 1t makes the mouth water. The
trilliums make good green's. They
bloom until late in June, and have an
exceedingly fine taste. Another pot
herb is the COW cabbage. 1t does not
have the range that the marsh mari
gold has, but where it grows it is
plenty, and remains tender and good
for long period. 1t leaves out earlier
than tho cowslip.
For both eating ard cure l will
class penGyroyal in the wild garden.
1t has been made into a pudding, but
the style has, no doubt, gone out of
use. For a perfume there is the cat
nip, the sweet cicely and the spicy
mocker nut. The wild parsnip. found
growing along the water edges in May
and June is excellent when fried and
Drowned over the campfire. The roots |
of the yellow pond lily chopped fine
and fried have a pleasant taste. They |
are best served with salt, pepper, and |
vinegar Wild radish is a very crisp |
article, if you know and can fide it.
The Indian cucumber root, that you
car unearth in the fall, is not far be-
hind the garden vegetable in flavor. !
The wild celery, of duck fame, is |
SOOQ Wi III n nuhSAy man. w III 1
and horseradish are good and |
will put a keen edge on the tongue |
WatercresSes must be remembered |
and are found in the brooks.
In regard to drinks, the common |
dandelion roots, dried and crushed, |
furnish a wholesome coffee. In Thor !
eau's Maine Woods he speaks of using /
the hemlock leaves for making tea. !
This is good Also mix little maple !
syrup with the hemloclc tea, and see !
If any ever tasted better. Winter
green is better than hemlock, and bet |
ter still are the leaves of the red |
root. Wild chicory is best of all
You must remember the berries. the
BURBERRY. the blackberry, the goose
berry. the raspberry and many more. |
A dish of berries and a bit OF sugar /
are a feast. There are nuts to crack.
the chestnut, the walnut the hickory |
nut and many more. Not to eat, but |
to chew. is the ever popular spruce
gum, and it has that woody flavor that |
makes it so delightful.
Much more could be given in regard |
to the vast wild garden of nature. but
I will not burden the reader with any
more One word Keep your eyes
open and ears alert when near the /
heart of nature. When camping rely
on the garden of nature and see how
you come out. Perhaps you don't |
think it will come out right. I do
Edwin C. Hobson in Shooting and |
Fishing.