Bulbs as a food resource

Hannon othonna@gmail.com
Sat, 23 Aug 2008 15:10:13 PDT
Rodger,
Thanks for sharing this. Your source may have been referring to difficulty
in distinguishing the bulbs of Camassia from Zigadenus. I believe they have
a similar appearance and dark tunics?

I've eaten the corms of blue dicks (Dichelostemma pulchellum) and remember
them as being both nut-like and buttery in texture, palatable but not
flavorful. I believe Carl Purdy wrote about collecting Calochortus bulbs
where he would have to keep an eye on his Indian helper, lest he eat most of
what he dug!

Dylan Hannon

On Sat, Aug 23, 2008 at 1:20 AM, <totototo@telus.net> wrote:

> I once tried the bulbs of Camassia. Whether C. leichtlinii or C. quamash, I
> don't know. Steamed them. They had the appearance, texture, and taste of
> library paste.
>
> You could survive on them, but it wouldn't be a gourmet's paradise.
>
> PS: one reads that the local Salish Indians rogued out xygadenus from the
> camas
> fields, and many references imply that zygadenus is only distinguishable
> from
> camas by havinga white flower color.
>
> That's nonsense written by people with no first-hand experience. The
> inflorescence of zygadenus is unmistakably different from that of camas,
> and
> it's not white anyway: it's a dirty yellow-green. The point of similarity
> and
> possibly lethal confusion lies in the resemblance of the dormant bulbs.
>
> I collected by dinner when it was in flower, btw.
>
>
> --
> Rodger Whitlock
> Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
> Maritime Zone 8, a cool Mediterranean climate
>
> on beautiful Vancouver Island
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