Camas . . .
A late spring showy lily
.. turns Wallowa prairies and swales
..... a deep purplish hue . . .
Elk often snip heads
.. yet across Zumwalt prairie
..... the bloom seems vast.
Easily dug, often harvested,
.. the raw bulbs are edible,
..... a mucilagineous and starchy bulb.
Long slow cooking
.. as in a pit oven, overnight
..... converts starch to fructose.
Emerging black gooey lumps
.. taste awesomely sweet
..... a treat in sugar poor environment.
Camas baked with couse
.. combines the sweetness
..... with potato-like starchiness.
Combined camas-couse
.. bakings, shaped and dried
..... make stable long-term staples.
Vernal wetland restoration,
.. garden-stock for comestibles
..... and showy garden color, today.
Ancient ethnobotanical traditions
.. with neoteric applications
..... offer multiple rewards for foraging.
-- r.anderson
