Traditional Foods in Southern Alberta

Lyndon Penner has been in an intense and all-consuming relationship with the natural world since he first arrived in the world 40 years ago. A writer, gardener, designer and speaker he has lectured at many colleges and universities and has also done botanical guide work in Waterton Lakes National Park and at the Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden. His new book, 'The Way of the Gardener', has just been released.  

I first moved to Lethbridge in 2015. The reasons for moving are too complicated to get into, but I had good friends in Lethbridge, and they were always talking about how beautiful the Old Man River valley is and how nice it is to walk in the coulees and I wanted to get in on that. Exploring Lethbridge turned out to be so much more fun and exciting than they had even prepared me for! I met birds I was unfamiliar with; found flowers I didn't know very well (or at all) and I loved being so much closer to the Rockies. Lethbridge is famous for being windy, but it certainly isn't windy every day. I was (and continue to be) amazed by just how much life and biodiversity flourishes in and around the city! 

‍

A great many plants that grow in the Lethbridge area were traditionally used for food by indigenous peoples.

Indian Breadroot

Indian Breadroot (Psoralea esculenta) is perhaps the most famous and is reasonably abundant on sunny hillsides here. There are over 30 species in this genus, but only this one has ever fallen under the scrutiny of gardeners (as well as farmers). Breadroot was a critical food plant for indigenous peoples throughout the central parts of the Canadian prairies.

Looking a bit like a lupine but smaller and hairier, breadroot fed not only people but also bears, gophers, mice, badgers, and many other small animals. It was so widely used, in fact, that it also became known as “Indian potato” and prairie turnip. It fed Lewis and Clark on their expedition across what became Montana and also fed Palliser’s expedition (though Palliser declared it as “insipid and offensive”). When the game was unobtainable, many of the first trappers and traders relied on this plant.

A plant with pretty foliage and delicate looking pale blue to soft purple flowers, breadroot once grew in large colonies across the undisturbed prairie. Today, it is actually quite rare in most places but can still be found in the Lethbridge area without searching too hard. It favours sandy soil and was also once very abundant in the Cypress Hills. The tuberous roots are 1–4” long and contain both starch and sugar. They were dug in late summer and could be eaten raw but were usually roasted, and they were sometimes dried for winter use in soups and stews.

It is an easy garden plant for a hot, sunny location with average soil and sharp drainage. Seeds germinate readily, but it also goes dormant in mid to late summer making it difficult to place. Highly resentful of disturbance and having such deep roots, seeds are best sown directly where they are to grow. Do not dig or try to transplant these (or any native plants, for that matter) from the wild.

Two other very important food plants from southern Alberta are the blue camas and the balsamroot. Although neither of these grow right in Lethbridge itself, they are easily found within an hour’s drive of our city.

‍

Blue camas

Blue camas (Camassia quamash) is a gorgeous plant growing 14–24” tall and flowering in late spring or early summer. The flowers are usually blue but may also be white or pink on occasion. They often grow in large numbers where conditions suit, which is primarily moist, open meadows and pastures. Bulbs are about the size of a quarter and they are highly edible and nutritious. These bulbs were always dug by women, with specially sharpened digging sticks. They were gathered in late summer or early fall, well after the plants had finished blooming and when the bulbs were most plump.These bulbs were sometimes eaten raw, but they were usually either boiled or pit-fired, after which they were mashed into a paste that was formed into small, dry cakes. These cakes travelled easily and were a major trade item. The great camas (Camassia leichtlinii) are closely related and native to southwestern British Columbia including Vancouver Island. It too was an important food plant and used in much the same way. These bulbs fed the Lewis and Clark expedition and were described as being “exceedingly windy.”

Balsamroot

Balsamroot (Balsamorrhiza saggitata) flowers early in the year, often being in full bloom in the middle of May. It likes windy, fairly dry hillsides and is common around both Cardston andPincher Creek. Growing about knee-high, it produces enormous grey-green leaves and immense taproots (up to 14” long) that are difficult to dig. These were highly prized and eagerly dug most often in spring, as the ground thawed and the plants were pushing their new growth up. The blossoms closely resemble sunflowers (to which they are related) and have a delightful, chocolate-like fragrance. They can be very showy, painting hillsides and slopes in brilliant yellow early in the year shortly after the snow has melted.