Author: Dawning

Usnea

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Identifying Usnea

Usnea is a hanging and hair-like lichen, a symbiotic organism made of fungus + alga that grows on the bark and limbs of trees.

There are many species, so the exact type will vary depending on where you live, but a key feature to check for is a white stretchy core.

Find a thicker piece of the lichen, then carefully start pulling it apart. If it’s fresh and moist, then you should see what looks like a thin strand of white elastic stretching when you pull. If the usnea is dry, then it may snap, but you’ll still see a white core inside.

You really don’t need a lot of usnea – a couple of small handfuls will make plenty of tincture, salve, and a powder to stock in your natural first aid kit.

How to Store

After you’ve gathered usnea, it’s best to bring it home and process it into tincture or infused oil/salve over the next few days, if possible.

If you can’t get to it yet, you can air dry usnea and store in brown paper bags for future use. Just lay the pieces out in a single layer on a screen or clean dishtowel to dry for a few days.

Store in a cool dry place and out of direct sunlight and shelf life should be at least one year. If you find that the color has faded over time, it’s best to return it to the woods or compost, and pick a fresh harvest.

Using Usnea

Now that you’ve harvested a couple of small handfuls, what can you do with usnea? Make local-sourced natural medicine!

Often called “nature’s antibiotic”, it’s used externally for wound healing and as a styptic (something that stops bleeding), and internally for sore throat; respiratory (pneumonia and bronchitis), GI, urinary tract, and sinus infection; and as an immune tonic.

It’s generally regarded as safe, but if you’re pregnant or have health concerns, check with a healthcare professional before using internally. As with all topical products, if you develop redness or irritation after using externally, discontinue use.

Usnea Wound Powder

If you’re out and about in the woods and get a wound that you can’t get treated right away, you could technically just pack fresh usnea onto the spot to help prevent infection, then cover with a bandage. However, a powder is a bit easier to use in its place!

To make usnea wound powder, take dried usnea and run it through a coffee grinder. You’ll notice that your powder will be filled with stringy bits that won’t pulverize. That’s okay. Just sift out the powder and add those extra bits into your nearest infusing jar of usnea tincture or infused oil. (Or compost/return to the forest.)

Once you have a nice soft sifted powder, store it in a small airtight container. A tiny tin of it is handy to keep in your backpack – use it as a styptic powder (stops bleeding) and/or to prevent infection in wounds while out in the field.

To Make the Oil

Making an infused oil is ultra simple. You just need chopped pieces of usnea, covered with about twice as much oil. Here, I’m using 1/4 cup chopped plant to 1/2 cup oil, but you could use the same ratio for larger or smaller amounts. (example: 1 tbsp of chopped usnea to 2 tbsp oil, etc.)

  • 1/4 cup chopped usnea
  • 1/2 cup oil of choice (I like olive oil)

Place the lichen/oil mixture into a heatproof jar – a half pint jar works nicely – then set the uncovered jar down into a pan filled with several inches of water. Heat over a low burner for 3 to 4 hours. (We use a pot of water on our woodstove in the winter.) Monitor and make sure the water doesn’t evaporate out. Remove from heat. You can use the infused oil right away, or cover the jar with a lid and let it infuse in a warm spot (we use the top of our fridge) for 2 to 3 weeks longer.

Usnea Salve Recipe

Usnea salve, or ointment, is used for its antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antifungal benefits. It may be especially useful if you have a persistent skin infection or condition that won’t clear up, or can be used for things like boils, mild cuts, and scrapes.

To make, combine 1.75 oz of infused oil with 0.25 ounces of beeswax. Place in a heatproof jar, or a cleaned tin can for easy cleanup, and set down into a small pot of water. Heat the pan over medium to medium low heat until the wax melts. Pour into tins. Fills about 1 two-ounce tin.

Usnea Tincture

  • 1 part chopped usnea (fresh is preferred, dried is ok)
  • 2 parts boiling water
  • 3 parts high proof drinkable alcohol (151 proof Everclear, or 75.5% alcohol by volume)

To make: Place the finely chopped usnea in the bottom of a heatproof half-pint jar. Cover with the boiling water, then add the alcohol. Cover with a lid, then shake well. Store in a warm spot – we use the top of our fridge – for a minimum of 4 to 6 weeks. Strain and store in a cool dark spot. Shelf life is at least one year.

Amount to use:

Tincture dose will vary widely depending on age, size, etc. I dose 3 to 4 drops in a spoonful of raw honey several times a day, while others recommend a full dropperful 3 to 5 times per day. Start low and slow and work up to what does best for your constitution. For questions or concerns, check with your healthcare professional.

Fiddleheads

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Ferns do a grand unveiling every spring by unfurling their violin top-shaped shoots into lush green fronds. These fern fiddleheads are one of those choice wild edibles every wild foodie talks effusively about.  It’s for good reason as this wild green vegetable is delicious eaten simply or made into delectable recipes.

All ferns do a rendition of fiddling when they sprout so you need to know how to identify the desirable fiddleheads.

Ostrich fern fiddleheads (Matteuccia struthiopteris) are the most widely sought-after variety, prized for their tender texture and mild flavor. They can be identified by their deep green color, smooth stem, and a brown, papery covering called the “fiddlehead sheath.”

As the fern frond uncoils the brown paper husk flakes away.  So if there is no brown papery covering, it’s either not an ostrich fern or it’s an ostrich fern too mature to eat. 

Lady fern fiddleheads (Athyrium filix-femina) have a more delicate flavor than ostrich ferns and are characterized by their bright green color and slightly hairy stem.

Fiddlehead foraging is generally from late April to early June before the fiddleheads grows into fern fronds.

Fiddleheads are rich in potassium, iron, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids, fiddleheads are fantastically nutritious. They are best cooked with lemon and butter, but can be eaten raw.

Spruce Tips

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In April or May, if you look closely at these coniferous trees that proliferate on the Coast, you’ll notice that the needles aren’t all the same color. You’ll want to gather the potent new growth at the end of the branches, which is much softer and brighter green. 

Alone, spruce tips can be too strong to eat in a salad. Instead, stuff just a few in a bottle of apple cider vinegar, wait a week, and voilà! You have a simple dressing. Pack tips into a jar with lots of sugar to make an infused syrup for tea or cocktails. 

You’ll find Sitka spruce all over the Coast, but investigate the Siuslaw National Forest at elevations under 1,500 feet for plentiful stands.

Ideas for using Spruce Tips:

  • Add chopped spruce tips to homemade vinaigrettes
  • Toss a little into your favorite smoothies
  • Add to roasted vegetables, fish, or meat
  • Make spruce tip syrup and add to sparkling water or cocktails
  • Chop spruce tips and add to baked goods like shortbread or scones

Though some people dry spruce tips for later use in tea and homemade cough syrups, I think since mature spruce works for these purposes, it makes more sense to enjoy spruce tips fresh in spruce tip recipes.

Note that when you make spruce tip syrup or vinegar, you get two spruce tip recipes for one. When you strain the spruce tips, keep both the spruce-infused liquid and the tips. Pickled spruce tips can be used as a tasty vegetable or garnish, while sweetened ones can be used in dessert recipes or dried to make spruce tip candy.

Wood Sorrels

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It’s pretty much a given you’ve seen this plant on a springtime hike in Oregon. Think of wood sorrel as an oversize, delicate three-leaf clover with heart shaped leaflets.

Many foragers simply refer to this plant as Oxalis, the genus of plants with upwards of 900 different species around the world, but look for the purple underside and pinkish white flowers of Oregon oxalis. 

Wood sorrel tends to be sour-tasting, almost like green apple skins, thanks to the presence of oxalic acid, which may cause stomach upset if you eat these in large quantities. Sample a few leaves along the trail for a tart pick-me-up, or boil them with other wild greens to cut down on some of the sourness. 

Though you’ll find them in many settings, the network of trails near Cape Perpetua often holds a mother lode, giving you good reason to venture beyond the overlooks. Stay on the designated trails and, as always, be cautious of trampling sensitive vegetation.

Stinging Nettles

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Chances are you’ve run into stinging nettle at some point, and the experience probably wasn’t pleasant. The stalks and leaves come covered in tiny hairs or spines laced with formic acid that can turn your skin into an itchy mess if you brush against them. 

Did you know they’re delicious, filled with vitamins and minerals, and serve as a traditional superfood? Quickly blanching them before prepping them for a dish removes the sting. (Don’t toss the water! It makes for a nourishing tea.) The mild, spinach-like flavor when cooked makes them just as good served cold in a Japanese-style salad with ground sesame seeds as it does warmed in garlic butter. 

Look for nettles in areas disturbed by people or animals, such as along the sides of trails, and where water tends to flow at least seasonally. A great place to begin is the Tillamook State Forest in the northern part of the Coast Range, usually wet and lush in spring months.

Wear long-sleeve shirts, pants, and gloves when harvesting nettles to avoid being stung. They are easy to identify by their heart-shaped leaves, slightly swampy scent, and of course the bristly hairs on their stalks and leaves. Look for young plants no more than a foot high in spring as those are the most delicious. Use snippers or a knife to cut the stalk at the top, and always leave the roots intact. 

Miner’s Lettuce

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Miner Lettuce grows in the wild all the way from the West Coast to the Great Plains but is most commonly found in Washington, Oregon and California. One of the most forager-friendly greens you can find, and was named for its high vitamin C content, which reportedly protected miners on the Pacific Coast from succumbing to scurvy. Miner’s Lettuce flourishes on the Coast, one species bearing unusual cup-shaped leaves and another with heart-shaped leaves. They crop up in early spring, and the leaves can be consumed raw or cooked in salads, stir-fries and soups. Miner’s lettuce can be found near clear-cuts where the plants also have access to water. Low canyons, shady and damp riparian areas, and drainages are also great places to hunt.

Pineapple Weed

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Pineapple weed (Matricaria discoidea) is an edible weed that has medicinal properties similar to chamomile. Used as a tea it is a carminative, antispasmodic, and mild sedative. It is bitter tasting, but honey helps. Pineapple weed is a PNW native, and can be found in compacted soil in high traffic areas. Look in driveway and sidewalk cracks. Both the leaves and flowers are edible, but the flowers are most commonly used.