Pioneers found large lowland areas, regularly burned by Native Peoples, “plow ready” for horse-drawn implements and European agricultural practices and seeds. Almost unnoticed, these meadows hosted the blue flowers of the Camas from April to June, followed by harvesting by Native women using designed digging sticks (that were also used to replant Camas’ bulbs). Bulbs harvested were baked in earthen pit ovens for 2 days to change the Camas inulin plant fiber to fructose. It served as a sweetener for other foods and when baked to be left dry, served as food for the winter and a trade item with other tribes. “The Indian Wars” article below illustrates why we showcase Cascadia’s 2 native species of edible Camas on the roof of the Gardens’ kiosks (and they grow here and there on their own … there is a 3rd named camas, the white poisonous “Death Camas.”).  Also highlighted by the Sami and Native American tepees at the History Farm. The latter term, “history farm,” is a redundancy as there would not be much human history without farms … farms, food, faith, friends, family = our future.

http://naeb.brit.org/uses/search/?string=camassia
https://www.plc215.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/The-Indian-Wars.pdf 
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.202213
https://www.oregonhistoryproject.org/articles/historical-records/camas/#.Ynq10ujMIuV

If a camas is blue or purple, one knows the bulb is edible.  If it looks like a camas, what color should one beware?

red
orange
white

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