Catnip (Nepeta cateria)

1. Young leaves are edible raw.
2. Older leaves are suitable as a seasoning agent
3. grows in dry and disturbed sites.

Edible Wild Berries; of the Canadian Northwest Territories.

This list includes edible" safe" berries. While almost all berries are edible some present some degree of risk.

1.    Bearberry-still not Kinnikinnick

2.    Black currant

3.    Blue berries-several types, also known as bilberry

4.    Bunchberry

5.    Chokecherry

6.    Cloud berry

7.    Cranberry-two types

8.    Crowberry

9.    Gooseberry

10. Hawthorn

11. Raspberry

12. Red currant

13. Saskatoon berry-Serviceberry, Juneberry

14. Strawberry

15. Twisted stalk

Edible Wild Berries; of the Canadian Yukon Territories

This list includes edible" safe" berries. There are many more and almost all berries are edible but some can present risk.

1.    Bearberry-it is still not Kinnikinnick

2.    Black bear berry

3.    Black currant

4.    Black huckleberry

5.    Blueberries-several types also known as bilberry

6.    Bunchberry

7.    Cloudberry

8.    Crowberry

9.    Gooseberry

10. Hawthorn

11. Raspberry

12. Red currant

13. Saskatoon-Serviceberry, Juneberry

14. Strawberry

15. Twisted Stalk

Wild Berries of Alberta and British Columbia

 This list was originally only to include edible" safe" berries in Alberta and British Columbia (Canada); including Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, Haida Gwaii, plus Kootenay, Yoho, Jasper, Mount Revelstoke, and Glacier National parks.Then I came to remember that many of the berries generally considered safe MAY INDEED BE POISONOUS  (Choke Cherries and Saskatoons are  prime examples). So, obviously, a "SAFE" list would not only be impractical; it is impossible.
 Non the less, just knowing the wild berries of Alberta and British Columbia; knowing what to look for and where; after a disaster or in any other survival situation can give enough nourishment to keep you alive. an added benefit; berries gathered in the wild generally have superb flavour and can be gathered when they are properly ripe. These fruits are not only delicious, but contain important nutrients and anti cancer compounds that are increasingly lacking(many of our supermarket berries, fruits, vegetables, meats, and other foods may, now, actually cause; cancer)from our commercially available fruits. Many wild berries are high in vitamin C and alsp contain trace elements, carbohydrates, proteins, and important nutrients such as iron, calcium, thiamine and vitamin A-thus making you-- THE REAL SURVIVOR--living on strictly HEALTH FOOD.

1. Arbutus

   Mountain Ash

   Red Baneberry-Poisonous ***A GIFT FROM NATURE,

   ALL WILD BERRIES THAT GROW IN THE ARCTIC

   EXCEPT BANEBERRY ARE EDIBLE.
   Bearberries-also incorrectly called Kinnikinnick-Kinnikinnick means SMOKING MIXTURE, not the plant.
   Alpine Bearberry

   Common Bearberry

   Red Bearberry

   Black Bearberry

   Bunchberry

   Black Huckleberry

   Blackberry

   Black Raspberry-very uncommon in Western Canada but ONE TYPE,

   MORE COMMONLY CALLED A BLUE RASPBERRY is found.

   Blueberries- also known as bilberry

   Dwarf Bramble

   Bunchberry

   Prickly-pear Cactus

   Cascara

   Chokecherry

   Red Cherries-Pin-cherry

   Cloudberry

   One-flowered Clintonia

   Pacific Crab apple-Also called the Western crab apple and of course by the United States of the Americas the Oregon crab apple.

   Bush Cranberries

   Low-bush Cranberry

   High-bush Cranberry

   Black Crowberry

   Northern Black currant

   Golden Current

   Prickly Currants

   Red Flowering Current

   Red Swamp Current

   Skunk Current

   Red Currant

   Devils Club

   Dogwoods

   Pacific Dogwood

   Red-Oster Dogwood

   Elderberries

   Black Elderberry

   Blue Elderberry also Red Elderberry

   Fairybells

   Northern Gooseberry

   Oregon- grape

   Grouseberry

   Hawthorns

   English Holly

   Honeysuckles

   Huckleberries

   Black Huckleberry

   Evergreen Huckleberry

   False Huckleberry

   Red Huckleberry

   Junipers

   Lilies of the valley

   Poison-Ivy & Poison Oak

   Indian Plum-Also called bird plum, oso-berry, skunk bush, sour berry

   Wild Arctic Dwarf Raspberry

   Western Black Raspberry

   Wild Red Raspberry

   Trailing Raspberry

   Trailing Wild Raspberry

   Roses

   Salal

   Salmonberry

   Saskatoon –Also called Canada Serviceberry, Serviceberry, June berry, Shad bush and INCORRECTLY False Solomon’s seals.

   Soapberry

   False Solomon’s Seals

   Common Snowberry

   Strawberries

   Beach Strawberry

   Virginia Strawberry

   Woodland Strawberry

   Smooth Sumac

   Thimbleberry

   Twisted-stalk

   Pacific Yew

   False-wintergreens

   Wolf Willow-Silver Berry

   Two very interesting notations: many plants that appear to be growing wild in this area or anywhere else in North America for that matter and like wise many of the plants claimed to have ancient and traditional  First Nation, North American Indian, or Inuit, peoples usage; either did not exist in North America until quite—in some cases—very- recently; or were used in a  much different manner than is claimed. Several of the introduced berries are indeed deadly.

   Listed below (I have also covered some in other posts) are some edible plants that were introduced (most often unintentionally) from other parts of the world.

   Asparagus

   Beans

   Burdock

   Chickweed

   Corn or Mais

   Curly dock

   Dandelion

   English Plantain

   Evergreen Blackberry

   Green Amaranth

   Himalayan Blackberry

   Lamps quarter, Pigweed, Wild Spinach

   Mint

   Mustard

   Purslane

   Sheep Sorrel

   Shepherds purse

   Thistle

   
   

   Watercress

Edible, Wild Plants of Western Canada, Including the North West and the Yukon Territories.

As all of my regular readers will now know, especially in today's MODERN world in which producers and manufacturers are allowed to deliberately inject poisons and toxins into our staple foods; there is no such thing as a perfectly"SAFE FOOD"; this list only contains only what are generally considered to be “safe” plants-those that are easy to identify and have no deadly poisonous look-a-likes and contain enough nourishment to keep you alive-thus making you the real SURVIVOR. See  also: Real Red Willow-Not Dogwood, Aspen and Poplar, Gift of the Conifers. Ferns and Fiddle-heads, There are many others that are equally edible but that present some risk.

1.    Agoseris

2.    Arrowhead

3.    Arrow leaved balsam root

4.    Asparagus

5.    Bear grass

6.    Bedstraw

7.    Bistort

8.    Bittercress

9.    Bitterroot

10. Bracken

11. Bulrush

12. Burdock

13. Camas

14. Catnip

15. Cattail

16. Chicory

17. Chickweed

18. Clover

19. Cocklebur

20. Coltsfoot

21. Common orache

22. Cow lily

23. Dandelion

24. Devils Club

25. Dock

26. False Solomon’s Seal

27. Fireweed

28. Fleaband

29. Garden orache
30. Goldenrod-CAUTION: belongs to the hemp family and does contain cannabis (marijuana) 
Grass-not marijuana:Although seldom thought of as human food.no known grass is poisonous; and eating some; or drinking tea made from it; just could save your life.

31. Ground cone

32. Ground ivy

33. High mallow

34. Horse radish

35. Indian pipe-ghost plant

36. Jerusalem artichoke

37. Knotweed

38. Lambs quarter-pigweed

39. Mariposa lily

40. Miners lettuce

41. Marsh marigold-although included here as a "safe", all parts of this plant are in fact poisonous.

42. Mountain sorrel

43. Musk mallow

44. Mustard

45. Pearly everlasting

46. Peppergrass

47. Pickleweed

48. Pineapple weed

49. Plantain

50. Prairie turnip-breadroot

51. Prickly-pear cactus-very common along highway 13 Camrose to Provost

52. Queen’s cup

53. Quick weed

54. Roseroot

55. Salsifry

56. Sheep sorrel

57. Shepherds purse

58. Silverweed

59. Sow thistle

60. Stinging nettle

61. Stonecrop

62. Stork’s- bill

63. Strawberry blight

64. Sunflower

65. Swamp hedge nettle

66. Sweet Clover

67. Sweet gale

68. Sweet flag

69. Thistle

70. Prairie-Tiger lily

71. Violet

72. Watercress

73. Wild bergamot-horsemint

74. Wild Ginger

75. Wild liquorice

76. Wild mint

77. Wild rose-Prairie rose

78. Wood lily

79. Woodsorrel

80. Yellow glacier lily

81.  Yellow cress 

Bugleweed

The variety found in Western Canada is Northern Bugle weed (Lycopus uniflorus). It grows by lakes and streams, in marshes, and in Peat bogs.

1. Roots are edible raw.
2. Roots are best gathered in spring
3. Roots were traditionally steamed or boiled.
4. Roots have a mild sweet taste
5. Can be dried, for storage

Bedstraw-Cleavers

Varieties found in Western Canada are Cleavers (Galium aparine, and Sweet Scented bedstraw (Galium triflorum).  Look for bedstraw alongside other low-growing vegetation and in disturbed soil sites.

1. Stem, leaves and flowers of plant an all be eaten raw.
2. Plant is best when collected before fruiting.
3. Raw plant has mild to no taste and older plants have an unpalatable texture.
4. Plant is definitely best when cooked along with something else.
5. However, is a good source of vitamin C