Unstuffed: Daucus Carota

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Daucus Carota

The ADG and I became members of the Rideau Trail Association in the spring, and have been enjoying numerous opportunities to get some great hiking in. This past Tuesday, the group hiked to the Mackenzie King Estate in Gatineau Park. The house was pretty, the grounds were lovely and the Abbey Ruins were cool, but what really took my breath away was this beautiful field of Queen Anne's Lace off to one side of the house.

I've never seen so much of it in one place. The spicy, carroty scent filled the air all around me. The setting sun turned the creamy white blossoms into golden lace. It was stunning.

Queen Anne's Lace is one of my favourite plants, for its beauty and for its edible and medicinal uses too!

Here are some good resources if you'd like to learn more about this beautiful plant:

Ontario Wildflowers: Queen Anne's Lace

World Carrot Museum (Includes some cool sounding recipes.)

Linda Runyon has an article on the edible uses of Queen Anne's Lace in this PDF newsletter

Wild Carrot (Daucus carota): A Plant for Conscious, Natural Contraception, Robin Rose Bennett

2 comments:

christine lawson said...: I've noticed this seems a particularly good year for the Queen, all along the #148 from Ottawa to deep in the Pontiac. Thanks for reminding me, this is one wild plant I have yet to make friends with. (found you by way of permies.com); August 19, 2011 at 9:56 AM
Amber said...: Hi Christine, QAL does seem very abundant this year. Too bad my carrots weren't!

There are tons of wonderful uses for QAL, both edible and medicinal. She's a lovely friend to get to know. :); August 25, 2011 at 1:20 PM

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Raison d'etre

In 2008 I didn't buy anything new for the whole year. Food and basic toiletries (but not toilet paper) were the obvious exceptions (twice I broke my own rule). Used items were allowed, but I tried really hard to reduce consumption as much as possible.

I finished my year successfully, and along the way learned a lot about how much the world consumes, the waste we produce, sustainability, voluntary simplicity, climate change, peak oil, resource depletion, the water crisis, the food crisis, voting with your dollar, voting with your fork....

Now, I've transformed into a slightly nutty, very passionate, gardening, preserving, DIYing, simple living, nature loving, weed eating, backyard medicine making, urban homesteader, and I still don't use toilet paper!

With the help of the Awesomedudeguy (ADG), I'm continuing my exploration of living lightly and frugally, while increasing my self-sufficiency and resiliency, staying debt free, and preparing for a climate changed, resource depleted world, in uncertain economic times.

My nothing new restriction is lifted, but I continue to be a gentle, local consumer as much as possible.

My hope is that some of the information and resources I post about here will be helpful to others. Thanks so much for stopping by !

Yours in unstuffing,
Amber