"Puddle Lake" Expedition (part 6 of 9): Nature's Buffet, Freshwater Clams, Fish & Cattails++

After having established camp, we decide it's time to to move on and do some more exploring in effort to discover new opportunities and resources. We travel down river further and hit up a few creek brookies along the way. We get into freshwater clams or bivalves, cattails and perch. These are collected for a wild edible buffet.

Jeremy goes the full trek to the second puddle and spots a snapping turtle.

We then dig into our smoke preserved trout which had been smoked for 2 days.

To round it all up we get into a handful of brook trout, perch and a dozen freshwater clams. We eat these over the campfire after dark.

Sub to Jeremy (One Wildcrafter): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy7HUXYD7Ua6zPR384d1ETg

Freshwater Clams

Freshwater clams or bivalves are edible, but not a first choice of food as their flavour can not be guaranteed. Since they are filter feeders, how they taste is primarily due to the water in which they are found. Clams tend to pick up pollutants, toxins and other substances from the water. Freshwater clams can also live for years - even decades and can therefore bioaccumulate toxins.
Ontario Guide to Eating Sportfish produced by our Ministry of Natural Resources does not recommend eating freshwater clams. They say that while they are usually low in chemical contaminants, they may harbour harmful bacteria and other pathogens. For this reason, they must be fully and carefully cooked so as to avoid food poisoning.

Freshwater clams are also on the decline all over the world from pollution, habitat destruction and declining fish species which serve as hosts for the larvae. Thus, they should be harvested with care.

Cattails

Cattails are one of natures best survival plants. Nearly the entire plant can be used, from the roots right up and through their shoots. If you time it just right, you can collect the yellow pollen by shaking it off into a bag or other container. This can be used as a flour in baking -- it makes excellent pancakes when mixed with other flour. The roots store most of the energy in spring and winter and this can be pounded and leached into water and then dried, or water poured off, and turned into flour for baking and cooking. Roots can also be dried, then later pounded into water, or roasted over a fire. When possible, the fiber should be removed or separated, to avoid stomach upset.

The stems are rich in starches, and produce more per area than almost any other, even when compared to rice and potatoes. In spring, the bases of fresh shoots can be consumed raw, but care should be exerted as they may pick up parasites found in the water itself.

The dried heads found in the fall and throughout the winter make great tinder and brown stocks can even be used in friction fire as a spindle. Cordage can also be made from cattail.

Cattail are easy to identify, but younger plants can be misidentified with three other toxic variety. Look for oval shaped bases -- they should not be flat. The taste should be mild and with little aroma. Cattails make a great wild edible.

Music:

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
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