Please remember that Forage Friday is presented as trivia and not to be mistaken for medical advice.
The hilltop still carries a few traces of the last snowfall as I drift along watching the edges of the forest for any signs of changes in seasons. February is typically the coldest month here but the snow tends to melt fast and replenish the soil. I was looking at the sporeheads of the plentiful ground pine when a tiny red dot caught my eye. At first glance I thought that I had lucked out and found a random teaberry. They’re typically found in fall but it’s not unusual to find one that’s in just the right place to produce berries deep into winter. But it’s not a teaberry at all. It’s a Partridge Berry. They are edible but only a faint flavor of wintergreen if they even have a flavor at all. The can be astringent and my gut feeling is that they might contain some good minerals but I wasn’t able to confirm that.
Plant is actually a creeping woody vine with opposite leaves as seen in the feature image. The unusual thing is that they produce two trumpet shaped flowers that only yields one berry. They can be pretty prolific but the lack of flavor means that they’re best used in a mix of some sort.
The main use seems to be from the small leaves. Traditionally they are made into a tincture and combined with several other plants such as raspberry leaves tovaide in childbirth. It’s believed that the effect that they provide is to tonify the uterus.
The sources also suggested that the leaves would aid in treating rheumatism, irregular menses, insomnia and as a diuretic. The astringent quality that’s often mentioned makes me think that the leaves might be good to rub on insect bites and stings and could possibly help with skin rashes.
One last thought was that I found it when I wasn’t really expecting to see much in the way of foraging. However, it seems that God’s providence was present even on a cold winter day when not much was growing.
Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.
Announcement:
I am adding additional social media to my network. Eventually, I’ll be leaving Facebook behind for a multitude of reasons. Even though the Lloyd’s Lens Photography page is strictly non-political I have been restricted from interacting with followers with no explanation for why. But it’s not just that. For years now Facebook has throttled content providers in general. They encourage us to grow our audience and then want to sell us back the access to them. In addition, they collect and sell the data from our interaction. So Facebook has become an entanglement of thorns. In response I have created the Lloyd’s Lens Photography Discussion Group on MeWe. We can still interact directly on the blog but starting today I’ll be looking for more platforms that respect the privacy of my followers and don’t limit who gets to see the post.
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Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!
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