Wild Potato (Tetuwn) Traditional Cache
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(regular)
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Take a walk on the wild side, although this is pretty tame for the wild side, it will still take a bit of a walk as there is no safe parking right close to the cache.
Welcome to the Lundbom Commonage. The area is used by horsemen of all genders and abilities. Historically it was used by the local Nle?kepmux (Thompson) people for the collection of a number of different foodstuffs. In this particular situation you are looking for Claytonia lanceolata, otherwise known as Spring Beauty. The plant grows from 5-20 centimetres tall, with single to multiple stems growing from a small, potato-like corm. The corm is harvested at two different times of the year, in spring, during and just after flowering, and in fall when the corm is larger and sweeter, but the plant is much more difficult to identify. The flower is white to pinkish, usually with deep pink veins, with two sepals and five petals.
It usually grows on slopes at mid to high elevations where the soil is moist. To harvest the corm you need a longish digging stick. You pry the soil up around the plant and lift it. Then, with your hands, dig into the soil below the plant, find the corm and remove it from the stems. Carefully replace the soil to maintain the integrity of the slope.
The corms are cleaned and boiled usually and are otherwise used just as a standard potato. They have a relatively strong nutty flavour.
The cache is located on a slope above Lundbom Lake. Tread carefully on the slope as these areas are environmentally delicate. Enjoy the hunt.
Additional Hints
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