Strawberries, mmmm…. the taste of spring! In Canada, the first fruit of the year is the strawberry, and that was true long before the plants we grow now were domesticated.
Wild strawberries grow in every province and territory, in fields, open woodlands, and even lawns. It’s easy to miss the small plants nestled close to the ground unless you look for them. But once you spot the groupings of three toothed leaves, with runners spreading out to start new plants, keep checking in. Sometime in May or early June small five-petaled flowers will appear, followed by tiny red berries. Wild strawberries may be small, but they have big flavour, especially if you are patient enough to wait until they are fully ripe.
Pick with Care
Elder Dorothy says we shouldn’t just take the gifts of the earth care- lessly. In her teaching, if you take something, you also give something back. The Ojibwe people put tobacco in the earth before they pick medicine plants. But Dorothy says that for children, being grateful – saying “thank you” and meaning it – is enough.
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“You don’t pick the first plant you see,” she says. “That’s the plant you talk to. Ask permission to use some of the berries. And then pick them with gratitude.”
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And remember, when you are picking wild plants, only pick from abundant patches, and don’t take more than half. Leave enough behind to ensure those plants can continue to thrive – and the wild critters who depend on them will have enough too!
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Two Brothers
Once there were two brothers, twins. They grew up as best friends. But when they were grown men, both fell in love with the same woman, and that caused trouble. One day when they were out hunting togeth- er, they began arguing over the woman. They became angry and one brother pushed the other down. But to his horror, his brother hit his head on a rock when he fell, and died. The man was sad, but also scared. He didn’t want to be blamed for this accident. So he buried his brother, and when he went home he said his brother had been killed by a bear. All winter long, the lie ate at him. He couldn’t eat or sleep properly, he felt so guilty and sad. By spring he realized he had to tell the truth. He told his people what had really happened out there in the woods, and then he led them to the spot where his brother was buried.
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That’s where they found a new plant growing. The strawberries had grown from his brother’s heart, as a sign of his love and forgiveness. “That first berry you taste in the spring,” says Elder Dorothy, “That’s the taste of forgiveness. It’s a reminder that we can forgive, and we can be forgiven. In that way, the strawberry helps us heal.”