Foraging for Fun

Submitted by CFTT Volunteer Jillian Way

While farming and gardening are obviously useful and essential endeavors and the grocery store presents a certain convenience, there are still many reasons to forage. One might enter the forest or meadow in hopes of obtaining treasures - fungi, crystals, wood, spring water, medicinal plants, or perhaps a colorful garnish for a seasonal dish. When it comes to wild plants, knowledge of local flora is your birthright and foraging is one method of exercising it.

Plants commonly foraged, studied, and cooked in other parts of America however, can be hard to find in the high country. Luckily, the mountain guardians of the Arkansas River Valley hold unique and rare plants that only grow at high elevations. Before grabbing your basket and knife, please remember the importance of employing ethical foraging guidelines in our fragile mountain ecosystems:

• Always know with 100% certainty the plant you are collecting

• Follow local and state laws and obtain permission if you want  to forage on private property

• Seek to sustainably harvest only what you need and in a way that encourages regrowth

• Follow “Leave No Trace” principles. 

Here are three local plants you can experiment with this summer in Chaffee County:

Arnica cordifolia, commonly known as heartleaf arnica, is a special plant which only lives between 6,000 and 11,000 feet, making our region an ideal home. Arnica is touted as a powerful topical medicine. It can ease inflammation after injury, prevent bruising when applied preemptively, and act as a balm for muscle strains and sprains. 

Arnica cordifolia, commonly known as Heartleaf Arnica.

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There is a concern of over-harvesting with this special plant, so please use the ethical foraging guidelines above when collecting arnica. Arnica flowers are most often infused in oil to be made into a salve for topical application. It is important to note that it should never be taken internally or applied to open wounds due to the toxicity of one of its components, a sesquiterpene lactone called helenalin.

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If you asked 100 herbalists to name their top 3 most beloved herbs, I’d wager that Achillea millefolium, also known as yarrow, would be on 90% of the lists. This plant is ubiquitous the country over, but is an incredibly useful ally to know about if you live and play in Chaffee County. It is especially handy on the trail or while camping as its leaves contain achilleine, an alkaloid that reduces blood clotting time and speeds wound closure.

Achillea millefolium, contains achilleine; an alkaloid that reduces blood clotting time and speeds wound closure.

Among a myriad of other actions, yarrow is also antibacterial. I like to brush my teeth with its leaves while camping for a refreshed mouth. There are no harvesting concerns with yarrow, but it is still important to encourage regrowth - cut stems back to just above a leaf node when the flower heads are mature and stiff, but before they turn brown. This umbel shaped white flower does have toxic look-alikes (such as poison hemlock) who grow in similar conditions, so this is an example of a plant you’ll want to know without question before even touching it. Getting to know yarrow means you have at least one quick and natural first aid remedy in your tool belt while out exploring nature.

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Finally, my favorite trail snack, Campanula rotundifolia, the harebell. They can grow up to 12,000 feet, have a mildly sweet flavor, and have been used medicinally for everything from lung and heart problems to earaches. Harebells are not a significant food source, though they are a good source of vitamin C. They are delicate and best eaten fresh right off the stem. The next time you see them on trail and can recognize them 100%, I urge you to taste one! If you come upon a bountiful stand, collect some and use their periwinkle blooms as a garnish on just about anything.

Delicate harebell flowers (Campanula rotundifolia) showcasing their vibrant purple petals against a lush green background.

Once again, this is a reminder that knowledge of local flora is your birthright. Just because you weren’t taught, doesn’t mean you can’t learn. As a gardener and farm volunteer, I find this knowledge fun and useful. One of my favorite parts of volunteering at the farm is being with people who know more than I do and can identify even the most humble looking weeds along the drainage ditch on our walk to the fields, extolling their virtues to me as we laugh about how one person’s “weed” is another person’s liver tonic.