Trout Creek Canyon Trail

Trout Creek Canyon Trail

            The middle of July was hot, so a friend and I made a date to walk this trail early on a week day morning. Gone was the trail I remembered for the early 50’s. (kind of dates me doesn’t it.

            We drove out towards Trout Creek and turned up the hill towards the Summerland Research Station. Almost immediately a small road takes off to the right and into a small parking lot. Here a narrow zigzag opening in the fence led us to the trails. I was so narrow that I was glad I did not have my big pack.

            The first thing I noted was an elderberry bush near the parking lot. Striking out, we followed an old road on top of the creek bank. Every so often a small path would break off and head toward the hill side, which I kept scanning for the trail I remembered. Eventually the trail petered out as the canyon wall closed in. It had been an easy walk through fields of baby’s breath plants and by nearly barren Saskatoon bushes and Oregon grape.

            Heading back we took an old road up to the Research Station fence, stopped for a bite to eat where I took these pictures.  We also noted some signs of an industrial operation from many years ago, which appeared to possibly be a cement plant of some sort. There was also a wooden bench sitting amongst the babys breath. This was crafted together with wooden dowels instead of nail.

            Walking at a leisurely pace and talking we spent an enjoyable hour and a half, but a fast walk could possibly cover this in a half hour.

First Deer

First Deer

Just picked up my fishing and hunting licences. Make me remember my first deer all those many years ago. It was a tough year for getting out. My Mother-in-Law was visiting from New Zealand, so I had only spent one afternoon up near Howard Lake.

Now it was the last day of the season and I was checking out the Bald Range between Summerland and Princeton. Six inches of fresh moist snow covered the ground, so it was easy to see where the deer had been active. However, I was hoping to find where they were now.

Since first light I'd be driving from old road to old road and carefully checking them out. Now I was heading down the last one I could check and light was fading fast, only about a half hour of shooting light left as I parked at the log landing at the end of the road. Discouraged, I still slipped out of the subaru and began walking around the clearing a few yards into the trees.

Suddenly two deer bounded out into the centre of the clearing and one was a nice buck. A quick shot from my 30-30 dropped it in its tracks and the doe took off. Just as I got up to the buck it raised its head. Having read about people being severely injured by a wounded animal. I put the rifle to its throat and shot into its brain.

Rapidly I cleaned it as well as I could from all that I remembered that Dad had told me. Then dragged it about 300 yards down to the car and tried to load it into the back. All I could manage though was to get the back end in and it would slip out as I tried to lift the rest. Remembering I had passed a couple of men cutting wood a half mile back, I tied the antlers to the trailer hitch and drove back down the road, hoping they would still be there.

Luck was with me and the three of us managed to lift it up onto the roof rack. I got their name and address so I could repay with a venison steak. Now in the gathering dark I drove back home. One hand held the sagging roof and the other on the wheel. This first deer is still the largest deer I have ever taken and we ended up with 165 pounds of venison in the freezer and enjoyed roasts again for the first time in years.

A friend who was an avid hunter, came and helped me finish dressing it out and hanging it before we later skinned it out and took it to the butcher shop. To his surprise he could not find a hole in the body. If you enlarge the picture and look carefully you just might see where I hit the buck.

Yellow Lake

                                                          

            Yellow Lake lies along highway 3A between Kaleden and Olalla, just beyond the Twin Lakes golf course. This was basically a barren lake until the late “60’s” when an enterprising young fisheries biologist suggested an aeration system. This has been a tremendous success that it is a wonder more of our little mountain gems have not been converted to this system.

            The lake is liberally stocked annually, much to the delight of both ice fishermen and the summer anglers. Half the shoreline is easily fished by the land locked angler, and a boat launch at the Keremeos end provides an easy access for smaller boats, belly boats and kayaks. There is ample parking at either end with bathrooms facilities. Again the Olalla/Keremeos end has the best facility with running water and heat.

            I finally had a few hours the other day so zipped out to wet the first line on the season. It was a cloudy and cool day, but still reasonably pleasant and in a half hour I had hooked on to a couple of small fish.

            The message seems to be slowly getting through, but I was still disappointed with the amount of litter along shore shores and edges of the water. Have a good summer on the lakes and keep packing out what you pack in.

Oregon Grape

            Not all edible plants are all that palatable to all palates raw. Oregon grape is on of those which would definitely be an acquired taste raw. It does however make a superb jelly.

            This low to fairly tall bush, has prickly evergreen leaves resembling a holly tree. In the spring it has clusters of yellow flowers which produce clusters of deep bluish berries. Very rich in pectin, it does not require pectin in order to jell.

            It is wide spread in British Columbia, from valley bottoms to around 1,300 meters. Depending on weather and elevations berries can begin ripening in July and carry right on until the fall frosts. The riper the berries the more pectin.

We found that about half an ice-cream pail was sufficient for a batch of jelly. In a large sauce pan mush the berries and add a cup of water and heat until the juice is running freely. Strain the liquid out and add 1-1/2 cups of sugar for each cup of juice and all a ½ cup of lemon juice. Boil until it begins to set, skim, and then pour into sterile jars and seal immediately.

At first I seemed to have a bit of a reaction to the jelly, but it tastes so well I persevered and can now eat it with no problem.

Puffballs

            Puffballs, most people are reasonably familiar with them and they have had a lot of bad press. Apparently they were not well received by the First Nations Peoples as well. In fact when I was young I hear stories that the mature puffballs releasing their spore could cause blindness.

            Fortunately I was invited to try some puffball steaks sautéed in butter. Once eaten I was  hooked on this delicious morsel. In face it is in second place as my all time favorite mushroom. Most are relatively small and must be picked while they are still immature, white though out the solid flesh. Usually the size is between the size of a golf ball and a tennis ball. Once however I spotted one that was nearly dinner plate size in diameter.

            My mouth was drooling over the thought of rushing home with it and quickly putting it in the frying pan. Unfortunately the inner core had already begun to mature and was slightly yellow in the centre. With heavy heart I set it back down.

            Puffball season is right from the early spring and into the fall. I highly recommend anyone interested in gathering wild mushrooms to get a good mushroom guide book. One afternoon while out with the family and mother-in-law from New Zealand we collected just under 90 different mushrooms. The task of identifying them before they went off was just too great, but it did really spark my interest.

            The picture above was taken just behind our yard, the puffball a little larger than a golf ball. I should have picked it the evening before, but I was hoping to make a nice mushroom omelet.

Rice root (Chocolate Lily)

Rice root bulbs

Rice Root

     Rice root is also known as Indian rice or Chocolate lily. It has a central bulb surrounded by many small bulbs similar in appearance to white rice. Cleaning these tiny bulblets in preparation for boiling is very time consuming, but once in a while for a treat it is worth it. I find the taste and texture a cross between potatoes and rice.

   The plant itself is a perennial, standing anywhere between about 1 foot to 2 foot in height. The flower is bell shaped and nodding, dark brown to dark purple with green to yellowish spots. The odor is a bit like rotting meat. The stems are slender and the whorls of leave tapering.

     Distribution is in meadow or grassy areas from sea level to alpine regions, This particular one is found in the Okanagan, Similkameen , down through th lower Fraser Valley and one to the islands. There is a similar one in the central interior and the northern coastal regions, but I am not familiar with it.

     Before picking some for a treat, look around and make sure the crop can stand a little harvest. Enjoy.

Yellowbells

Yellowbell

Ah!  Spring  is in the air and I can not help but think of wild edibles. The yellowbell while not as plentiful as the spring beauty is a particular favorite of mine. It is a perennial usually about 8 to 10 inches tall with a few long slender leaves at the base of the stem. The yellow bell nodding gracefully on the slender stem. The bulbs can be up to a 1-1/2 inches long in several cloves and surrounded by small bulblets. These bulblets are usually what I find. These have a pleasant nutty flavor and are great eaten alone or in a salad.

These are found in the dry grasslands in the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys. Blossoming time is usually from April to May, but at a higher elevation and cooler temperatures may be found into June. Moderation is the key when harvesting this tasty morsel as with any wild crop. If abundant it could be dried, although I personally prefer them raw or lightly boiled