Stash
Active member
Any chance they just saw something on one of those survivor shows and assumed it was okay? Bear did it. I can do it...
Why would someone eat this?
- Thread starter erugs
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Little Rickie
New member
Bob Kittredge
Active member
Or perhaps they confused Indian poke (aka false hellebore) with Indian Cucumber Root which is edible.
Andrew
Active member
I can't count the amount of times someone has pointed out False Hellebore to me and said it was Skunk Cabbage.
SAR-EMT40
Well-known member
I'm not sure how you confuse Indian Cucumber root with hellebore. They look nothing the same, certainly above ground. And cucumber root has a very mild, pleasant taste even raw unlike Skunk cabbage. I can't imagine how they could make that big a mistake.
Keith
NorthShore
Member
Skunk cabbage doesn't sound like a culinary bargin either. This wild edibles fellow doesn't think much of it:
http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Web Recipes/SkunkCabbageBooty.html
Andrew
Active member
I agree. I have never wanted to even try it, but I always snack on the Indian Cucumber Root.
SAR-EMT40
Well-known member
There is considerable difference between edible and tasty.
Skunk Cabbage properly treated taste like crap but it does have some nutritional value. It is not anything that anyone but the most desperate would choose to eat. Indian cucumber is actually tasty, even without any preparation.Keith
NorthShore
Member
In another part of that same website, he describes his experience with carefully prepared skunk cabbage which still sounds rather like a poisoning.There is considerable difference between edible and tasty.
Keith
I usually stick with stuff I know for sure (your basic blueberries, raspberries) although I did once shock some people we were doing an outdoor cooking demo for by grabbing a handful of "weeds" and throwing them in the pot (it was invasive garlic mustard).
Indian cucumber sounds good and I definitely need to take some hikes with someone who knows what he is doing with the edibles.
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Bob Kittredge
Active member
I was thinking of a verbal confusion rather than a visual confusion. "Oh, so that's Indian poke? I think I read that the root's edible."
el-bagr
New member
From the Alaska Public Radio Network, an interesting 4-minute audio piece on this incident. It suggests the French-speaking Canadian hikers had been foraging for wild plants, and had eaten a broad variety of plants including the false hellebore. One victim who ate several bulbs reached "crisis" situation, while others who ate only portions of a bulb had more moderate adverse symptoms. The incident is described as a case of "a little bit of knowledge is dangerous".
BoulderBum
New member
I spy
The hikers may (ahem) have been part of a reality TV show... Did you see that little bird in the window? (BTW They are called Park Wardens in Canada, not Rangers)
The hikers may (ahem) have been part of a reality TV show... Did you see that little bird in the window? (BTW They are called Park Wardens in Canada, not Rangers)
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BoulderBum
New member
I should clarify my previous post. I heard from someone who was hiking through the Chilkoot this past week that the "hikers" involved in the incident were actually participating in a reality TV / Historical reenactment of the gold rush. i.e. they were equipped with period gear, rations, etc. Seems the daily supply of dried goods wasn't living up to the standard of their 21st century taste buds and they went looking for variety in the local flora... I just have to throw in a Homer on this one... "Doh!"
timmus
Well-known member
Confirm : It was a reality show from Quebec (*SHAME* !!). The group of hikers had to do has if they were in the 19th century, and the report -in french only, sorry : Cyberpresse says they were over confident. They've been told by a local guide that plant was ok to eat.
Some of them almost died.
Some of them almost died.
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