Lichens as Food?

[Guest guest]

On the way back from a raw-milk run today, my girlfriend and I stopped at a

state park and there was a placard along a trail in the woods noting that Native

Americans in this area (southern Wisconsin) added lichens to soups and stews as

a flavoring and thickening agent. I think it was referring to the small shelf

lichen on the barks of trees (the little semicircular kind, maybe with a 1/2 "

radius on average).

Just wondering if anybody has more info on this or if anyone has used lichen as

an ingredient.

BTW, lichens are like SCOBYs in that their symbiotic organisms. We could call

them SCOFAs (symbiotic combinations of fungi and algae)!

Tom

_______________

Irrationally held truths may be more harmful than reasoned errors.

-- Huxley, " The Coming of Age of the Origin of Species, " 1880

[Guest guest]

Out here we remember that symbiotic relationship with the mnemonic: " Alice

Algae and Freddie Fungus took a Lichen to each other... " :-)

~Robin

Ps. From my study of lichens, the Northern California Native American tribes

in this area (Miwok, Pomo and Wappo,) used lichen for baby diapers and

sponges and lining baskets and larders and so on. No mention of food as far

as I know. Our lichen is light grayish green and hangs in big clumps from

the branches of native oak trees. It's also called old man's beard. It needs

very clean air to thrive...

[Guest guest]

At 09:39 PM 6/11/2005, you wrote:

>Ps. From my study of lichens, the Northern California Native American tribes

>in this area (Miwok, Pomo and Wappo,) used lichen for baby diapers and

>sponges and lining baskets and larders and so on. No mention of food as far

>as I know. Our lichen is light grayish green and hangs in big clumps from

>the branches of native oak trees. It's also called old man's beard. It needs

>very clean air to thrive...

A fiber arts person who visited me was gathering

that stuff .... says it is highly prized as a dye. It's

all over the place in our forest.

Heidi Jean