Long before strawberries became a popular Fraser Valley crop
or cooks coveted wild onions as a gourmet ingredient, these
native plants and many others were an important source of
food for First Nations in the Pacific Northwest.
Now, thanks to the trend in eating local, seasonal produce
that’s sweeping North America, an increasing number
of people are curious about how to grow the indigenous edible
plants and forest food products that grew wild long before
humans came along.
At the UBC Botanical Garden’s Pacific Northwest Plant
Sale on Saturday, April 17, gardeners, gourmets and others
will have the opportunity to purchase native edible plants,
discover their uses, and learn how to grow them using natural,
organic methods.
The sale — the largest event of its kind on the West Coast
of Canada and the U.S. — will feature food products sustainably
harvested from the forest, and more than 250 species of nursery-grown
native plants, trees, shrubs and perennials for the garden.
“Native plants are increasingly being grown in city
gardens and delicious foods made from these species are making
their way into urban markets and kitchens,” says Hugh
Daubeny, one of the world’s leading fruit breeders and
chair of the sale which is organized by the Friends of the
Garden and the Native Plant Society of B.C. “Native
plants are a resource worth conserving in the wild and growing
in our urban gardens.”
Plants for sale at the event will include native onions,
strawberries, huckleberries, and saskatoons. Also on offer
will be natural products harvested by First Nations such as
soaps, herbal teas, and berry jams and jellies. There will
also be tours and demonstrations by leading plant experts
and exhibits by local environmental organizations including
Naturescape British Columbia, Evergreen, Vancouver Mycological
Society and Burns Bog Conservation Society.
The Pacific Northwest Plant Sale takes place Saturday, April
17, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the UBC Botanical Garden,
6804 SW Marine Dr. Admission to the Botanical Garden is free
during the event.
For more information call 604.255.5719.
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