Bearberry (Arctostaphylos rubra; Arctostaphylos alpina).

Kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi).

Bearberry & Kinnikinnick

Kinnikinnick: Arctostaphylos uva-ursi.

Bearberry: Arctostaphylos rubra, Arctostaphylos alpina.

Other Names: uva-ursi; chipmunk's apples; mealberry; tinnick, arbutus (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi); red bear's grape (Arctostaphylos rubra); black bear's grapes; alpine bear grapes (Arctostaphylos alpina).

Heath Family: Ericaceae.

Habitat and Range: Arctostaphylos species favor dry, sandy and rocky slopes, and heaths. Kinnikinnick (A. uva-ursi) ranges from northeast Alaska and the northern Yukon to California. Red bearberry (A.rubra) is distributed from northern Alaska and the Yukon to British Columbia. Black bearberry (A. alpina) inhabits Alaska and the Yukon.

Numerous other species are distributed in our region, especially in California. Manzanita, A. columbiana, from British Columbia to California, is a showy shrub to small tree popular with ornamental gardeners.

Physical Descriptions:

Kinnikinnick: Arctostaphylos uva--ursi: a: low, trailing, mat--like shrub with long flexible branches; b: fruits are dull red, dry and mealy; c: flowers are pinkish, urn--shaped with 10 stamens; d: leaves are leathery, dark green and slightly hairy on top, pale below; e: branches 8 to 20 inches long.

Black Bearberry: Arctostaphylos alpina: f: leaves are fringed with regular hairs; g: fruits are black.

Red Bearberry: Arctostaphylos rubra: h: both black and red bearberry have white to greenish--white flowers; i: leaves have a wrinkled appearance. Growth to 6 inches high is common to A. alpina and A. rubra. A. rubra has red fruits.

Kinnikinnick and Bearberries: Herbs for Men, Women and Bears: Kinnikinnick's botanical name, Arctostaphylos, stems from arctos (bear) and staphyle (bunch of grapes). Bears are fond of these fruits, a fact that is emphasized again by the specific name uva-ursi, meaning grape of the bear. Other species aren't quite so redundant--A. rubra means red bear grapes and A. alpinus translates as alpine or mountain bear grapes. Kinnikinnick and bearberry fruits are relished by bears as well as spruce hens; mountain sheep and moose often browse the plants.

Harvest Calendar: Spring to fall: leaves of uva-ursi. Since these are evergreen, they also can be harvested in winter for smoking tobacco. Late summer: ripe fruits.

Food Use: Kinnikinnick and bearberry fruits aren't very palatable or popular raw. Cooked fruits, however, do yield a more acceptable dish. Try simmering fruits in water until soft, grinding them in a food mill, sweetening the pulp to taste, and serving as a mock cranberry sauce. Simmer with honey, cinnamon, and cloves for mock apple sauce.

For a tangy wilderness 'lemonade', simmer two cups fruits in two cups water with one--half cup honey for thirty minutes. Let the mixture sit one hour. Then strain, chill, and enjoy.

Anores Jones, writing in The Kotzebue Basin, says kinnikinnick fruits are stored in oil by Kotzebue locals. When the seeds are soft and the fruits are juicy and sweet, they are ready for consumption.

Medicinal Use: A. uva-ursi is the species used for medicinal purposes; it contains ten percent arbutin and substantial ericolin, substances that hydrolize in stomach fluids to form the urinary antiseptics, hydroquinolone and methyhydroquinone. The tea is traditionally used in treatment of kidney and bladder infections, kidney stones, bed--wetting, and urinary tract disorders. In Hygieia, Parvati recommends boiling a heaping teaspoon herb in two cups water for thirty minutes and drinking one-half cup every four hours "...for excessive menstruation, gonorrhea, ulceration of the cervix, and other female troubles." (See CAUTION following).

Micheal Moore, in Medical Plants of the Mountain West, suggests mothers boil one--quarter cup uva-ursi leaves in a gallon of water for twenty minutes and use this mixture in sitz baths after childbirth to reduce inflammation and prevent infection. The bath should be taken every morning for three to four days. Mom's Herbal Bath Blend, recipe following, is also very appropriate for new mothers. Other external applications for kinnikinnick decoctions are as wash for skin irritation and rashes. Add leaves to herbal bath for suppurating skin conditions. Grease--soaked Arctostaphylos fruits are used as a laxative by Dena'ina Athabascans. Alaskan homesteaders used to soak berry leaves in brandy and then brew into a tea for minor health complaints.

CAUTION: A. uva--ursi is NOT recommended for internal use by pregnant women; herbalist Michael Moore warns that large quantities could decrease circulation to the fetus. Herbal Medications says that A. uva-ursi "...relatively safe, and no symptoms are expected in quantities generally available." Taken in large or frequent quantities, however, it can cause gastrointestinal upset, nausea, and central nervous system depression. For chronic urinary and kidney problems, A. uva--ursi is safest blended with soothing, demulcent herbs such as Iceland moss and comfrey. Be aware that internal consumption of A. uva--ursi tea often results in the urine become alkaline and bright green; the urinary antiseptic hydroquinolone is the cause of this harmless reaction.

Cosmetic Use: Cold A.uva-ursi tea makes a good splash for closing the pores after a facial steam. Being antiseptic, the herb is well suited for antibacterial liniments.

Historical Use: The Klallam Indian name, kinnikinnick, translates as 'smoking mixture'; this mixture was smoked during ceremonies by various native peoples. Canadian Indians dubbed the plant sagack--homi; the French, reports Haskin in Wild Flowers of the Pacific Coast, punned the name sac--a--commis as Hudson's Bay clerks (commis) liked to carry pouches of this herb for smoking. Fur traders commonly blended kinnikinnick with tobacco to extend supplies.

Terry Domico, in Wild Harvest, says that there are many stories about drunken sprees produced by inhaling the smoke of kinnikinnick blended with bunchberry and salal leaves. After a personal test, Domico reported that "smoking dried kinnikinnick leaves had no effect on me, but it did smell like the downwind side of a smoky campfire."

Other: Those seeking a more earthy application may wish to experiment with Arctostaphylos plants as natural dyes; color varies from camel to gray or blue--green depending on plant parts, mordant, and species used.

The herbs also make attractive garden ornamentals. Leaves of A. rubra and alpina are radiant in fall; in miniature, they offer autumn foliage as stunning as any New England hardwood forest. Kinnikinnick, by contrast, is quite drab it remains green all year, a fact appreciated more in the white of winter than in the color--competitiveness of fall. It, too, is cultivated as an ornamental, and often planted on sandy slopes, highway cuts, and barren soils to check erosion. Transplant dormant roots in spring, or skink a flowerpot filled with sandy soil near an established patch. After the herb roots itself, cut it free and transplant to the desired area.

Mom's Herbal Bath Blend

Based on a recipe from Better Home Birth by Yvonne Watkins

1 ounce kinnikinnick leaves

1 ounce comfrey

1 ounce shepherd's purse

1 whole bulb fresh garlic

1/2 cup sea salt

2 gallons water

Simmer herbs in 1 gallon water for 30 minutes. Strain, reserving fluids. Add remaining gallon water to herbs and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain, combining fluids. Add 2 gallons strained fluids to bath water. Note: Watkins recommends this bath be taken shortly after childbirth for at least 30 minutes, the water should be about hip level, and comfortably warm, not overly hot. She directed the new mother to "lie back, spread your legs and swoosh the healing waters up inside the birth canal." The baby should be included in the bath; Watkins says this "will start the healing process of the umbilical cord stump, and it may drop off as early as 3 days."

Discovering Wild Plants

Lighthouse, West Beach viewpoint

Great Heron

Arbutus

Leaky boat ;)

This Pyrenean Mountain dog is positively drooling over the view! :p

Labrador Retrievers (?) and their proud owner :)

This is a familiar sight on public-use trails. Something in the human nature cries out to leave a mark, something to indicate that yes, I was here. Perhaps it's our subconscious recognition that our life is fleeting, ephemeral? Perhaps it's lovebirds applying superstition to an emblem of their love: as long as this shall remain, so shall we. Or perhaps it's a declaration of possession, this bit of tree belongs to the carver. Whatever the motivation, the poor trees that find themselves suddenly trail-side usually also find themselves dealing with regular wounds.

Animals, when wounded, regenerate the cells that were killed or destroyed by nearby cells of the same tissue type splitting and multiplying to take their space. If tissue has died but was not removed, the dead tissue is sloughed off or metabolized, then replaced. Trees, on the other hand, simply seal off the wound site and dead or decaying wood, and don't have the ability to regenerate dead tissue.

Trees wounds can be caused by being scraped, eaten by animals, broken branches, fire or insect attacks. The outer layer of the tree, the bark, is effectively dead and damage to this layer doesn't result in injury to the tree. For a tree to suffer a wound, the injury must occur to the live wood containing the tree's food and water transport systems (called the phloem and xylem, respectively). For some species of trees, like beech or maple, the bark is often thin and easy to penetrate (which makes them great for carving your initials into), while for others, such as many pines, the bark can be much thicker.

Trees use two methods to seal a wound. The first is compartmentalization. New wood growing around the edges of the wound creates a sort of "callus", which effectively walls off the wounded wood from the rest of the plant. This prevents decay and infection from spreading to other parts of the tree. In the above, and below, a branch was broken off at some point in the tree's life. The large rolls at the sides of the hole is the result of the tree sealing over the wound site with "callus" wood.

In addition to sealing off the wound site, a tree will also try to prevent the spread of infection by using certain chemical and physical responses to pathogens at the wound edge (the way our immune system sends out white blood cells to attack intruders). The exact mechanisms by which a tree does this are not well understood, but often the long-term health and survival of the tree depends on how well it accomplishes this. If pathogens are able to slip past, the whole tree may become sick. As with animals, usually vigorous, healthy trees are able to ward off infection successfully.

It used to be that the use of special tars or paints were recommended to dress tree wounds, such as those from pruning, to protect them from infection and to speed "healing". In fact, research has suggested that these dressings did little to help, and may actually hinder a tree's ability to seal a wound, as they may prevent drying and encourage fungal growth, and may interfere with callus growth. Similarly, filling a hollow tree cavity with the intention of increasing the strength of the trunk used to be fairly common practice, but isn't often done anymore. It's generally accepted that a tree's own mechanisms are more successful than ours.

This is the trunk of an arbutus, observed when I was out on Vancouver Island last summer. They're beautiful trees, with their deep red bark and bright evergreen (but broadleaf, not needle) leaves. Their trunk is cool and silky-smooth to the touch, like a giant piece of hand-worn worrywood, it's incredibly soothing to run your hand across. I wish we had them here. Just looking at these images and remembering makes me feel calm.

I was so intrigued by this tree, because it seemed to have an unusual method of "healing" wounds. Rather than growing in from the sides to leave a noticeable, sharp scar, like in the first photo, the arbutus almost seems to be lacking bark altogether and just keeps building up layers of wood, filling in wounds, more like how an animal would regenerate cells. Perhaps they fill in their wounds using the same method as the deciduous trees I'm used to seeing, but form smooth, uniform wood where the wound edges meet, due to the lack of rough bark. (Note, Kim, Bert and Ken were here.)

This is the end of a broken branch, after the tree has healed over the wound site. It resembles an amputated limb to me, an even more uncanny resemblance to animal healing. I tried doing a bit of research on how arbutus trees deal with wounds, but I couldn't find anything very helpful. I will admit that I didn't spend hours hunting for an answer, so there may be something out there I didn't get to.

Out in the woods behind my parents' house there's an old fence that used to bound part of a field, a long time ago. It predates my parents' ownership of the place, so it's several decades old. The tree it was secured to has grown over and around the wires so now it looks like they were drilled straight through the trunk. The scarring created by the wound-sealing process as the tree grew is visible only as a thin line, so the whole thing sort of now resembles a bit in a horse's mouth.

Blackburnian and I encountered this weird beech tree while out at the Rouge. I have no idea what has happened to its trunk, since it doesn't seem like the usual pattern of wounding from any sort of animal or insect attack I'm familiar with. It makes me think of parched, cracked soil, but I doubt that dehydration is the cause here. Maybe a beetle or fungus infestation?

This last one is usually referred to as a "burl", a large growth affixed to the trunk, or sometimes large branches or roots, of a tree. The cause of burls isn't clearly understood, although it may be due to physical trauma, or insect or fungus infestation. Burls are prized as carving wood, as they have interesting grain patterns that create beautiful finished wood pieces. Check out the size of this one spotted in the Missouri Ozarks!

Cork City Slow Food Convivium is delighted to begin the Year with a fantastic event here in Cork. An opportunity to visit Declan Ryan of Arbutus breads in his Bakery for a discussion and demonstration of his wonderful artisan breads. Declan will take us through the history of bread making,the ingredients and their provenance.

Date Feb 28^th

Time 7pm

Venue Bakery, Mayfield Industrial estate.

Price members €5 non members €10

Bookings Simone at Interior Living, 11 Mac Curtain Street, Cork 021 4505819

Directions

Pass Silver springs and head for Mayfield. Pass shopping centre. Turn right after lights out Youghal road. After garage turn right into Industrial estate and it is well sign posted from there.

Yesterday I started back in Midleton Farmers Markets and I wasn't disappointed. Everyone was in the best of moods and all had some news to tell.

So here's some things i learned at yesterdays market:

Declan Ryan of Arbutus Bakery, has developed his own bread mix from his famed 'Granny' Ryan's Soda' recipe so those of us who want to eat Declan's amazing West Cork Soda for breakfast, lunch and dinner can do so at home with out any fancy machinery or skill for that matter. It keeps for ages too so a great one to send to far away Irish Bread Fans

Eldest daughter Louise Murphy of Arsallagh Goat Farm, was full of news from the farm. Christmas time is always hectic at the farm. The farm is a family run with everyone involved in different aspects of the business Responsibility's include but never limited to raising and caring for goats, milking and processing of milk, producing milk, yoghurt and a whole range cheeses, bottling, packing and labelling, managing sales to local deli's, large chains and wholesalers, deliveries, unbelievable amount of Farmers Markets and along along building a family home. On the way they have picked some of the most prestigious prizes and honours in the Artisan Food World.

The first of this years Smoked Ardsallagh are already out on the stall. Unbelievable beach smoked flavour. Louise was delighted with it saying that it took two weeks to smoke because the air was so damp the smoke was heavy and stayed very low in the smoker.

They have also gone nationwide with their Fresh Goats Milk, it can now be found in most Tescos and Dunnes around Ireland. The milk is produced daily and delivered every few days which makes it one of the freshest if not the freshest goats milk in Ireland. I worked for Ardsallagh for a few years doing deliveries on the Tuesday run and always had one or two special orders for mothers of asmatic kids that would swear by the quality of Ardsallagh's milk over others. They also, through phone calls for orders had great respect for Jane and her family. So do I.

Arun Kapil of Green Saffron, was just back from holidays and was training in "" who will be helping him at Midleton every Saturday.

He has started making bulk orders of custom spice mixes. His cousins Vivek and Guria ship large sacks of fresh spice direct from India every three or four weeks, every week Arun and the team at Green Saffron grind, blend and mix the spices to different recipes. And now they are making up custom orders for a gourmet sausage maker in the UK.

For anyone wanting to buy Green Saffron ready made 'One Pot Curry' spice mixes will find them at most farmers markets around cork as well some local delis including Artisan Foods @ St Luke's Cross, Cork and Interior Designs @ MacCurtain's Street, Cork.

Arun is a great character who loves talking about spices and different recipes. He is gifted at giving demonstrations too. A friend wanted something interesting and away from the norm when putting together a Rotary charity fundraiser. Arun got the job and the night was a complete success. He gave a full on cooking demonstration full of well researched information, a question & answers session and everyone went home with a demo pack with recipes & fresh spices.

Bill Hogan of Gabriel and Desmond cheese, was also in top form. He has been picked to receive the one of the highest awards in the Artisan Food World, but the fecker is reluctant to let me tell you. Expect an update on this matter ...

That's all the time I have to post so until then please keep asking the questions -bt

Arbutus has been on my wish list for a few months now, because of some excellent reviews and its convenient location - about 2 minutes from my office. Awarded a Michelin star earlier this year, it also came personally recommended by a friend who thought the food was divine when she had dinner here last week. She loved the crème brûleé and thought the cheapest Viognier (white wine) was great value - a relief to know that you don't have to spend loads on good wine.

My friend and I had lunch, arriving at 12.30 when it was still relatively quiet. I didn't find it particularly noisy where we were sitting, although the tables were quite close to each other. The interior was pleasantly subtle but stylish (cream, wood and leather), while the service was friendly and dishes were explained with patience when asked.

What we ordered:

We settled for the 3 course set lunch at £15.50. This changes every week, with two choices of starter, main and pudding. Salad of pork knuckle with mustard dressing was not overly intense in flavour and accompanied by counterbalancing potatoes, while the English kale and potato soup was lovely and hearty, with plenty of texture.

Cornish pollock with artichoke puree and grilled fennel was delicate, while my fricassee of rabbit with carrots - what a classic combination! - was tasty and tender. I haven't eaten rabbit since I was a young teen, so this was eventful.

The portions were a little on the meagre side, and I could have eaten a lot more. However the a la carte menu dishes looked far more substantial and I couldn't take my eyes off one at the next table, to the extent that I had to ask a waiter what it was - the Plat du Jour Caillettes of pork (old fashioned meatballs), with carrot and potato puree.

Unfortunately I didn't like my dessert of île flotante or floating island (meringue floating in creme Anglaise). It looked impressive enough, but the meringue was far too sweet. After two mouthfuls, my friend and I swapped and I had the Morbier cheese instead, which was delightfully strong, but not overpoweringly so.

The verdict?

We didn't have wine, but the exciting thing about Arbutus is that wine can be ordered by the carafe (250ml or third of a bottle). Next time I'm going to try the a la carte menu as the dishes sound heavenly - risotto of red wine, raddichio and taleggio or bavette of beef, gratin dauphinoise and red wine sauce, and I can't wait to sample their other desserts.

10 - Perfection, 9.5 - Sensational, 9 - Outstanding, 8.5 - Superb,
8 - Excellent, 7.5 - Very good, 7 - Good, 6.5 - Above Average, 6 - Average

Contact Details:
Arbutus
63-64 Frith Street
London W1D 3JW
Tel: 020 7734 4545
info@arbutusrestaurant.co.uk
www.arbutusrestaurant.co.uk

Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide