| |
A Voice for the Wildthings
Les and Nova recording
soil data at one of their wild mushroom sites |
The brake lines on their truck were cut, their dogs killed, fences destroyed,
and they’ve been shot at. Such occurrences have unfortunately been part of Nova
Kim and Les Hook’s lives – two Vermont wildcrafters whose plea before the State
legislature to “save the wild things” has made them un-popular with those who
oppose the movement to limit clear cutting Vermont’s forests.
“We love the land; we love the forest. But clear cutting destroys habitat,” says
Les. “You figure, a person can make $200 - $300 picking wild mushrooms under a
tree. A lumberer gets about $45 for that tree you’ll never see again --
destroying a mushroom habitat forever.”
What can conservationists learn from these wildcrafter-advocates? NRCS
conservationists in Vermont think an exchange of information with these intrepid
mushroom wildcrafters will prove invaluable in determining the range of average
daily/yearly temperatures for different soil series. Where soil scientists spend
limited time in an area when developing soil maps, Les and Nova have gained a
unique and thorough knowledge of the soils through visiting their collection
sites over long periods. Just as NRCS soil scientists map and record
characteristics of various soils in a given geographic locale and then develop
models of which soils occur in particular locations, Les and Nova have developed
a detailed model of the soil and site conditions that encourage mushroom growth.
Astute observers of the micro-environment of each mushroom collection site, they
note soil conditions such as pH (soil acidity), temperature, texture, color,
moisture status, and degree of compaction. Additionally, they record trees
species, canopy conditions, slope orientation, air temperature, and other
factors for each location. Analyzing this information gives them a better
perspective on the best environment for particular species of mushroom and
improves their gathering schedule thereby preventing empty-handed mushroom
collecting forays.
Kim and Hook live “off-grid,” choosing instead to use solar and windmill power
on their farm in Albany, Vermont. They also live off the land. “Your food is
your medicine; your medicine is your food,” says Les as he searches the ground for
a natural pain reliever. When asked about the safety of the plants he nibbles on
he says, “14,000 people die each year from aspirin. Think about that.”
In the early 1990’s, they gathered ginseng together and started-up the Natures’
Own Wild Ginseng Herbal Tea Company. Their products sold in 260 stores including
Harrods of London. But their concern for the natural habitat began to conflict
with increasingly high demand, so they quit their business. “You could’ve been
the next Celestial Seasonings,” someone once told them.
“You know, of course,” chimes in Les, “the proprietors of Celestial Seasonings
are now divorced.
“We never do anything just ‘cause there’s money in it,” explains Nova.
Upscale restaurants in Vermont rely on native grown and harvested food to
prepare their cuisine. So for Les and Nova, it was on to harvesting wild
mushrooms and other delicacies from the forest floor. "Those
who buy from us get the ‘run of the woods,” says Nova.
Their wild mushrooms have a growing season that runs from April
through December. According to Nova, there are 24,000 mushrooms identified in
the United States; one quarter of all that exist in the world. Of these, at
least 300 are edible.
“There are only about a dozen that can kill,” assures Les. “But then again, you
should never sell what you haven’t eaten yourself.”
They know their mushrooms. They know exactly what trees they are under and what
soil temperature is required before the mushrooms will appear. This intimate
knowledge of the woods allows them to deliver when other gatherers can’t.
“We collected a basket of mushrooms for Julia Child in 2001 -- right in the middle
of a drought when everyone thought a harvest was impossible” says Nova. Because
they knew precise local conditions and microhabitats, they came up with fourteen
different varieties of epicurean proportions for the cooking diva.
Les and Nova have been guests on public television shows and were featured in
Joan Nathan’s book The New American Cooking. They have worked with the USDA
Forest Service, giving talks on forest ethics and have also lectured classes at
the University of Vermont, the New England Culinary Institute, the Vermont
Institute of Natural Science, and the Vermont Natural Resource Council.
The Food and Drug Administration has invited Les and Nova to speak on uses of
non-Federal timber land at the U.S. Forest Service’s 100th Anniversary exhibit
and wildcrafting in the 21st Century: non-timber products on a local and global
scale at the Food Culture USA exhibit during the Smithsonian Folklife Festival,
June 23 through July 4. Over a million people are expected to attend the annual
Smithsonian Folklife Festival.
At the request of a major publishing company, they plan to write a book on
wildcrafting they’ve already titled, Twenty Five Years of Living In, with, and
For the Woods: A Love Story.
Your contacts are Anne Hilliard,
NRCS public affairs specialist, at 802-951-6796, ext. 234, or
Caroline Alves, NRCS soil
scientist, at 802-865-7895 ext. 23.
"
| | |