Bear's Garlic
Happy belated St. Patrick's Day. I had an interesting weekend and would like to share. Last Saturday some of my colleagues gathered at The Dubliner to tip some Guinness to celebrate Nyall's birthday and St. Pat's as well. The Irish Pub is a bit overpriced and well-patronized by lots of Ryan Air tourists from UK, but it seemed to be the place to go for our celebration. I brought some chili-flavored dark chocolate which everyone thought was "interesting" (they hated it, just as they did the gournet root beer from Chicago), Zuzka brought a cake and Nyall ordered a plate of munchies. Most of the talk was in Slovak and my mind and eyes were wandering.
Sitting down next to us were three women, one in a bright red hoodie. Leaning back, I could just barely make out I-L-L and then State. Had the Redwings landed in BA? Finally I could no longer resist, and went over to introduce myself to the three ISU people on leave here for a series of concerts. They were members of the Fine Arts faculty and included a pianist, opera singer and friend. Before long I was taking photos, giving directions and assuming ambassador-at-large duties. I introduced them to our table and before leaving, they sang Happy Birthday to Nyall, opera style. The entire pub quieted down and then burst into applause. Nyall turned bright red from his face to his shiny bald head, I think!
As predicted, this past Monday the weather finally took a grumpy turn for the worse, becoming cold, damp, and dreary. Like many folks around here, however, I made plans to spend Sunday outside to take advantage of our last nice day for awhile. I packed a lunch in my backpack and attended church in my hiking clothes. From there I had figured out how to take a tram to the end of the line and pick up a trail head that would lead me to Devin Castle ruins, a 2-hour one way hike, which I could either make an out-and-back, or just catch a bus back to BA. I'd been to the castle last August and knew the terrain would be hilly but not difficult, and of course the final reward was the spectacular view of the Hrad over the confluence of the Danube and Morava Rivers.
Riding the tram to the end and remembering the online explanation I'd read about the trail, it seemed I had gone too far. I exited and walked back in the opposite direction, and sure enough found the road about 1/2 mile back. I was looking for yellow trail signs, but soon realized that meant yellow painted markings, not signs. Once I figured this out, I easily followed the well-marked trail, first walking through homes on the side of the hill, which then turned into one-room cottages used on week-ends where people typically kept a garden in the small patch of hillside green.
Finally the cottages ended and the woods took over. The trail was wide and fairly dry and I was surprised to see so many woodland blooms in brilliant purples, yellows and lavendars. The signs continued to be well-marked and I noticed I was also on the green trail as each marking had both these colors. One sign said 1:45 to Devin Castle which jived with what I had planned so it seemed that I was on the right route. After a while, though, no signs, and then finally only a green sign. What happened? Had I lost the Yellow Brick Road? Although I had previously seen the castle from a crested hill, now I was in the woods with only trees...and a green sign.
I decided to backtrack figuring that in my enthusiasm (I walk fast) I had missed the yellow turn-off. I stopped the first couple I encountered with the inevitable question, "DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH?" The couple were about my age, both with day packs, he with two large filled plastic bags, she with a friendly smile. "Yes, of course." she says. We discuss my apparent mistake, but it seems that yellow route turns into green which is the way to Devin. I had been going the right way but with no map to confirm the rainbow of routes, it wasn't immeditately obvious.
She invited me to join them, and I must admit my immediate inclination was to decline because they were ambling, and I was on a faster pace, heading "somewhere" quickly. But I agreed and what serendipity! I got to know Libusa and her husband (whose name I can't remember). Unbelievably, she is an English teacher working no longer at school, but doing corporate adult education because there is more money in it. Libusa's hubby spoke no english but understood some if not most of what we said. After a while, she asked if we would mind resting at a local camp site, one of their favorite spots. It was here that she said, "Are you seeing all the Bear's Garlic?" as she pulled a few leaves from the ground and took a big bite out of one of them. With my usual american eloquence, I think I replied, "Huh?" or something equally articulate. (Twelve weeks of Slovak and I didn't even have the presence of mind to say, "Prosim?", a polite way to say please, come again. Reading Slovak is easier than hearing, but spitting it out is hardest of all.)
We were sitting in an area completely covered with Bear's Garlic, a plant whose leaves resemble lily-of-the-valley. (Careful here, l-o-t-v leaves are poisonous.) In church earlier that morning we had sung Amazing Grace, so rejoicing that "I was lost but now am found", I gamely chomped on a leaf! As soon as I bit the leaf released a strong odor, a combination of garlic and chives. The pungent odor, however, was much stronger than the taste, which was like that of a sweet vidalia onion. My new friends had been out picking Bear's Garlic; having already filled two big plastic bags.
Libusa filled me in saying that this plant is good for picking about 3-4 weeks of the year. Supposedly when bears come out of hibernation they eat this because it is good for them, hence the name. It grows in woodlands, happily spreading to cover the ground. By the time it blooms with a star-like white flower it is no longer good for picking and although it has a small bulb like garlic, it is the leaf that is used.
She said she cooks it like spinach, sometimes adding it to potatoes and a few eggs too. (This sounds very much like the "Stumpf" that Grandma Valentine Van De Velde used to make most Fridays: spinach combined with mashed potatoes and an egg on top, a typical meatless dish back in Catholic pre-Cana days.) Libusa also uses it in pesto and soups and says the whole place smells like Bear's Garlic.
I later googled it and sure enough there it was in 24 languages and 40 synonyms, all in Central Europe where it is indigeous. The Slovak version, like many others, translates to garlic honey-eater. People believed that if you actually said the word "bear", out would come the big brown ones, so safer to call them honey-eaters. (Think Harry Potter and he-who-will-not-be-named.) Since it can't be cultivated and only harvested for a short time, it's known more locally than internationally. On the other hand, because it is not readily accessible, some chefs have made it trendy by introducing this hard-to-come-by flavor.
It is high in sulfides so probably those bears knew what they were doing. While not too famous, sulfides are important for linking together enzymes in ways that benefit our bodies, like in forming anti-bodies. If we lacked sulfides we wouldn't have the naturally occurring hormone insulin. Have you ever met a bear with high blood pressure, clogged arteries, stomach pains, indigestion, diahhrea and/or colic!? Thought so; Bear's garlic handles all that and more. It also stimulates the appetite so a spring-time feast of it makes sense for Yogi, who as we all know is smarter then th av-er-age bear!
If you go on organic sites (as opposed to botany-based) you read words like vermifuge and depurative. Prosim? It seems that some people use this as a remedy to basically cleanse the intestinal system and purify the blood. Try this tincture at home: Fight off the bears before they wake up and pick their garlic. Chop it up and fill a small bottle with it. Cover with 40% vodka and let it soak for 15 days in the sun. Take 15 drops a day in a glass of water and let me know how you feel! (Oh, and you'll probably have to go to Vermont or Virginia to pick "ramp" the closest thing to it stateside.)
Looking for a more social Bear's Garlic experience? Come to Eberbach, Germany for the annual ramson's festival held in late March/early April. Make plans now!
Libusa and her husband go and walk the woods every week-end like many other Slovaks. She also picked flowers for tea while we were together but she couldn't think of the word in Slovak for what she found. We have made plans to meet again and she said she'll bring the sausage! I do need to ask her about one ominous thing I read though. Ever since the practice of wooded areas being sprayed, the incidence of rabies in foxes has been greatly reduced. The downside, however, is that foxes can carry a parasite whose eggs end up, invisibly, on the garlic leaves. Called liver flukes, ingesting them raw is supposed to cause brain and liver damage!
We continued our hike until it was time for us to go our separate ways: I toward Devin Castle and they to Devinska Nova Ves so they could take a bus back home to cook up their garlic stash. Lubisa gave me two hiking options, asking me why did I want to go to the castle anyway. From that fork, we were looking straight down on the Morava River and I could follow the bike path to the castle. I could also go along the crest of the hill, across the valley and through the village and come out at the same place. She recommended the former, not feeling confident that her latter directions would get me to my destination. Of course I chose the high road (much more interesting) and, now following signs that had mysteriously turned to blue, I did not get lost. I asked Libusa would I see more garlic on my way. She said no and she was right; it had only been back in the woods as this part of the trail was open and sunny. In fact, the rest of the hike was downhill all the way in every way, with the real fun having been meeting new friends and looking forward to more good times next Sunday. Sometimes getting lost is a good thing!
Sitting down next to us were three women, one in a bright red hoodie. Leaning back, I could just barely make out I-L-L and then State. Had the Redwings landed in BA? Finally I could no longer resist, and went over to introduce myself to the three ISU people on leave here for a series of concerts. They were members of the Fine Arts faculty and included a pianist, opera singer and friend. Before long I was taking photos, giving directions and assuming ambassador-at-large duties. I introduced them to our table and before leaving, they sang Happy Birthday to Nyall, opera style. The entire pub quieted down and then burst into applause. Nyall turned bright red from his face to his shiny bald head, I think!
As predicted, this past Monday the weather finally took a grumpy turn for the worse, becoming cold, damp, and dreary. Like many folks around here, however, I made plans to spend Sunday outside to take advantage of our last nice day for awhile. I packed a lunch in my backpack and attended church in my hiking clothes. From there I had figured out how to take a tram to the end of the line and pick up a trail head that would lead me to Devin Castle ruins, a 2-hour one way hike, which I could either make an out-and-back, or just catch a bus back to BA. I'd been to the castle last August and knew the terrain would be hilly but not difficult, and of course the final reward was the spectacular view of the Hrad over the confluence of the Danube and Morava Rivers.
Riding the tram to the end and remembering the online explanation I'd read about the trail, it seemed I had gone too far. I exited and walked back in the opposite direction, and sure enough found the road about 1/2 mile back. I was looking for yellow trail signs, but soon realized that meant yellow painted markings, not signs. Once I figured this out, I easily followed the well-marked trail, first walking through homes on the side of the hill, which then turned into one-room cottages used on week-ends where people typically kept a garden in the small patch of hillside green.
Finally the cottages ended and the woods took over. The trail was wide and fairly dry and I was surprised to see so many woodland blooms in brilliant purples, yellows and lavendars. The signs continued to be well-marked and I noticed I was also on the green trail as each marking had both these colors. One sign said 1:45 to Devin Castle which jived with what I had planned so it seemed that I was on the right route. After a while, though, no signs, and then finally only a green sign. What happened? Had I lost the Yellow Brick Road? Although I had previously seen the castle from a crested hill, now I was in the woods with only trees...and a green sign.
I decided to backtrack figuring that in my enthusiasm (I walk fast) I had missed the yellow turn-off. I stopped the first couple I encountered with the inevitable question, "DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH?" The couple were about my age, both with day packs, he with two large filled plastic bags, she with a friendly smile. "Yes, of course." she says. We discuss my apparent mistake, but it seems that yellow route turns into green which is the way to Devin. I had been going the right way but with no map to confirm the rainbow of routes, it wasn't immeditately obvious.
She invited me to join them, and I must admit my immediate inclination was to decline because they were ambling, and I was on a faster pace, heading "somewhere" quickly. But I agreed and what serendipity! I got to know Libusa and her husband (whose name I can't remember). Unbelievably, she is an English teacher working no longer at school, but doing corporate adult education because there is more money in it. Libusa's hubby spoke no english but understood some if not most of what we said. After a while, she asked if we would mind resting at a local camp site, one of their favorite spots. It was here that she said, "Are you seeing all the Bear's Garlic?" as she pulled a few leaves from the ground and took a big bite out of one of them. With my usual american eloquence, I think I replied, "Huh?" or something equally articulate. (Twelve weeks of Slovak and I didn't even have the presence of mind to say, "Prosim?", a polite way to say please, come again. Reading Slovak is easier than hearing, but spitting it out is hardest of all.)
We were sitting in an area completely covered with Bear's Garlic, a plant whose leaves resemble lily-of-the-valley. (Careful here, l-o-t-v leaves are poisonous.) In church earlier that morning we had sung Amazing Grace, so rejoicing that "I was lost but now am found", I gamely chomped on a leaf! As soon as I bit the leaf released a strong odor, a combination of garlic and chives. The pungent odor, however, was much stronger than the taste, which was like that of a sweet vidalia onion. My new friends had been out picking Bear's Garlic; having already filled two big plastic bags.
Libusa filled me in saying that this plant is good for picking about 3-4 weeks of the year. Supposedly when bears come out of hibernation they eat this because it is good for them, hence the name. It grows in woodlands, happily spreading to cover the ground. By the time it blooms with a star-like white flower it is no longer good for picking and although it has a small bulb like garlic, it is the leaf that is used.
She said she cooks it like spinach, sometimes adding it to potatoes and a few eggs too. (This sounds very much like the "Stumpf" that Grandma Valentine Van De Velde used to make most Fridays: spinach combined with mashed potatoes and an egg on top, a typical meatless dish back in Catholic pre-Cana days.) Libusa also uses it in pesto and soups and says the whole place smells like Bear's Garlic.
I later googled it and sure enough there it was in 24 languages and 40 synonyms, all in Central Europe where it is indigeous. The Slovak version, like many others, translates to garlic honey-eater. People believed that if you actually said the word "bear", out would come the big brown ones, so safer to call them honey-eaters. (Think Harry Potter and he-who-will-not-be-named.) Since it can't be cultivated and only harvested for a short time, it's known more locally than internationally. On the other hand, because it is not readily accessible, some chefs have made it trendy by introducing this hard-to-come-by flavor.
It is high in sulfides so probably those bears knew what they were doing. While not too famous, sulfides are important for linking together enzymes in ways that benefit our bodies, like in forming anti-bodies. If we lacked sulfides we wouldn't have the naturally occurring hormone insulin. Have you ever met a bear with high blood pressure, clogged arteries, stomach pains, indigestion, diahhrea and/or colic!? Thought so; Bear's garlic handles all that and more. It also stimulates the appetite so a spring-time feast of it makes sense for Yogi, who as we all know is smarter then th av-er-age bear!
If you go on organic sites (as opposed to botany-based) you read words like vermifuge and depurative. Prosim? It seems that some people use this as a remedy to basically cleanse the intestinal system and purify the blood. Try this tincture at home: Fight off the bears before they wake up and pick their garlic. Chop it up and fill a small bottle with it. Cover with 40% vodka and let it soak for 15 days in the sun. Take 15 drops a day in a glass of water and let me know how you feel! (Oh, and you'll probably have to go to Vermont or Virginia to pick "ramp" the closest thing to it stateside.)
Looking for a more social Bear's Garlic experience? Come to Eberbach, Germany for the annual ramson's festival held in late March/early April. Make plans now!
Libusa and her husband go and walk the woods every week-end like many other Slovaks. She also picked flowers for tea while we were together but she couldn't think of the word in Slovak for what she found. We have made plans to meet again and she said she'll bring the sausage! I do need to ask her about one ominous thing I read though. Ever since the practice of wooded areas being sprayed, the incidence of rabies in foxes has been greatly reduced. The downside, however, is that foxes can carry a parasite whose eggs end up, invisibly, on the garlic leaves. Called liver flukes, ingesting them raw is supposed to cause brain and liver damage!
We continued our hike until it was time for us to go our separate ways: I toward Devin Castle and they to Devinska Nova Ves so they could take a bus back home to cook up their garlic stash. Lubisa gave me two hiking options, asking me why did I want to go to the castle anyway. From that fork, we were looking straight down on the Morava River and I could follow the bike path to the castle. I could also go along the crest of the hill, across the valley and through the village and come out at the same place. She recommended the former, not feeling confident that her latter directions would get me to my destination. Of course I chose the high road (much more interesting) and, now following signs that had mysteriously turned to blue, I did not get lost. I asked Libusa would I see more garlic on my way. She said no and she was right; it had only been back in the woods as this part of the trail was open and sunny. In fact, the rest of the hike was downhill all the way in every way, with the real fun having been meeting new friends and looking forward to more good times next Sunday. Sometimes getting lost is a good thing!
posted by Joan Vande Velde @ 12:38 PM
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