You're just what I need right now, bless you. My story is going to take place in basically our world, but no oceans or the like to connect the continents. A major role is going to be played by plants and flowers that can be used as seasoning or for tea - basically, that can be consumed. I'm struggling with finding information on what plants would be found in the region the story is taking place. (part 1)
Could you link me to any information on plants, spices and herbs native to the Eastern Woodlands region of North America / the Washington D.C.-Canada region? Or, more specifically, is stuff like Hibiscus, juniper, spearmint, marjoram, damiana or valerian native to the states? I’m not even sure there are any digestable, flavour-carrying plants in that region, to be perfectly honest… I’d appreciate any help you can give me, I’ve been researching for ages, but most come from further South…
Hi iamnotoneofthem!Of the plants that you listed, Juniperus virginiana L. and Hibiscus moscheutos L. are both native to this entire region that you are looking at. Valeriana pauciflora is native to the lower portion of the region, from Pennsylvania south. Valeriana uliginosa is native to the upper portion of the region, from New York state north. Spearmint and marjoram are native to Europe and Asia and were only introduced to North America. Damiana is native to Texas and Central America, as well as the Caribbean islands.
Some other plants you might consider are:New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus -leaves used as teaSpicebush Lindera benzoin - berries dried into savory, peppery seasoningSassafras Sassafras albidum - root provides “root beer” flavor, leaves are primary ingredient in Filé powder, used to flavor and thicken soups and stewsGroundnut Apios americana - beans and underground tubers are edible
I really recommend looking through this list of edible North American Eastern Woodlands native plants. It provides specific information about what parts of these plants are edible along with any issues such as needing to prepare a certain way to avoid toxicity.
http://www.perennialsolutions.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/USEFUL-NATIVE-SPECIES-OF-THE-EASTERN-FOREST.pdf
This is a list of edible plants common in the North American Eastern Woodlands, which means it does not differentiate on if they are native or introduced. It’s really a survival guide, and the list is shorter, but there is a lot more detail about what parts of plants can be edible and how to prepare the ones that need special preparation.
https://ruralsurvival.info/downloads/Unofficial-Hunger-Games-Edible-Plants-Download.pdf
I also want to encourage you to think about how not having oceans would change our world. Our world is the way it is in large part because the majority of it is oceans. The climate zones and ecological regions that we see are in large part associated with out much moisture the areas receive from oceans.
I hope this helps.~*Mod Den*~
Disclaimer
This blog is intended as writing advice only. This blog and its mods are not responsible for accidents, injuries or other consequences of using this advice for real world situations or in any way that said advice was not intended.