Montana Woods N Water May 2016 Print Edition | Page 9

THE ROOT CELLAR

Lilacs and Wild Asparagus
By Jen Mikkelson
For some, the consolations for the snow melting are few and far between. Admittedly, I am one of those
people, but after the end of ski season festivities, the lilacs bloom. This is my consolation. When I was a kid
we had an enormous lilac shrub at the end of our street and I would bring home a child-size handful every
day, until my Mom had to explain to me that no more would grow if I stripped the shrub clean. Given my
lilacs nostalgia I was pleasantly surprised to find my first spring here that lilacs grow in Montana. In fact,
several decades ago a scientist planted the many lilac shrubs around Bozeman as a tool to track climate
change, thus the increasingly early blossoms. As unfortunate as this is, lilacs blooms also mean that wild
asparagus is ripe for the picking!
Wild asparagus is exactly the same as the asparagus that you buy in the grocery. In addition, most wild
asparagus was introduced, making harvesting it an act of environmental stewardship.
Asparagus is a perennial, meaning the growth above ground dies every year. As a plant, asparagus is tall, up to 6 feet tall, and ferny, like
fennel or dill. So although they are difficult to find at first, once you do you can return to the same spot every year! There are male and
female plants, and the female plants will eventually sport pretty red berries all over. The berries are toxic, so DO NOT eat them. The
spears look exactly like what you buy in the grocery store, and it is best to use a knife or s