Fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium) has, for many years, been one of my favourite wildflowers. I’ve always admired its vibrant, purple-pink flowers, often a stark contrast to the wildfire-ravaged areas that they grow in. The more time I spent in the bush, however, I realized that they grow just about everywhere, tolerating a variety of environmental conditions. Even if you live in the middle of the city, you just may see fireweed growing in your backyard!
Not just a visually appealing plant, fireweed has a multitude of uses. My personal favourite is making up a batch of fireweed jelly, made from the blossoms. It has a light, floral flavour to it, and it’s a stunning pink colour. Delicious on toasted sourdough! The leaves can be dried and made into a tea and, if you find a patch of fireweed in early spring, the shoots can be harvested and fried up, similar to how you would prepare asparagus.
Fireweed can be found in both rural and suburban settings. Care must be taken to avoid high-traffic areas, such as the sides of highways, or areas that may have been sprayed as the plants may be contaminated. As always, investing in a good plant ID book is essential to being confident while out foraging, and don’t ingest anything if you are unsure of the identification. Happy foraging!
Harvesting tip: If you are not going to use the whole plant, both the leaves and flowers can be easily stripped by hand without trimming down the entire stalk. While fireweed is a prolific plant, care should still be taken to ensure that over-harvesting doesn’t occur.
