By Debbie Robinson
news@joplinglobe.com
JOPLIN, Mo. —
Mothers and daughters got an early Mother’s Day treat last week when they stepped back in time to learn how nature played a role in the life of a pioneer woman.
Under the pavilion outside Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center, they learned about edible plants that can be used to make jellies and teas. A hike on the grounds revealed several plants that pioneer women used for cooking, and one plant even used for bathroom tissue.
The evening for the 40 mothers and daughters was finalized with teas made from blackberry and sassafras at tables with linen tablecloths.
They also sampled scones that included buds from the redbud tree, pecan butter, Queen Anne’s Lace jelly and bee balm jelly.
Lisa Nelson, of Carl Junction, brought her daughter, Kenzi, 8, to the event.
“Right now, she’s reading ‘Little House on the Prairie,’ so it ties together really well,” Nelson said.
Kenzi said she was planning on looking in her yard for edible plants.
“I’m going to learn how to cook them,” she said.
Cyndi Cogbill, a public service assistant for the Missouri Department of Conservation, said spring was probably a favorite time for pioneer women.
“This is your grocery store,” she said. “This is where you find your food.”
Cogbill and Amy Juhala, a naturalist with the conservation department, dressed in pioneer clothing for the event.
From sumac berries for tea to petals, to wild violets for tea or for juice in jelly, the grounds at the center came alive with multiple edible plants.
Only use the purple violets, Cogbill said to those attending, because the yellow violets are not edible.
“Wild roses are easy to grow,” she said. “You can take petals and make tea or use as jelly.”
Juhala cautioned about not using edible plants or flowers unless the source is known, because fertilizers or other chemicals might have been sprayed on the plants.
“You don’t want to get any toxins,” she said.
Legend has it, she said, that some of the tea used during the Boston Tea Party was made from native plants.
Another plant viewed outside was the mullein. It has a variety of uses, including tea and to make tincture, Juhala said.
Because most women in the 1800s didn’t have makeup, women would rub the leaves on their cheeks for a rosy glow, Cogbill said.
“It’s also good for toilet paper,” she said.
The mothers and daughters also learned about fashion in the 1800s, including women’s hats that held whole birds, many of which became extinct.
In honor of Mother’s Day, the group made cards using plant leaves and ink from native plants.
Using quill pens and ink, the mothers made small cards to place inside the larger cards being made by their daughters.
The tea party was a highlight of the event.
Linda Johnson, of Reeds, brought her three daughters to the event — two came dressed in pioneer dresses.
“It’s really good,” said Heather, one of Johnson’s daughters, about the sassafras tea.
