Nodding Onion

Packing fresh veggies along on the trail may be impractical due to weight or time considerations. Widely-available nodding onion imparts a welcomed taste of green to almost any dish except granola perhaps. Both white bulb and green stalk can be used like green onions or chives. Rubbing the crushed bulbs on exposed skin is said to keep mosquitoes, black flies and maybe even your traveling companions away. Nodding onion is commonly available throughout the province though toxic death camas looks deceptively similar to nodding onion to the uninitiated. To verify, crush a bit of the plant. Only the edible species gives off an unmistakable onion smell.

Illustration by Manami Kimura