Free event allows opportunity to learn about, sample native plants
On Saturday, April 18, the Maxwell Museum will celebrate wild plants of the Rio Grande region in an event that will allow visitors to learn about health benefits of local plants and sample them. Sample modern recipes that use ancient ingredients when you try chia smoothies, mesquite flour cakes, rice grass crackers topped with prickly pear jelly, sumac lemonade or cota tea. The event will be from 1 - 4 p.m. on the UNM campus.
For thousands of years people who lived off the land sampled and experimented with the many plants they encountered on their journeys. They searched for plants that nurtured the body and soul and those that could be used to sustain life in dire times of drought and famine. This vital information was encoded in stories and lessons that were passed from parent to child, equipping the new generation with the best available tools for survival in an environment that could be both benevolent and harsh.
More recently, newcomers to the Southwest brought with them their own foods and cultural knowledge. Sharing of these traditions and the selected integration of wild plants provided benefits for all.
Ethnobotanist Lisa Huckell will discuss the plants and their prehistoric and current uses for robust health. Please join us to explore the plants, learn their health benefits and sample them. Attendees will receive a resource guide describing plants and resources.
For more information about the event, please contact Mary Beth Hermans at (505) 277-1400.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Posted by scarr at April 13, 2009 01:50 PM