Common Camas (Camassia quamash)

Family: Asparagaceae | Edibility: Choice Edible (5/5)

Magnificent blue-violet lily-like flowering perennial carpeting wet western spring prairies, producing nutrient-rich edible bulbs.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Roots/Tubers

Harvest Seasons: Fall, Late Summer, Spring, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

Slow pit-roasting breaks inulin down into fructose, transforming starchy bulbs into a sweet, caramel, baked-pear and fig delicacy. — Traditionally slow-roasted in earthen pit ovens over hot rocks and fern leaves for 24-48 hours; Boiled or roasted bulbs pounded into sweet cakes and sun-dried for year-round provisions; Never eaten raw in quantity due to heavy inulin content

Habitat & North American Range

Moist damp prairies, wet meadows, and hillside seeps of western North America. (Zone 3, Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8)