By Becky Johnson • Staff Writer SmokyMountainNews.com Watch for this name: Ila Hatter. She’s a woman you want to go hiking with.On a guided walk along the Appalachian Trail in Graham County last weekend, Hatter pointed out dozens of wild plants that could be used in the kitchen or as medicines. Every few steps, there went Hatter — veering off the trail to fondle this or that plant, sometimes plucking its leaves to pass around for a sniff or a nibble, sometimes lifting it out by the roots or scratching away the bark on a stem, all the while purporting its various traits and uses. One of the first finds was jewel weed, a common plant known to stop the itch of poison ivy or insect stings. Hatter broke open a stem, milked a thick, oozy liquid to the surface, then passed it around. “This sap acts like cortisone,” Hatter said. She shared the recipe for a skin concoction known to stop just about any itch, sting or burn: jewel weed, witch hazel, cucumber and aloe. Hatter puts the four plants in a blender, then freezes dollops of them in an ice cube tray, popping them out and thawing when needed. Hatter truly loves to live off the land. The leaves of the toothwort, prized for its horseradish flavor, often end up in Hatter’s lunch bag. “I’ve been known to take a roast beef sandwich hiking and look for this and make it my lettuce and condiment,” Hatter said. Hatter was soon jabbing her walking stick at a May apple in bloom, describing the fruit that would soon...
Talk for Cleveland Symposium – April 4, 2007 My herbal training began with the plant-lore passed down through my Tennessee ancestors who settled Texas. My great-great-grandfather is the one who said “Remember the Alamo”. And his line comes down from Pocahontas, whose mother was Cherokee. One of the words used for her people meant “bark- eater”, because they were known for their healing remedies. I believe that can be an inherited gene just like musical talent or mathematical ability. More than ½ my life as been spent living and learning from Appalachian mountain people including the traditional Cherokee. For more than 30 years I was privileged to be the student of the first writer of Foxfire, Marie Mellinger. A true Ethnobotanist before the term was even coined. She recently passed away at age 92. Her former husband was an Ojibwa from Wisconsin. I inherited all of her botanical slides and papers and among them are 40 yr old photographs of Ojibwa Chiefs in their native dress. It seems most appropriate that these photographs should go home with these honored guests from the Ojibwa nation. The Healing Traditions of Appalachia, or Folk Remedies, are mingled with the herbal knowledge of the Iroquois and other Woodland Indians. When the first European colonists came to this unknown country, they brought familiar plants and seeds for food and medicines, as well as the available herb books of that age. Namely Gerard’s Herbal and Culpepper’s. This gave them a working knowledge of about 300 formulas. They soon found that their Indian neighbors, of whom the Cherokee were the most numerous tribe, were trained in...
By Ila Hatter In the early spring of 1975, Marie Mellinger, botanist and naturalist from Tiger, Ga. And Mary Nikas, Executive Director of the Hambidge Center, were on a Botanical Soc. Trip to the Okeefenokee Swamp when they began discussing possible environmental programs for the Center. “Reading the Landscape”, a two or three day seminar based on succession study was one program that seemed perfect for the Hambidge Center. Then, almost as an after-thought, Marie suggested that a “fun” way to learn a lot of plants and their uses might be a weekend program introducing people to wild edibles as a diet supplement, not for survival necessarily. They decided to try both programs and planned the wild edibles program not only to identify edibles in the wild, but also to give actual experience in gathering, preparing and eating them. A dozen or so people, mostly from Atlanta and Rabun County, signed up for the first seminar in May 1975. There was a wide range of backgrounds, interests, and age… but all were interested in eating weeds, roots, nuts, berries, and the like, for their own reasons. The result was an instant success. The group enjoyed themselves immensely and much to their surprise found this wild food not only “not bad”, but really good… good enough to add some items to their diet. To really use some new foods… foods out of old fields, roadsides and fence corners. The Center reported the weekend in its column in the Clayton Tribune and Bob Harrell picked it up for his Sunday camping column in Atlanta Journal Constitution “And the rest is History”!...
This territory of lush forestland cultivates an attitude of ease from its high-elevation perch in the western point of the state. By Beth Teague Used with permission from Our State magazine and from the author. Breathtaking scenery doesn’t just complement life in Graham County — it characterizes the county itself. More than 60 percent of the county’s 433 square miles is managed by the U.S. Forest Service, meaning the land is relatively undeveloped and residents enjoy easy access to both the Nantahala National Forest and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A section of the Appalachian Trail also winds through Graham County, and outdoor enthusiasts who prefer water enjoy the pristine beauty of three lakes and nationally renowned trout streams. Located far to the west near the Tennessee border, Graham County is home to approximately 8,000 residents, 10 percent of whom live in the county seat of Robbinsville. Life here is so relaxed, visitors from more metropolitan areas of North Carolina may wonder how Graham County can be part of the same state, as it seems a world away from crowded city life. This slow pace is a primary reason why many natives stay in Graham County, and why those who once lived here eventually find their way back. “It’s amazing to wake up each day and experience the quality of life we have here,” says Claudie Burchfield, a Graham County native who returned to the area from Georgia to work as the county’s planner and economic development director. “We still have the possibility of escape. You can’t get that in an urban environment.” Cherokee ties The history of...
Ready for a Walk on the Wild Side? www.neworleansathleticclub.com Foragers have a talent for summer. First sign of warm weather and it’s into the woods they go, to hunt, to gather every wild thing good enough to eat. And much of it is good enough to eat. It’s called wildcrafting and it’s the latest rage. Stand in a pasture and inhale the fragrance — that’s what chickweed tastes like. Put some bite into summer by adding lemony purslane to fresh tomatoes and cucumbers; instead of radishes, toss a handful of peppery nasturtiums into a raw mix of chickweed, sorrel, dandelion, nettle and mustard. Sound radical? Part of the trend to voluntary simplicity, foraging or wildcrafting, the informed stalking of native plants, offers “wonderful flavors from the wild that can’t be bought,” says herbalist and folklorist, Ila Hatter, author of the cookbook, Roadside Rambles (published by Ironweed Productions). “You gain just by being out of doors walking, even if you don’t find ripe blackberries.” Wildcrafting’s a way for families to enjoy the natural world while developing survival skills. Sure there’s a learning curve, but it’s all part of the fun. Whether sifting through a marsh for fiddleheads, peering among spruce in search of morel mushrooms or just harvesting yarrow from the driveway, the thrill of the hunt is a big part of this novel experience in flavor and nutrition. Intense and unsubtle, wild edibles generally have a higher vitamin and mineral content than cultivated plants. And a diet based on plant foods appears to provide long-term health benefits. For most of us, used to lattes-to-go, the idea of collecting acorns...
What outdoors experts say about Eric Rudolph’s survival chances Miller, Amy POSTED: June 8, 2003 11:18 p.m. It doesn’t surprise Ila Hatter that Eric Rudolph, a seasoned outdoorsman, could have lived for five years on the abundant plant and animal life in the mountains of Western North Carolina. “There’s greater biodiversity here than anywhere else in the world,” said Hatter, a naturalist who teaches a course in wild edibles at the University of Tennessee’s Smoky Mountain Field School. “If he could survive anywhere on his own, it would be in these mountains.” There’s not only plenty of animals and plants to eat. If Rudolph got sick from something he ate, Hatter said, medicinal herbs and roots, such as yellowroot, could ease an upset stomach – if he knew where to find them. He could have brushed his teeth with bark from sweet birch, which tastes like wintergreen. Jim Morris, a former U.S. Army Ranger trained in wilderness survival, camped in the mountains for a year and a half on what he calls a vision quest. He set traps and snares to catch small animals and fish. He feasted on berries and acorns. And he made his own deer jerky. “It’s real possible Rudolph could have done it,” said Morris, 45, who’s part Shawnee Indian. “It’s easy to stay hid for quite some time, if you have the training. But he had a disadvantage I didn’t. I wasn’t worried about people finding me.” During the harsh winter months, Morris said Rudolph could have built a small shelter of leaves and dirt, called a debris hut, to keep him warm and...
*visit them online click here Vast N.C. woods offer wild foods, secret sites Trick to hiding is not risking smoke, trash By BO EMERSON The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Eric Robert Rudolph may have been the most successful “leave-no-trace” camper in history. Or perhaps he was just lucky. On Monday, FBI agents combed the woods near Murphy, N.C., where Rudolph was captured, to find any clues he might have left pointing to his hideouts. Agents closed a Forest Service road into the Nantahala National Forest, about 30 miles east of Murphy, on Saturday. On Monday, FBI agents drove up and down the winding mountain road looking for signs he had camped in the Fires Creek area. Until Rudolph was arrested Saturday in Murphy, federal agents had failed to find much of a trail. While some say he must have had help, authorities believe he spent most of his time living off the land. So how difficult is it to hide and survive in the woods? “I’ve lived out in the woods for a year and a half,” said Jim Morris, a sheriff’s deputy in nearby Maryville, Tenn., who, like Rudolph, was a former Army Ranger trained in wilderness survival techniques. Setting traps and snares, checking them at night, collecting acorns, greenbriars, cattails and blueberries, Morris found plenty to eat. He said one can even enjoy a bit of “luxury,” such as deer jerky. Morris, 45, who is part Shawnee Indian, was pursuing a vision quest of sorts during his woodland sojourn, he said. Rudolph would have had a harder time, because of the necessity of staying out of sight. But it...
Click image below for a large readable view. *May take a few minutes to...
By Beth Teague Most people see an ugly yellow weed. Ila Hatter sees a delicious – and nutritious – gourmet meal. “Dandelions are probably one of the most nutritious veggies to come out of your garden,” says Hatter, a wildcrafter and interpretive naturalist who resides in Robbinsville, N.C. “They are an incredibly rich source of vitamins and minerals, and yet we throw them away all the time.” Those who attend a seminar or nature hike led by Hatter just might get to sample a dish or beverage prepared from dandelions or other natural ingredients – and most are surprised at how unexpectedly tasty these so-called weeds can be. “It’s fun for people to find out how good they taste,” she says. “Even picky teenagers will eat dandelion pizza sandwiches.” Dandelions are just one of many natural resources Hatter finds in the wilderness to utilize for food or medicinal purposes. When she’s not working for the U.S. Forest Service and the Great Smoky Mountain Natural History Association, Hatter spends her time traveling across the south, presenting seminars and interactive explorations of the great outdoors. Her mission: to tune people in to the many ways they can make Mother Nature’s pantry and medicine cabinet their own. She says her work is guided by a quote from writer Henry David Thoreau. “Thoreau wrote that the woods and fields are a table always spread,’” she says. “To me, that’s exactly what I do – that’s what I teach. What is Wildcrafting? Hatter says she is both a wildcrafter and an interpretive naturalist. Traditional wildcrafting – gathering native plants for use or sale –...
By Sam Venable, News-Sentinel columnist April 25, 2002 GATLINBURG – When Ila Hatter needs medicine or cooking ingredients, she doesn’t swing by the drugstore or supermarket. Often, a walk in the woods will fill the bill. Spicebush, bee balm, jewel weed, yellow root, wild ginger: The plants are indexed like a shopping list in her mind. Whatever the requirement, Mother Nature can provide. “The woods and fields are a table always spread,” says Hatter, an interpretive naturalist from Robbinsville, N.C. “I teach people that all these plants are like having friends in the forest.” Hatter is in East Tennessee this week for the 52nd Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage. She’s leading a series of “medicinal walks” in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, pointing out plants Native Americans and early settlers used to fill their bellies and treat their ailments. Hatter is a native of Texas, but is descended from Tennesseans. A former airline stewardess, she has lived all over the globe – from Spain to the Caribbean to South America. She has spent the past 30 years in the mountains of Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina. Her knowledge of plants and home remedies was handed down from her mother and grandmother. Another of her mentors was Marie Mellinger, the legendary plant woman from Clayton, Ga., whose stories have been published in several volumes of “Foxfire.” Her tours this week will include visits to Metcalf Bottoms and the quiet walkway across from the Huskey Gap trailhead. “I go pretty slow because there’s so much to see and talk about,” she said. “Sometimes, it might take me two or three hours to...