24 1 / 2012

ayiman: This is muskekopak (Cree) or labrador tea.  This is a pretty common drink to many indigenous people in the North. I learned how to pick and prepare this stuff from my grandparents. It grows in wetlands all over the North, and the leaves are used to make a drink high in vitamin C.  It’s also a very strong diuretic, and it helps with relaxation. It can be made with fresh leaves or dried (I prefer to dry them) and to make it, one heaping teaspoon is good for one person. Be careful though, as there are similar looking plants that are poisonous that can be found in the same area.  Muskekopak has small white flowers, where the others will have pink flowers.  Muskekopak leaves also have a fuzzy underside, where the other poisonous varieties will not. A while ago I was given some dried needles by a guy from Nunavut to brew into what he called “labrador tea.” Damn if I can’t figure out what those needles actually were, since they’re obviously not this…

ayiman:

This is muskekopak (Cree) or labrador tea.  This is a pretty common drink to many indigenous people in the North. I learned how to pick and prepare this stuff from my grandparents.

It grows in wetlands all over the North, and the leaves are used to make a drink high in vitamin C.  It’s also a very strong diuretic, and it helps with relaxation.

It can be made with fresh leaves or dried (I prefer to dry them) and to make it, one heaping teaspoon is good for one person.

Be careful though, as there are similar looking plants that are poisonous that can be found in the same area.  Muskekopak has small white flowers, where the others will have pink flowers.  Muskekopak leaves also have a fuzzy underside, where the other poisonous varieties will not.

A while ago I was given some dried needles by a guy from Nunavut to brew into what he called “labrador tea.” Damn if I can’t figure out what those needles actually were, since they’re obviously not this…

Permalink 33 notes

  1. vernicq reblogged this from queerindigenology and added:
    If these are what I think they are… We call them Labooms… BEST TEA EVER
  2. queerindigenology reblogged this from oogishkamaanisee and added:
    my people make this too but we call it hudson bay tea.
  3. 905-dancing reblogged this from ayiman
  4. carcross reblogged this from ayiman and added:
    guy from Nunavut to brew into what he called “labrador tea.” Damn if I can’t figure out what those needles actually...
  5. tzoc-che reblogged this from ayiman
  6. girlwiththehair reblogged this from ayiman and added:
    muskeg tea! There...wealth of that stuff around here. Our land is primarily swamp....
  7. msgraham reblogged this from ayiman
  8. becoming-wave said: mmm <3 labrador. so tasty. apparently finnish fishermen used to soak labrador leaves in a nip of liquor as a nighttime sedative. i’ve been curious…
  9. nockknock said: Can you stop posting things that make me homesick?
  10. oogishkamaanisee reblogged this from ayiman and added:
    so you wanna come
  11. ayiman posted this