Head Start prepares for year-end activities and raffle
By Lori Jay-Linstrom, Parent Involve-
ment Coordinator
I just can’t believe it – it’s May already
and we are coming to the end of another
Siletz Tribal Head Start school year.
Our Transition Ceremonies (also our
last class day) for our Head Start sites are
as follows: Siletz/Tenas, Lincoln City and
Salem will be May 23 and our Portland
site will have its ceremony June 3.
As sad as it is to have half of our stu-
dents going on to school in September, it
is always exciting to welcome all the new
and returning students and families.
If you have a child who will be 3 or
4 by Sept. 1, 2014, and would like them
to be part of an awesome Head Start pro-
gram, please call for an application at 800-
922-1399 or 541-444-2532. We are now
accepting for the 2014-2015 school year.
The Head Start director will start
making selections in June. Spread the
word to family and friends that we have
Head Start centers in Siletz, Salem, Port-
land and Lincoln City.
Head Start Raffle
We still have tickets available for our
annual Head Start Raffle. The funds raised
are used to supplement the federal funding
we receive and to cover costs for expenses
that cannot be covered through the grant.
Examples of items that fundraising is
used for include school pictures, entrance
fees for adults and siblings to attend pro-
gram field trips, transition celebrations,
swimming lessons, books for children to
take home and needed classroom items.
At this time we have more than 30
raffle items with more added daily. These
items include:
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One night stay for two at Chinook
Winds Casino Resort, with dinner for
Horsetail and its many uses
By Nancy Ludwig, MS, RD, LD, Siletz
Tribal Head Start Nutritionist
As part of my role as a consultant
nutritionist to Siletz Tribal Head Start, I
offer information for families. This seg-
ment focuses on wild plants to watch for
and enjoy each spring. Timing is variable
depending on temperature and altitude.
The fertile shoots are for eating. After
this stage, they are generally used for
medicine, as they are high in silica.
Horsetail fertile shoots
Equisetum arvense and puzzle plant
are other names for horsetail fertile
shoots.
Identifying horsetail fertile shoots:
The tan-colored single stems of horsetail
lack chlorophyll and are nearly lumines-
cent. Cone-like tips produce pollen. Later,
the green shoots of horsetail appear as
a separate plant. These can be used as
medicine and are discussed below.
where it grows: You will find horse-
tail fertile shoots in wet woodlands,
meadows and near streams. They also
thrive in disturbed wet soil. Do not harvest
along roadsides and in agricultural areas
because horsetail will absorb environ-
mental toxins.
when and how to harvest: Fertile
shoots appear from late March through
mid-April. Harvest the newer shoots that
are still golden at the flowering tip.
Food: Horsetail is called puzzle plant
because it has joints that can be pulled
apart. Each node of the stem stores water
and kids love to pull them apart and drink
the liquid inside.
The young fertile shoots of horsetail
are considered a spring delicacy. Pinch
off stem close to the ground. Remove the
brown sheaf around each node and the
cone-like tip. The tender growth between
the nodes is eaten fresh and is traditionally
dipped in oil. It also can be cut up and
added to soups or sautés.
Horsetail spring green tops
Spring green tops are gathered when
the leaves are still vibrant green and point-
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Siletz News
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ing upward or outward, usually between
March and July. As the plants age, leaves
begin to droop and turn army-green. Silica
crystals in the leaves become more devel-
oped and less water-soluble – and there-
fore, less useful for human consumption.
Attributes: Horsetail creates strong
structure and foundation. Touch its leaves
and you will feel the rocky texture of silica
and other minerals.
Horsetail’s masterful roots can dig as
deep as 150 feet into bedrock where they
dissolve minerals and draw them into their
cells. When we drink horsetail leaf tea, we
absorb these minerals and utilize them to
build strong bones, hair, skin and nails.
Horsetail also regenerates soil health
by depositing minerals onto surface soil.
Horsetail tea as medicine: Horsetail
has a mild vegetable broth-like flavor.
Prepare a strong infusion with a large
handful of herb per two to three cups of
water. Steep 15 minutes to several hours.
Drink 2-3 cups a day on a regular basis.
Horsetail combines well with other
herbs. A popular tea at the Northwest
Indian Treatment Center in Washington
is Healthy Skin, Hair, Bones and Nails
Tea. It contains equal parts horsetail, red
clover, stinging nettles and peppermint.
One heaping tablespoon of this mix-
ture is steeped in a cup of boiled water for
15 minutes to several hours. Delicious!
Horsetail is used cosmetically as a
hair wash and a skin tonic. Silica in the
plant binds to hair or skin proteins and
serves as a protector and strengthener.
The tea can be applied topically for
recovering from sunburn or for poor qual-
ity skin with premature aging.
Resources
Insulin Resistance & Chronic Disease
Prevention Symposium, presented April
18, 2013, at the Squaxin Island Museum
by the Northwest Indian College Insti-
tute of Indigenous Foods and Traditions.
Information by Elise Krohn and blog at
wildfoodsandmedicines.com
May 2014
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two at the Rogue River Steakhouse
and show tickets for two
18-hole round of golf for two with
a cart
Pendleton blanket
Square drum, hand-crafted and
donated by Tribal Council member
Bud Lane
$50 gift certificate to Kyllo’s Seafood
& Grill in Lincoln City
$125 photography certificate
$40 gift certificate to the Beach Dog
Café in Lincoln City
Two-night stay at Three Sisters
Retreat in Sisters, Ore.
Courtesy photos
Head Start students in Portland plant
seeds into small containers.
Does this list make you want to pur-
chase tickets? Please call the numbers
above to see how you can get your tickets
before the drawing, which will be held
May 17, 2014, in Siletz.
We also are accepting donations for
the raffle.
Fucus Split Pea
Soup
Kelp Pickles
Page 41
Wild Rose and Western Red Cedar
Gather kelp by pulling it up
when in a boat or gather fresh-
looking kelp off the beach after a
storm. One will be plenty.
Chop up the end bulb and the tail
into small pieces. Place in a clean
glass jar. For the easy approach,
pour leftover dill pickle juice over
the kelp so it completely covers it.
Cover and refrigerate for one week
before eating.
Making your own pickling solu-
tion is easy.
2 cups vinegar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon salt
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon pickling seasoning
Combine ingredients and bring
to a boil. Pour over the sliced kelp
and cover. Wait one week before
eating.
I’ve only made Bull Kelp Pick-
les once before, about 30 years ago.
They were the most interesting
potluck item of all time! I’m not
sure why I never made them again.
Sometimes it just seems nicer to do it
in a group with like-minded people.
James Jungwirth
1/5 ounce fucus tips (bladderwrack)
1 cup split peas
6 cups water
2 each carrots, sliced
1 each onion, sliced
2 each garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons basil, chopped
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
Snip the fucus tips into small
pieces with scissors. Rinse dried split
peas, then put them in a pot with the
fucus and the water. Bring to a boil
and simmer for 1 hour.
Add carrots, onion, garlic, basil,
black pepper and olive oil or butter.
Simmer for 30 minutes or more until
peas become creamy. Salt to taste.
Fucus is a seaweed also known as
bladderwrack. It has a long history of
use in the treatment of underactive thy-
roid and overweight conditions. It has
a strong distinctive flavor and is good
when cooked in soups, with beans or
toasted and eaten as a crispy snack.
Fucus tips cook tender in about
one hour. They can be toasted in
trays in a preheated oven at 250°F for
15-20 minutes or until crisp. Toast
just before using as they quickly
absorb moisture and become limp.
Maple Almond Kelp Frond Cookies
James Jungwirth
½ouncedriedkelpfronds•2cupsalmonds•½cupmaplesyrup
Finely grind the kelp in the blender. Then grind the almonds in the blender.
Mix them together in a bowl. Add maple syrup and mix it with a fork.
Roll into balls. Flatten them a bit on an oiled cookie sheet. Bake in preheated
oven for 20 minutes at 350°F. Cool and enjoy.
Please let me know what you think of these recipes. Siletz Tribal Head Start
offers my time at no cost to you to support family nutrition over the telephone.
Please contact me (503-588-5446) if you have nutrition concerns about your
Head Start child.