Having read several books about using wild plants as food, I decided to spread my interest here. One thing I've wondered about is why, or how, didn't Europeans figure out extracting sap from trees the same way native Americans did? Such sap could be collected from numerous species, such as maple, lime and birch, and can be then boiled down into sugary syrup. The sap/syrup conversion rate is highly dependent on the species, with 20-50 liters to 1 liter with maple and 100-150 liters to 1 liter with birch sap, the latter being more abundant, especially in later periods. How could this domestic, albeit slow and barely profitable source of sugar affect European culture, economy and colonization?
Another source of sugar could be rose-bay willow-herb, which grows abundantly throughout boreal forests, especially on disturbed soil. Inside of it's rigid, fibrous outer stalk one can find a spongy, moist, and very sugary core, with a tiny hint of cucumbery flavour. The core can be scooped out and boiled, as has been the traditional way with the hunter-gatherers of Russian Far East.
Another source of sugar could be rose-bay willow-herb, which grows abundantly throughout boreal forests, especially on disturbed soil. Inside of it's rigid, fibrous outer stalk one can find a spongy, moist, and very sugary core, with a tiny hint of cucumbery flavour. The core can be scooped out and boiled, as has been the traditional way with the hunter-gatherers of Russian Far East.