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The Book of Woodcraft 



boiled for an hour, it is highly nutritious. Those who wish 

 to familiarize themselves with its appearance as a pre- 

 liminary of northern travel can see it in most drug shops. 



The reindeer moss is by far the most abundant of the food 

 lichens. There are thousands of square miles in the barren 

 northern country, deeply covered with reindeer moss. It 

 is indeed the most abundant form of vegetable Hfe, the 



Cetraria. 



main support of the reindeer, and the ever-present and 

 obvious guarantee to the traveler that he need not starve. 

 It is readily known by its soft gray-green color and its 

 branching like a Httle tree without leaves. It grows on 

 rocks or on the ground, and masses sometimes like sponges. 

 It is said to be a nutritious food. It is gritty unless col- 

 lected carefully and washed. This latter, fortunately, is 

 easily done, for grit sinks in the water and the moss floats 

 when fresh. 



Boiling is the usual way of cooking it. Reindeer moss 

 from Connecticut, however, I boiled for several hours 

 without producing any evident change. It continued to be 

 tough and unpalatable, and tasteless except for a sHght 

 suggestion of fish oil. 



Roasting was more successful than boiling. When care- 

 fully browned, I found it tasted not unhke burnt bread 



