USEFUL WILD PLANTS 



wild plant somoAvliat partakes.^ Of the Mint tribe, 

 also, is the herb Chia, about whose edible seeds 

 something- has been said. At the present day, Chia 

 is better known as a drink than as a food. A tea- 

 spoonful of the seeds steeped in a tumbler of cold 

 water for a few minutes communicates a mucilagin- 

 ous quality to the liquid. This may be drunk plain, 

 but among the Mexicans, who are very fond of it as 

 a refreshment, the customary mode of ser\^ing it 

 is with the addition of a little sugar and a dash of 

 lemon juice. The tiny seeds, which swim about in 

 the mixture, should be swallowed also, and add 

 nutrition to the beverage. A Spanish-California 

 lady of the old school gave me my first glass of Chia, 

 and recommended it as ^'mejor que ice-cream' ' (bet- 

 ter than ice cream). 



Of quite a different sort, but equally refreshing 

 and easy to decoct, is the woodland drink called 

 *' Indian lemonade," made from the crimson, berry- 

 like fruits of certain species of Sumac. East of the 

 Rockies there are three species abundant, dis- 



1 The mint of the gardens {Mentha viridis and, to a less extent, 

 .1/. piperita) is a common escape in damp ground and by streamsides 

 throughout tlie country. In the Southwest the leaves, under the 

 name of Verba Buena, are used in the same way as those of Micro- 

 meria. A steaming hot infusion of mint leaves is a bracing beverage 

 higlily esteemed ))y tired, wet vaqueros coming in at evening from 

 their day's work on the range. 



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