BLUE CAMAS (Camassia quamash (Pursh) Green Warm Springs, "Wakamo," pronounced Wa'-ka-mo
Camas grows in damp places and the blue blossoms must be observed at the time they bloom in order to avoid selecting the deadly white or green flowering camas. They are harvested later at the seed pod stage shown in the photograph. They are peeled and may be eaten fresh, or dried in the sun for year round use. Often they are subjected to a "so-called" barbecue treatment. This consists of cooking them buried in a pit for about a day. Flavor is developed according to the kind of firewood and seasonings used. The bulbs are placed on heated flat stones in a fire pit and covered with skunk cabbage leaves followed by fresh pine needles. A fire is built on the surface and maintained for two to three days. After this treatment the bulbs are black in color and may be eaten as they are or baked with salmon. Frequently dried camas is cooked with dried coush. One cup of fresh camas provides about one-tenth the Recommended Dietary Allowance" of vitamin C, but this vitamin is destroyed in the drying or barbecuing processes.
Camas appears to be a good source of iron, although iron from plant sources is not always available to the body. One cup provides a little better than half the Recommended Dietary Allowance for men or one-third the allowance for women.
