Over 200 hundred years ago Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery set out on their long journey west. It was a bold, expensive adventure for these 30-somethings, and they weren't sure what they would find. Some contemporaries believed that by traveling so far west, the group would actually travel back in time, potentially encountering woolly mammoths. It seems silly today, but at the time, the uncertainty of it all was quite real.

During their journey, Lewis and Clark documented many plants and animals. They sent specimens back east, including live prairie dogs and magpies, insects, yarrow, larkspur, chokecherry, and more.

When they finally arrived at the Continental Divide in Montana, they expected to see the Pacific Ocean just a short jaunt away. But it was the rugged vista of the Rockies that met their disappointed eyes. Winter was coming on, and with supplies dwindling, they would have to get through the mountain passes on sheer willpower. It was a tough route, but they survived - skinnier, but alive.

They were greeted by the Nez Perce of northern Idaho, who offered them salmon and a bread made from Camassia Quamash, or camas bulb. This quickly sent the whole team into intestinal distress; it had been some time since they'd eaten well, and the rich food of the Nez Perce was definitely a jolt to their systems.

The generosity of the Nez Perce saved the expedition. Today, camas bulbs are still harvested in the wild to uphold native traditions.

I've wanted to plant Camas bulbs for a few years now, but hadn't seen them locally. This year I found the Camassia Cusickii variety. I haven't been a bulb planter in the past, so this is a new experience for me as well. Not quite like going back in time, but at least into uncharted territory. It's easy to see why camas bulbs were a food source for some Native American tribes. They're huge!

I look forward to their arrival in the spring, and hope that someday I can see the lake-like beauty of the Idaho Camas Prairie in full bloom. In June of 1806 Lewis wrote that "The quawmash is now in blume and from the colour… at a short distance it resembles lakes of fine clear water, so complete is this deseption that on first sight I could have swoarn it was water."

When I consider the magnitude of an expedition like Lewis and Clark's, I realize that I shouldn't be daunted by trying new things in the garden just because I don't know how to do it. Taking risks without being sure of the outcome is where adventure really begins.

And if I can find a recipe, it would be interesting to try some camas bulb bread with my next salmon dinner... Just not too much.

Any recent abridged version of the journals of Lewis and Clark (here's one worth trying) makes a fascinating read if you're looking for some wild inspiration!