Stránka:book 1912.djvu/362

330 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 life, 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 little 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 slight suggestion of fish oil. Roasting was more successful than boiling. When care- fully browned, I found it tasted not unlike burnt bread