Where it grows: The moist areas of the prairies used to be covered by Miss-issia, but modern developments in agriculture have diminished the vast fields of Miss-issia.

How to identify: Miss-issia is a plant with hollow bright green grass like leaves and clusters of star shaped flowers. The plant grows 1 to 3 feet tall.

Harvesting: The roots were collected in July when the flowers began to fade. Roots were harvested by women with long crooked sticks resembling a shoemakers hammer. Only woman were allowed to collect the roots, a process which can take from dawn until four in the afternoon.

Blackfoot: Miss-issia

Food Uses:

• Miss-issia must be cooked to preserve them, and more importantly, to make them palatable.
• The bulbs taste like baked pear or fig. It is sometimes formed into loaves or boiled in meat broth.
• The roots are cooked in an oven made underground, layered with embers, earth, and stone, which burned wood for 30 to 70 hours. Once cooked they last for a very long time if kept dry. After being cooked the consistency of the Miss-issia roots become comparable to that of a jujube.
• Although it is enjoyable when consumed, digestion results can be highly unpleasant for people who do not enjoy strong odours or the accompanying sound.