Feature Article April Fool's Issue April 3, 2002
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Plantations could be big bucks for North Frontenac Townshipby Will CybulskiCloyne Bring on the birding! Develop the biking and self-guided tours! Build those high-end, year-round resorts to attract tourists! But whatever the Resource Jump Team came up with as a means of bringing prosperity to our region, it pales in comparison to the possible financial effects a recently developed hybrid plant might bring in. And Im not talking about government-approved, medicinal purposes marijuana either (even though the recreational version of cannabis does seem to do very well here).
As a few local harvesters already know, wild ginseng is a particularly valuable commodity, especially in the Asian community, where the plant root is touted as having magical restorative properties when ingested. That alleged property likely played a large part in the species being harvested to almost non-existence in its once-natural environment. Some samples of well-matured ginseng root will nowadays bring in hundreds of dollars per pound, even in green form.
Wild
leeks are similarly regarded by cooking connoisseurs and gourmands,
who consider them priceless for their scallion-like appearance and
subtle garlic/onion taste. In fact, I doubt that you could even buy a
wild leek locally, much less put a fair price on one. The West
Virginian species of wild leek, referred to as Virginia Hot, has a much stronger garlic flavour, and not many
people will talk to you face-on at close range if you eat a few raw.
That quality plays a role of importance in this article, as you will
see.
The Land OLakes area, with its heavy stands of beech, maple and other assorted hardwoods, was once home to a prolific growth of wild ginseng and leeks. Today, only sporadic and insignificant pockets of both plants might still be found, and their locations are highly guarded, hand-me-down secrets. It takes a keen eye and a good bit of bush knowledge to find any of either plant. That will all change if plans for growing a newly developed, genetically modified hybrid crop can literally take root here. The new plant, which combines the best of both Canadian ginseng and the southern leek, was developed in northern West Virginia, a part of the state that has topography, soil and growing conditions similar to those found in North Frontenac. Initial forecasts put the plants market value in the stratospheric price range, which is great news for growers.
The cross-back process that comes from marrying up ginseng with leek results in a female species known as ginsleek, and its male counterpart leekseng. At present, because they are hybrids, the plants are sterile and incapable of reproducing on their own.
That same defect, so to speak, was unconquerable at this stage, even through the genetic modification process, so attempts to grow from normal seed would end up as throwbacks to normal ginseng or leek plants. The hybrid plants are started from nursery seedlings, which are shipped to growers by overnight priority courier.
The root portion of the plant must be left underground for at least five years to grow to marketable size, and it will then not only have the curative components of ginseng itself, but will take on the medically proven benefits of the garlic element as well. The stalk, or leek part, can be harvested at least once, and possibly twice, annually. That section of the plant will not only be treasured for its leek properties; it too will provide the inherent value gleaned from its ginseng forebearer.
The patent-holding parent company - Dream WeVa -, whose principals are West Virginian brothers Bo and Gus Fellows, state in a recent press package, We will be seeking interest and/or commitment from property owners whose lands in the Canadian Mississippi River corridor might be suitable for nursery and stock development, as well as crop production. It is this writers understanding that negotiations are now ongoing with the municipality to provide the developer with contact information for acreage owners from within North Frontenac. Keep an eye on your mailbox, and an ear out for your phone!
