B.C. is a must-see province of Canada, a land of beauty.

From the mountains to the coasts, British Columbia is packed with diversity.

In terms of elevation, you can go from sea level to 4670m, a height unimaginable in my home province of Ontario. In terms of biomes, it has plenty to choose from. The coastal temperate rainforests, a rarity worldwide and unique only to this province in Canada, are home to the tallest trees and richest amounts of biomass per square kilometer. The mountains and alpine ecozones are covered in coniferous trees up to the tree line, where rocky outcrops and snow-capped mountaintops begin. The dry inland interior is reminescent of a western movie, grassland dotted with ponderosa pines, but this sunny and warm climate makes for one of the best fruit-growing regions in the country, with irrigation of course.

So what's to eat?

My first foraged find in B.C. wasn't in a forest or in a field, rather it was growing from a tree outside the motel in Kamloops. A dry interior city, there seemed to be enough water to grow a full, healthy tree loaded with miniature apricots.

The interior is a big fruit belt that produces plenty. I picked a few handfuls of these and enjoyed them thoroughly. They were already falling off the tree in August!

Just because something is edible doesn't mean it's tasty. These chokecherries are apparently distributed nation-wide. Don't let their sweet looks fool you. They taste way too astringent.

Once past the interior and in the coastal areas, I wasn't prepared for how bountiful with berries and other edibles the whole area is. In late summer, July and August are prime time for picking berries in B.C. There's lots to choose from, but one stands out in abundance: Himalayan blackberry.

An introduced species, it has done exceedingly well here. It's definitely a welcome addition to the local environment, its berries are edible raw and very delicious.

Not only that, but you can find them growing pretty much anywhere.

It's quite easy to pick pounds of these in one go, then the question becomes what to do with them. I collected this in less than half a minute of picking. Imagine what you could do, with some friends, if you dedicated a full hour to it?

In another case of bountiful trees, I found this English walnut tree growing near a road. The nuts were almost ripe but not quite! These aren't too common to find where I'm from, but seem to thrive here in the warm sunlight.

This interesting berry, with its striking light blue colour, is called "Oregon grape" (Mahonia aquifolium). You can ID it by its pointed, shiny leaves reminiscent of holly. Unfortunately the ones I ate were either excessively sour or bitter, so I didn't really see the appeal of these. They might have some medicinal quality I'm not aware of, given their bitter taste.

Lastly, although I haven't covered all the edible delicacies of B.C in this post (that would be impossible), it wouldn't be complete without mentioning the unique "Salal" (Gaultheria shallon) berries. They are in the Ericaceae or heath family. The berries are purple, come many on a stem and pretty tasty.

They can be identified by their leathery leaves, and tend to grow on rocky or dry areas. I found them all around, from sea level to 800m. Definitely one of the most interesting edibles I've had the chance to try in B.C.

Hope you enjoyed this change of pace. If you're ever in B.C. during the summer, don't hesistate to ask around about all the healthy snacks you can find all around you!