Fireweeds are important to all people around the world, since it's used to make honey, tea, syrup and nectar. They are also used for medical remedies for pain, swelling, fevers and many more. The plant is even edible!

The stem is the tastiest part, so you want to make sure you get all of it. As the plant grows taller it becomes more bitter in taste and chewy in texture. These young fireweed shoots have a delightful asparagus flavor that can be eaten raw, sautéed or simmered in soups and stews.

High in vitamins A and C, fireweed shoots provided a tasty spring vegetable. Flowers yield copious nectar that yield a rich, spicy honey. Today, fireweed honey, jelly, and syrup are popular in Alaska where this species grows in abundance. Fireweed can be a beautiful addition to the home garden.

Where there's fireweed, there's wildlife. Bears chow on the tender young shoots in June and deer browse the flowery stalks. Moose, caribou, muskrat, and hares also forage on fireweed.