Cricket considers that, about cooking. "Most stuff I've only seen eaten raw or brewed into tea, but cookin' might make it easier to get down. Maybe even if the sap ain't running we could boil some of the sugar out of it. I ain't a chef, but I'll think about it."

"Trick is, there's probably roots and fallen acorns and whatnot under the snow, but tryin' to get at them might be more trouble than they're worth. But I'll talk to 'em and maybe they've seen better stuff out there than I can find in the Plaza."

Sometimes rose hips and nuts and berries even get frozen on the stem or branch. That wouldn't make the flavor any more palatable but there'd still be some inherent nutrition. Cricket looks like he's definitely warming to the idea of having some knowledge to contribute.