Learning More About Wild Food
“People simply fall in love with wild foods. Lord knows these wild things swept me away. Folks want to be seduced by their mystery, their freedom from the bonds of agriculture. Our human civilization, based on agriculture, has struggled for millennia to no longer depend on foraging in the wild. But here at the start of the twenty-first century, the old hunter-gatherer luring in all of us just won’t let go.”
Connie Green
(The Wild Table: Seasonal Foraged Food and Recipes)
I’m really enjoying reading through this book right now. Every year I try to learn a little more about wild edible food that I can forage for, they’re delicious and super healthy (and free).
We hunt for morels every spring and enjoy those thoroughly, I’d love to learn about more edible mushrooms in my area. I also harvest wild plants like plantain for salves along with dandelions, garlic mustard and wild violets for salads. We have a plentiful supply of wild blackberries close by that we freeze and enjoy all winter long.
Winter time is when I focus on learning about more wild foods that I can find in the woods around our home. I haven’t decided what new wild foods I’m going to be searching for this year, any suggestions?
Do you eat any wild foods? Where do you learn about them?
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Lucky Me – Free Plants
Remember those beautiful ‘White Crane’ flowering kale I was waxing on and on about last fall? I thought they might sprout roots if I left them in water after they faded, so I put them down in the basement under the grow lights when they were past prime.
I noticed a few weeks ago that they had sprouted roots – HURRAH! I have 5 plants that I potted up and will planting them in the garden this spring. If I get lucky they’ll set seed and I’ll be able to save seed from them and end up with even more of them (if they do I’ll be sure to have a giveaway).
Next on the plant propagation list: blue sweet potatoes. I bought some blue sweet potatoes at the farmer’s market and I’ll try my hand at propagation soon, I’ll be posting more about my efforts in a few weeks. Propagating plants from sources like this is really the best way to get new plants for your garden, then you have a story to go along with them (not to mention they’re FREE).
Have you ever propagated plants “accidentally”?
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Is It Time Yet?
It seems like just about everyone around here has already taken down their Christmas decorations. Perhaps they were taking advantage of the 50 degree days we had on New Year’s, but it seems like everyone did it a little earlier than normal. My Christmas decor is still up, I usually don’t take it down until mid January.
One of the things I’m particularly enjoying is the card garland on my stairway. I’m sure a few of you will recognize your lovely cards on there! I’m not in a hurry to take these down as I usually am with my Christmas cards.
I’ll probably take all of my indoor and outdoor Christmas decorations down some day next week. I’m never in a rush because I enjoy it so much, not to mention you spend all that time decorating why not enjoy it for more than a few weeks! That’s one nice thing about having natural holiday decor, it’s more wintery than Christmasy so you can leave it up a little longer. I’m really hoping the days get a little warmer so I don’t freeze my fingers off while taking down all that outdoor garland. I’ll be giving those Ethel insulated gloves another go at winter work. I will be sad as I always think things look really bare when all the lights and garland are gone.
When do you take down your Christmas decorations?
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Quote of the Day: Henry David Thoreau
That man is richest whose pleasures are cheapest.
~ Henry David Thoreau (Walden)
My simple pleasures on a cold winter day…
…a cup of coffee in a handmade mug
…freshly fallen snow
…the morning sun peeking through the clouds
…the little bits of color you spot occasionally during the winter
…the view of beautiful sunsets unhindered by tree leaves
…I can’t forget to mention warming up the bed with an electric mattress pad, it’s so nice climbing into a toasty warm bed! (we turn it off when we get into bed, it’s too hot to leave on all night)
What are some of your simple pleasures?
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Not Chickens, but They’ll Do For Now
I’ve always wanted to have chickens, we’re not allowed in our little neighborhood. I’m pretty sure I could hide some though, as they don’t really enforce the rules unless your neighbors complain. I’m not sure I’m ready for chickens though, as they take daily care, and I can be a bit reluctant to head out into the cold on a single digit morning. Those garage cats are great practice though. I have to make sure they have food every day and give them fresh water as well. Whenever I have to suit up to head out and feed them I remember that this is what it would be like to have chickens.
Miss Mama and Little Softie are doing great. They’ve made themselves a little nest in our garage with an old coat and a few cardboard boxes (amazing how they do things like this). I’m thinking of getting them a heated mat though because it’s quite cold out there, and a heated water bowl would be good as well. Perhaps I’ll attempt to build a solar waterer like I saw in Mother Earth News once.
We don’t see them out and about much in the winter, they seem to be hibernating, I think the kitty litter pan we put in the garage for them makes them stay in more as well. When we go out to the garage they come out to beg for food. They also come out when I head to take photos, feed the birds, or run something to the compost. I think they’re missing the human interaction they got in the warm months when I’m outside for several hours. Miss Mama especially is demanding when she sees you out, she wants some attention and some petting! Miss Mama has gotten a little chunky this winter, I bet she has no trouble staying warm.
It’s getting about time to take Little Softie in to get her spayed. She’s still slightly feral and doesn’t trust us 100% yet. Can you blame her after her series of unfortunate events when we had to keep her in a kennel for 2 weeks giving her antibiotics 2x a day (she did not love that). Bet she’s not going to trust us for a while after getting her fixed!
Do you have chickens? How much work are they during the cold winter months? Any other outdoor animals you have to take care of?
