WriterByNature.com

May 13, 2008 2:52 pm

Sedges have edges
Rushes are round
Grasses are hollow right up from the ground.

There are exceptions to this basic rule. But poetry is a valuable learning tool in nature study.

I am blessed with an amazing range of nature educators. Some are dedicated to teaching. Others do not even know they are teachers, but their impact rivals that of Barry Keegan.

I taught 12-year-old Caleb how to harvest wild garlic. He responded with that well-known poem by an unknown poet, before bounding off to share his new discovery with his parents.

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May 10, 2008 7:15 pm

The more it rains, the larger the harvest. Today’s COMA walk yielded everything that last week’s walk produced, and several more treats.

The wild garlic and ramps are huge. So are the black morels, half-free morels, yellow morels, gray morels and tulip morels.

I was the host for this week’s walk, taking COMA members to one of my favorite trails. Now that the word is out about the abundant morel harvest, I expect this hike will become a popular new COMA walk.

My harvest basket also features oyster mushrooms, dryad’s saddles and tree ears.

No one went home empty-handed. I have enough to mushrooms for several days worth of main dishes. Does it get any better than this?

May 8, 2008 8:38 am

I’m not sure why the tree ear (Auricularia auricula) is considered edible and the black jelly roll (Exidia glandulosa) pictured below, is typically not.

But if COMA mentors Dianna Smith or Gary Lincoff say a mushroom is edible. I trust them.

I had to study this photo and compare it with the tree ear photos online to see the difference.

I added these to a home-made vegetable soup. The texture was fine and the flavor barely detectable.

From my point of view, there is a big difference between a mushroom that is boring, but edible and a mushroom that is toxic.

I finally found a tree ear to photograph:

I’m not sure I’d want to sit down to a plate full of Exidia glandulosa or Auricularia auricula, for that matter. But these jelly fungi are a pleasing addition to a slow-cooked soup.

May 4, 2008 6:40 pm

After an unusually hot, dry April, May has brought needed rain. Today’s COMA hike brought a harvest of morels that exceeded all of last year’s morel finds.

Typically the black morel fruits first, followed by the half-free morel (Morchella species) and the yellow morel arrives later. But everything is fruiting and blooming at the same time in the wild and in the garden.

Add ramps and wild garlic - and the meal is the best ever.

April 23, 2008 8:36 am

If you look at the images on the top of this page, you’ll see photos of trout lily, ramps (wild leeks), and wild garlic, which thrive in the woods at this time of year.

One advantage gardening has over foraging is that I don’t have to worry about disturbing poison ivy. I got out to Harmony Farm early enough yesterday morning to harvest enough chickweed for a week’s worth of salads and side dishes.

The chickweed has engulfed the spinach that had been planted last autumn. Any farmer will tell you that a weed is a plant growing where you don’t want it to grow. No one ever told me weeds were not tasty and nutritious. I trimmed the tops of the chickweed with a scissors, but before I got down to uprooting them, my mentor showed up with more important work for me. (more…)

7:08 am

When I tasted Joe Brandt’s Japanese knotweed salad, I couldn’t wait to try it for myself. Joe is that rare combination of skill and artistry in the field and in the kitchen. Try this first, then read on to see what I did for a variation on this salad.

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April 14, 2008 5:43 am

Mycologists in Michigan and West Virginia are already reporting their morel findings. I figure it’s never too soon to begin checking under the leaf litter.

I didn’t find morels, but trout lilies and wild garlic are abundant and easy to gather in this pliable earth. The first violet leaves are emerging. My little woodland patch of knotweed is also sending up tiny shoots.

While I was foraging, so was this hawk. I didn’t click at the right time to get a photo of the catch. But this tolerant bird hung around close enough to let me photograph the feast.

February 7, 2008 6:10 am

The wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) is an escaped cultivated parsnip, according to every forager I consulted. The important thing to note is that the leaves can irritate your skin. The root is the desired edible part of the plant.

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December 17, 2007 6:11 am

I was surprised and delighted to hear from a fellow forager, who has streamlined black walnut harvesting. I’m waiting for the ice storms to pass, so I can go outdoors and try it out.

I profoundly grateful that Rose Barlow of Prodigal Gardens, took the time to visit my site and make a valuable contribution. Of course, I wanted to learn more about her so I paid her a visit.  (more…)

November 25, 2007 3:38 am

Those delectable early spring edibles are back.

When there’s a frost, it means that wild green leaves have lost their protective bitterness. The cooler weather also means a second season for many wild greens.

I have mixed feelings about this. Fresh veggies are always delightful. But as the climate changes, we lose native foods as well.

Without a snow-covered winter, we are going to lose out on maple syrup and morels. Trees need a period of dormancy in order for sap to rise vigorously.

I’m watching the roller-coaster weather pattern. We get a bit of frost or even a dusting of snow, then the weather warms up by 20 degrees. I’ll have to adapt to whatever unfolds. So spending time with the plants and animals I love has to happen now, while they are still around.