A foraging adventure 8 x 8 gouache on black.. a fun warm up for the morning
Yesterday we foraged! We were on a mission and we were successful - yet wet. Right when we were in the middle of the forest it got dark', fast... then it started to rain. Poppy ran home, Ginger a few paces behind her only to be greeted by a closed door so they sat waiting in the rain - the look Poppy gave me when I finally showed up was priceless - WTF took you so long mom!? Daisy & Arrow stayed with me - but Arrow also does not like the rain. There's only a few black flies and a couple of mosquitos so it was still an enjoyable adventure!
We picked Ramp - for ramp butter and to sauté some, I don't pull the bulbs (just the leaves) as that can kill off your plants, I I will pick more soon as they will disappear soon! We're just finishing our ramp butter made last year & frozen - delicious! I also picked Dyards saddle which is so fresh it's amazing. OMGosh, cutting into it, you're immediately taken back by the fresh invigorating sent of cucumber or melon. I sautéed some with ramp in butter for an omelette for Storm that he said was really good. Oh, and lets not forget the foraged eggs. :) There's a few things already to eat - including dandelion tops - dipped in egg and flour then fried in ramp butter - tasty treats are everywhere! Don't forget wild violets are edible (flowers too) and of course the leaves - although a bit bitter -are packed with so much nutrients it's worth throwing a few in a salad. The bonus of finding stuff on the property - we never use any pesticides.
I learned a few years ago spruce tips are edible, they taste like little fresh nibbles of lemon but they too come and go quickly, mine are in full bloom! Don't mix Spruce with YEW, yew is 'flatter' and sometimes has red berries on it and is poisonous. ALWAYS KNOW (especially with mushrooms) which is edible as some can make you very sick and even kill.
I put about 2 dozen spruce tips in a jar and poured honey over them, you only need a few ... and now every time I go into the kitchen I'm heading for that jar! With only a few the whole jar is flavoured and will be amazing once it sits even longer to ad to my afternoon tea, drizzle over a salad or right off the spoon - yum. You can pick and freeze, pickle, make into a syrup, garnish salads and more! Are they good for you? Yes: Spruce needles are exceptionally high in Vitamin C – frozen or dried spruce tips are good source of vitamin C during wintertime, they also contain carotenoids. Spruce buds are rich in minerals such as potassium and magnesium. Spruce needles have long been used by indigenous tribes for relieving coughs and sore throats. They contain plenty of chlorophyll, which helps growing and healing tissues, controlling cravings, as well as transporting oxygen to cells. It also neutralizes free radicals, keeps blood sugar balanced, accelerates wound healing and bonds poisonous metals present in your body. Plenty of reasons to pick some Spruce tips.
So my first forage was successful - FREE treats from God & the forest! We're going out again today (before mosquitos take over) - we found a HUGE gooseberry bush that will be covered in berries so I want to keep an eye on it & get them before the deer. My grandma had a huge gooseberry bushand made gooseberry jam - I will too. Created to create - jams and honeys too!
Yesterday we foraged! We were on a mission and we were successful - yet wet. Right when we were in the middle of the forest it got dark', fast... then it started to rain. Poppy ran home, Ginger a few paces behind her only to be greeted by a closed door so they sat waiting in the rain - the look Poppy gave me when I finally showed up was priceless - WTF took you so long mom!? Daisy & Arrow stayed with me - but Arrow also does not like the rain. There's only a few black flies and a couple of mosquitos so it was still an enjoyable adventure!
We picked Ramp - for ramp butter and to sauté some, I don't pull the bulbs (just the leaves) as that can kill off your plants, I I will pick more soon as they will disappear soon! We're just finishing our ramp butter made last year & frozen - delicious! I also picked Dyards saddle which is so fresh it's amazing. OMGosh, cutting into it, you're immediately taken back by the fresh invigorating sent of cucumber or melon. I sautéed some with ramp in butter for an omelette for Storm that he said was really good. Oh, and lets not forget the foraged eggs. :) There's a few things already to eat - including dandelion tops - dipped in egg and flour then fried in ramp butter - tasty treats are everywhere! Don't forget wild violets are edible (flowers too) and of course the leaves - although a bit bitter -are packed with so much nutrients it's worth throwing a few in a salad. The bonus of finding stuff on the property - we never use any pesticides.
I learned a few years ago spruce tips are edible, they taste like little fresh nibbles of lemon but they too come and go quickly, mine are in full bloom! Don't mix Spruce with YEW, yew is 'flatter' and sometimes has red berries on it and is poisonous. ALWAYS KNOW (especially with mushrooms) which is edible as some can make you very sick and even kill.
I put about 2 dozen spruce tips in a jar and poured honey over them, you only need a few ... and now every time I go into the kitchen I'm heading for that jar! With only a few the whole jar is flavoured and will be amazing once it sits even longer to ad to my afternoon tea, drizzle over a salad or right off the spoon - yum. You can pick and freeze, pickle, make into a syrup, garnish salads and more! Are they good for you? Yes: Spruce needles are exceptionally high in Vitamin C – frozen or dried spruce tips are good source of vitamin C during wintertime, they also contain carotenoids. Spruce buds are rich in minerals such as potassium and magnesium. Spruce needles have long been used by indigenous tribes for relieving coughs and sore throats. They contain plenty of chlorophyll, which helps growing and healing tissues, controlling cravings, as well as transporting oxygen to cells. It also neutralizes free radicals, keeps blood sugar balanced, accelerates wound healing and bonds poisonous metals present in your body. Plenty of reasons to pick some Spruce tips.
So my first forage was successful - FREE treats from God & the forest! We're going out again today (before mosquitos take over) - we found a HUGE gooseberry bush that will be covered in berries so I want to keep an eye on it & get them before the deer. My grandma had a huge gooseberry bushand made gooseberry jam - I will too. Created to create - jams and honeys too!
