thinking about foraging

I have turned out to be quite a naturalist in my old age :). All these hobbies that spun off from my love of gardening.  First mushroom hunting and collecting and eating (yummy) to beekeeping to collect their honey and help the environment...yes, that's the order. I honestly think of my eating before I think of the environment...sad but true.

With mushrooms, it's all about finding edibles.  I know there are lots of other types, including chaga and reishi that are medicinal..and then there are others that will get you high...and those that will kill you. Thousands of different mushrooms, but I like finding chanterelle, hen of the woods and other fine edibles and use them in any recipe that calls for mushrooms...and some other recipes I've gone looking for.

I finally found fiddleheads 3 years ago..for the first time in my life!  I'd been fascinated with finding them for a long time but then I finally researched enough to get information on where to find them...and finally did.  At least I now know of two different spots where there are fiddleheads.  And now I know what to look for.  I look for ferns that have the deep groove in the stem, like celery.  It doesn't have any fuzz.  And it has a brown paper coating that's generally partially gone.  And they grow in damp areas.  Saying that, I must laugh.  One of my spots for finding fiddleheads turns out to be in my own yard, right next to the driveway, which looks dry enough..but it must have an underground water vein there since, from what I know about fiddleheads, they like bog-type areas.

My other great finds these last few years in the "foraging" category are Ramps, or Wild Leeks.  These can be found in the early spring...about the same time as fiddleheads.  They are so delicious...a cross between a green onion and garlic.  I found a huge patch this year, right near my home so I can easily find as much as I want in the future.

All this foraging is just a good excuse to walk in the woods. And there's something about finding food rather than buying it. I get much more excited to eat the items I find.

I keep thinking of chickens to have my own eggs but this fox keeps coming around so in order to get chickens, I'll need a gun, and I'll need a coop and feed and when could I ever go anywhere if I had to feed chickens every day?  I don't know.  We'll see if I ever go in that direction.