Squash, Squash and More Squash

Just like everything else in my garden, the squash are coming ready for the harvest much earlier than usual.  I've actually never had squash harvested as early as this year so this will be an experimental year.  Because I store my squash in the root cellar whole, and they usually last until April or so of the next spring.  I'll have to see how long these squash will last.  In March the new spring garden is just being planted and even the early greens aren't ready for eating.  If the food in the root cellar goes bad too early it's a struggle to make it until the new garden starts producing food to eat.  We'll see...

Squash is one of the Three Sisters or one of the three sacred plants that kept certain American Indian tribes alive through the winter.  The other two plants are maize (American corn) and climbing or pole beans.  There are many legends to say how they came to be called The Three Sisters and it is interesting to see how all the agricultural tribes are similar yet different.

Squash is a very important part of my diet.  Because I live in Wisconsin, I don't have the long growing season that many people do.  To get calorie dense food out of our short growing season can be difficult.  Squash is one of those foods that fits the bill.  My favorite way to eat it is baked with maple syrup drizzled over it. but I have many different recipes that I use, just because my root cellars are usually filled with squash.

When harvesting squash, just like harvesting every other food, some of it is only partially good and has to be processed right away.  Dehydration is my favorite way of storing this in a squash leather of sorts.  I cut out the bad spots, take out the seeds and bake the squash until soft.  Then scrape it out of the shell and puree it in a food mill, food processor or blender.  To this I add maybe some honey or maple syrup, and some spices, usually cinnamon, nutmeg or even pumpkin pie spice.  I will also mix the squash puree with pureed apples or even tomatoes (this sounds bad but it is actually really good).   Then I put it into the dehydrator and dry it. 

You can easily make a solar dehydrator by laying some plastic wrap over a screen propped up by bricks so that air can flow underneath it.  This can be on any type of raised surface such as a picnic table.  The put a second layer of bricks around the outside edge and carefully drape cheese cloth over this so it doesn't touch whatever you have on the plastic wrap.  Make sure this is in full sun and it works really well if it is on the south side of a building (here in the northern hemisphere). 

If you don't want to go through all of that, smear the puree on a flexible surface (aluminum foil is okay) and put in your oven.  Set at the lowest setting you can or 140 degrees F and crack the oven door.  Take care if you have animals or small children around so the don't burn themselves.  Let this sit for several hours and check.  When you can peel the now leather off its surface, flip it over and let it dry of a couple more hours.  Put in a moisture-proof container and store in a cool, dry, dark place.  Or eat it right now.  It doesn't last long around this house.  lol

Another thing I do with squash that I have to use up right away is squash soup.  This is one of my favorite fall and winter meals.  I often make a big pot of it and eat on in for a week (or until guests come over and eat it all).  This soup with a good crusty bread makes an excellent meal for those cold, snowy days when all you want to do is stay hunkered down in the house.

What you need are:

• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 rib of celery, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, chopped
• 1 tart green apple, peeled, cored, chopped (squash and apple should be at a 3 to 1 ratio)
• 3 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth if vegetarian)*
• 1 cup water
• spice of your choosing-if you like it sweeter some maple syrup or honey with cinnamon, nutmeg and/or pumpkin pie spice or for a more savory flavor, parsley, rosemary, chives and/or thyme

Method

1 Set a large saucepan over medium-high heat and heat the butter for 1-2 minutes. Do not let it turn brown. Add the onion, celery and carrot and saute for 5 minutes, taking care to turn the heat down if the vegetables begin to brown.
2 Add squash, apple, broth and water. Bring to boil. Cover, turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes or until squash and carrots soften. Puree, and return to a clean pot.
3 Add salt and spices to taste.

I like to put in a huge dollop of sour scream or even mix some in after the puree (and still put another dollop on it).  It can be served hot on cold winter days or cold on warm late summer days. This can be doubled or tripled, or made in a huge cauldron to feed an army.  It is even better tasting the next day.

For me this is the introduction or gateway into autumn.  The calendar may not say it is fall yet, but the garden is yelling it loud and clear.  I have a tendency to listen to the garden. 

P.S., The bread is a pumpkin bread with chopped up bits of autumn olive and apple leather mixed it.  Perfect to go with squash soup.

I Have a Handicap Ramp!

Yesterday was a busy day and finally I have my handicap ramp!  I know, it's not quite finished yet, it needs trimming and some railings to keep us from falling off.  Still, I figured out how to do a non-level surface.  As a person who believes in building community, it has bothered me that my house has not been accessible to those with mobility issues.  Now we have taken care of that.  Either that or I have built a sledding hill for next winter.  lol

Atumn Olive Jam; Part 2--Actually Making the Jam

 

 

 

If you are reading this and have no idea what I am talking about, then it is probably best to go back to part one.  I hope if you saw part 1 I haven't lost you yet.  lol

 

 So, after you get done putting your autumn olive fruits through the food mill, you should have a kinda weird looking pulp.  It may have some chunky parts and parts that look watery.  That's fine, just stir this together before you measure it.  Measure out 4 cups of your pulp.  I like to add a three or four tablespoons of lemon juice to freshen the flavor but it is not needed.  Without the lemon juice it have a darker flavor, more from the woods.  I like it either way, it just sells better with those few tablespoons of lemon juice in it.

 

Put this all in a LARGE sauce pan.  After you add the sugar this will expand a whole lot.  For those who have never made jams, you need to know that this stuff will foam up a great deal and you can't turn it down without ruining your jam.  So start with a large sauce pan to begin with and then you won't have to worry about it.

 

 

 

To make this easier for beginners I am using Sure-Jell, which is the most commonly used and easiest to find pectin on the market.  Normally I make my own pectin from sour apples but this is just easier in the telling.  If you have been making jam for a long time, work with what works best for you. 

 

The main thing about working with Sure-Jell is that it does take a large amount of sugar.  You have to use the amount given here or it is a good chance your jam will not set up.  You'll still have a yummy autumn olive syrup to pour over pancakes, but it won't spread on toast well. 

 



The next thing you will need is 5 1/2 cups of sugar.  This not only to sweeten the jam but to set the pectin.  You need to have this all measured out and ready to be put into the jam when it has reached a full rolling boil that can't be stirred down.

In another pot scald your canning jars and lids in boiling water.  This is needed to sterilize your jars and softens up the rubber on the lids to make them easy for sealing.  Once the jars have been in the boiling water for about 10 minutes take them out and set them on a counter on a towel.  The towel is needed because when you are pouring hot jam into the jars if they are sitting directly on the cold counter the jars can crack.  Leave the lids in the water to keep soft.  Here I have a canning funnel in my first jar, but if you don't have one then just be careful when you put your jam into the jars.

Okay, now you're ready to get started.  Mix your pulp, Sure-Jell, and lemon juice if you are using it into the sauce pan (if you haven't already done this).  Start heating this up on high heat, stirring constantly.  This is the boring part but don't worry, soon the action will start.  lol  Once the pulp is boiling hard and you can not stir that boil down, add the sugar ALL AT ONCE.  This is very important.  Don't add it a cup at at time, dump it in all at once. 

Begin stirring again.  Stir until you reach that full rolling boil that you can not stir down again and time it for one minute.  Remember, you are still stirring all this time and throughout the one minute.  As soon as the one minute is done, turn off the heat and pour the jam into your waiting jars. 

 

From here you simply wipe off the edges of your jars, put the lid and ring on and tighten them down.   Let this set until it is cooled and check you lids to make sure they have sealed (the lid has been sucked down onto the jar).  If they sealed you can store these away in you pantry or cellar for a sweet treat in the cold of winter.  If one didn't seal (it happens from time to time) put it into the fridge and enjoy it now.

A wonderful and delicious edible from the wilds just there for you to harvest and make.   No need to see what the supermarket has on its shelves.  It doesn't have anything as good as what just came out of your kitchen.  You and nature together make a pretty powerful pair.

Autmn Olive Jam: Part 1 Harvest and Preparation

Autumn Olive is a wild edible that many people may not have heard of but it makes some of the most delicious jam you can make.  I make it for home use and to sell at the farmer's market and I can't ever make enough of it because it sells so well.

First, let's start with a description.  Autumn olive trees are invasive here in the U.S.  This means that they aer not native to the continent and they can become so numerous all by themselves that they can do damage to native plants.  This particular tree can fill up a meadow in a matter of a few years and shade out any plant that grows beneath it.

It is often described as a sparkly wild cherry tree.  It has dark bark with narrow, lance like leaves.  The leaves on the underside have a sort of silver shimmer that can be seen for quite a distance away.  I can spot an autumn olive tree while driving 65 miles per hour on the Interstate.  Once you know them they are easy to spot.  Their fruit turns red when matures but it too has a shimmer it it.  If you look at it closely it looks to be covered with a golden glitter.  This is the best way to know the plant, look for the shimmer.

Autumn olive fruits are easy to pick.  Grab the end of a branch filled with berries with one hands and hold it over a bucket.  With the other hand strip the berries (and some leaves) into the bucket.  If you have enough trees, you can fill a five gallon bucket in an hour.  Don't worry about over harvesting.  Remember, this is an invasive.  By removing the berries, you don't allow the tree to spread.

A hint when picking these berries.  When you are finished processing the berries you will have about 1/3 of the volume you started with so pick accordingly.  Such as this recipe will call for 4 cups of autumn olive pulp so you will need to pick 12 cups of berries.  It sounds like a lot but it really doesn't take that long.  You can also half this recipe and therefor will only need to pick half the berries.

When you get the berries home it is time to pick through them.  Remember stripping those branches of their berries?  Well, probably a few leaves ended up falling into your bucket too.  Take 'em out along with any bugs or odd stuff that fell in with them.  While some books will tell you to, don't worry too much about the berry stems.  If you have a few big ones, take them out, but don't spend the next two days picking out every berry stem.  I don't and many people have eaten my jam and never knew. 

 

 

 

From there run them through a food mill.  Yes, once again I talk about a food mill.  Really, if you process your own food you will find this tool indispensable.  The seeds are large so you will have to do this in small batches.  Run a batch through the mill, scrape out the seeds with a rubber spatula, and do the next batch.  This is probably the hardest part of the whole process and it's not hard, just time consuming.  If you don't have a food mill you can CAREFULLY press the berries through a sieve.  Try not to break the seeds (they are hard so no worries about normal pressing, just don't beat them) because they are bitter and can add an "off" flavor to the finished jam.

 

I'll pick this up in part two; the actual making of the jam.

Wild Medicinal: Gentian

I'm back after a long hurricane watch cycle.  As a forensic meteorologist who works for the government, I am required to be on call at work during national weather events.  So while most of the time I get to work out of my home, during these times I must be out in the field.  For the next couple of days I will be crunching data while trying to get caught up with the farm chores.  Thank goodness for family to take care of things while I am gone.

First thing I notices as I crossed the bridge into the valley I live in is the bottle gentian growing near the creek edge.  It's about 3 weeks early but if this summer has taught me anything it is to let go of human created time frames.  With the new weather patterns we are having, plants will grow when it best suits them and we just have to play catch up.

Bottle gentian is one member of this plant family that grows all over the world and the main one I use for a medicinal.  We usually find it growing just as summer is drawing to a close, sometimes it even emerges after the first frosts of the year.  It likes to have its feet wet so looking for it by streams, ponds, lakes...basically damp areas, is the best way to find it.  It's leaves are opposite, meaning they come off the stem directly across from each other, and are mildly lance like.  While my pictures suck (I will never make money as a photographer), the flowers are closed and somewhat bottled shaped.

Gentian is an older medicine than most people use now a days because we don't like bitters anymore.  Bitters use to be a very important part of any person's diet, usually taken if one was feeling sluggish or as a preventative after a heavy meal.  My great aunt still takes bitters everyday to keep her digestive track working well.

Bitters are used as a sort of irritant to the body.  When you take a bitter, either as a tea, tincture or syrup you feel the effect immediately.  You mouth begins to salivate a bit more.  This is what bitters do.  They increase moisture and healing bile to the whole digestive tract.  Now, for many people biles is a bad thing.  To put it bluntly (when did bodily functions become so hush, hush?) most people only experience bile when they are sick.  Their body produces more of it to coat the digestive tract to protect it.  Sometimes this extra bile comes out in ways that are kinda gross.  But bile, and even extra bile, is usually good for us.  It is our body's way of keeping the very thing that feeds it (the digestive tract from mouth to anus) safe. 

When we eat rich foods or rough foods, sometimes our bodies simply don't make enough bile to move that digesting food through our system.  In polite terms this is called irregularity.  A person may feel bloated, their stomach may make those funny noises that seem to happen just as the room is quiet, diarrhea and/or constipation can happen, cramping and an overall feeling of not right is usually part of the symptoms.  Bitters help you avoid all this by making the body keep itself safe.  Instead of putting a drug into your system to fix the problem, bitters like gentian ask your body to do it for itself. 

Gentian tonic can also be used for those who get motion sickness.  Drinking plenty of water and taking a bitter can make us feel less queasy.  If you get stomach upset in stressful situations, gentian can keep the digestive tract flowing properly when the rest of the body is tense.

Gentian can also help with those who have colon problems.  A woman once called me because her doctor told her she had diverticulitis and would have to have surgery.  I told her that I was not a doctor and I recommended she follow her doctor's orders but if she wanted to try something else first she could fast for three days and then slowly start eating again.  If she added more fiber to her diet after her body had healed and drank a bitter twice a day she may be able to avoid surgery.  She did just that and cured her diverticulitis without medical help.  I'm not saying don't listen to a doctor--they get paid the big bucks for their knowledge--but here is an example of a woman who cured herself.

I have even heard of it being used in MILD cases of appendicitis where surgery wasn't required, instead antibiotics were used to clear up the infection.  After the antibiotics had done their job, the person started using bitters to keep the bile flowing and keep build up from happening.   

I am making a good size tincture of bitters from my gentian adding some dried willow bark to the jar as a mild pain reliever.  You do not need to add the willow bark and if you are allergic to aspirin you should NOT add it.  Willow contains salicin, the natural form of aspirin.  My tinctures are made by stuffing a scalded jar as full as I can get it with the gentian plant (all aerial parts) then pouring at least 80 proof spirits over it.  If you don't like alcohol, an apple cider vinegar tincture works as well, only you will need to take a slightly larger dose.  I let this sit for at least 2 months before I strain off the plant material and put the liquid into a dark jar (or just store it in a dark place).  This becomes the tincture than can be used twice a day.  Twenty or thirty drops into an eight ounce glass of water will help your body regulate itself quite nicely or drink this after a heavy meal to get the digestive process going.

Gentian is just a good all around medicine for digestive tract ailments.  Mint tea with a few drops of bitters can be a way to end a hard day when the stomach is complaining that you may just have over done it in the eating department.  Bitters, an ancient medicine our ancestors knew about. 

Weekend Plans Changed

 

A visitor to camp

I am not use to owning a business where others work under me.  Our school has hired 4 employees to teach outdoor skills and 7 apprentices to help out as they learn.  All of our employees and apprentices are great people and we are so lucky to have them.  One of the young men who co-teaches our Three Day Wilderness Survival course called me early Friday morning--and when I say early, I mean EARLY, right around 1:00am.  His wife was going into labor two weeks early.  I told him to be with his wife and don't even think about his job until everything was well with both mother and child.

< For those who may be curious, mother and child are doing fine and their little girl decided to wait a bit longer before she blesses us all with her presence.>

The problem is he was planning on going out THIS last weekend on a three day course.  I only had two classes planned this weekend, Cider Making and Fermenting 101.  Both of those classes can be taught by others but there are only a few of us that can teach the 3 day course.  I had to round up two people to teach my other classes and then cancel the rest of my weekend to teach the 3 day course.  Aaarrrggg!

But that's a responsibility for those who own or co-own their own business.

                         ...and autumn olive to eat.



Plenty of wild grape...                                                                   


Needless to say, nothing else was accomplished around the farm but I was privileged to be a part of a small group of people's Art of Nothing weekend.  Twelve of us went out into the woods with nothing more than the cloths on our back and worked WITH nature for three days.  For many this is a life altering event, helping them to see past the veil that a modern society puts up to separate us from our own power.

 

Different handholds for bow-drill fire sets 

We are all strong enough to come together and live in harmony.   Sometimes all we need is a small nudge to see how truly powerful we all are.   We are so often judged by what we HAVE or DON'T HAVE but in the end we can all change the world one person at a time.  Here is a story about a man who, having lost his wife, needed to do SOMETHING to make life worth living.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57428413/ohio-widower-paints-the-town-to-make-it-a-brighter-place/

 Instead of going out and buying more stuff, he began paint his town, one lamp post, one fire hydrant, one house, one business at a time.  He is a true inspiration to us all,  for from his soul he is changing the way people see his world.  We all have this power, all we have to do is remember that.

False Solomon Seal dying back-perfect for root harvest

One of the joys of teaching this course, where we learn to make fire, build shelters, find food, purify water...with just our own two hands, is seeing people who thought of themselves as just cogs in the wheel suddenly see just how great they are.  As much as I would have loved getting more done around the farm this weekend, I am so glad to have been a part of these people's rediscovery of themselves.  I thank these wonderful people for letting me see that joy.  Going out on one of these courses is like entering into another world, one where it is the individual and the group together that can survive.  There is no separateness, no loneliness, and no competition.  We all must work together to survive and we all must bring out our talents as individuals. 

Wonderful weekend.  Thank you

P.S. I haven't had a shower in three days, I'm off for a long soak.  LOL

Apples and Applesauce

For being such a dry year we haven't suffered all that much in the fruit department here.  With two major exceptions, blackberries and apples.  These two fruits usually come ripe right about the same time but this year because of the drought we harvest no blackberries, zero, zip, nada.  This breaks my heart because my favorite desert of all time is apple blackberry crumble and it will be another year before I might be able to try it (hopefully the drought won't last that long).  The blackberry canes started to fruit out but because blackberries need a lot of water to fruit, the whole cane just died away with little hard fruits not quite ripe dying with them.  The young brambles are fine so we will still have blackberry patches next year, but no berries to mix in with my apples to stain our fingers while eating apple/blackberry crumble topped off with a scoop of fresh, homemade ice cream.  I sure will miss that desert.

Our apples did not fare much better.  Because of the early spring and the late frost, most of the flowers were killed off.  No apple flowers means no apples, simple as that.  We lost probably about 60% of our crop.  Now, everything I grow has a special place in my heart, but apples are one of my sacred fruits.  I throw 5 parties large parties every year where people from all over come to the farm, the biggest one though is the wassail I do every February 2nd.  This is where I put out a huge spread of food in the party barn and people from all over come out and wassail or call to the apple trees.  As long as a person goes out into the orchard and wishes the apple trees well, they can eat, drink and be merry at the party.  I have choirs come, bands will play with their frozen fingers to the apple trees, I have had priests come and bless the orchard, children give the trees a hug, people leave little offerings, I even had a Buddhist monk come and say a prayer for my orchard. 

I do this in February because many people need a pick-me-up during that dark time of the year.  The holidays are over and spring is still a long way in coming.  It is good getting neighbors out and meet with each other when people are feeling so low.

So needless to say, apples are important.  I store a great deal of them to cook with for the wassail.  I make cider and hard cider to pass around.  Apple butter is always in my holiday gift baskets around the Solstice.  This year, however, I'm just going to have to learn to do without the normal abundance I have.  I still have apples and I will still have a wassail, but this year every apple on those trees are precious gifts that I guard like they were made of gold.  Even though it has not been pleasant, the drought did teach an important lesson.  Always know our blessings, even ones that seem normal, because one day they may not be there.  The lesson the apples taught me this year will not be one soon forgotten.

So, on to making the applesauce.  It is one of the easiest things to make and you don't need a whole list of ingredients.  First I start with as many different kind of apples as I can get.  I like some that are pretty tart, a few that have more of the tannin flavor (drying in the mouth) and then a whole bunch of sweet ones.  I really don't know the names of my apple trees, I know them by the flavor of apple they give me.  You certainly don't need to mix a whole bunch of different kinds though.  If you only have one kind of apple tree or if you are buying your apples you can get your favorite.   The sauce will have the flavor of your favorite apple.

Here is a selection of apples from my orchard.  Not my usual 4 or 5 bushels I start off with, but a couple of pecks at least.

I quarter and core the apples and put them into my big stainless steel pots.  I add a little water in the bottom of the pans so the apples don't scorch, and then I heat them up slowly on low heat.

 

 

After a couple of hours it all just goes to mush in the pot.  It's practically applesauce now.

The easiest way to get smooth applesauce is by putting it through a food mill at this point.  If you don't have one, the plastic ones aren't that expensive and they last for years.  If you plant on doing your own food they are a great investment.  If you don't want to though you can just push the apple mush through a sieve into a bowl until all you have left is the tough skin and you have a smooth sauce in the bowl.  You've just made applesauce!  Yep, it's that easy.   Now I like cinnamon in my applesauce so I flavor it to taste.  Some people like a bit of nutmeg and others like to make it really sweet with sugar or honey.  You're making it for you so add what suits you.

 

 I make a good amount so that we have some to eat fresh and some to can.  I do use a pressure canner to can my applesauce, mainly to be on the safe side.  I wouldn't doubt that you'd be fine water bath canning it for 20 or 30 minutes, but I use the ol' pressure canner.  Though I only use five lbs of pressure and then only boil it for 8 minutes. 

 

 

Here are 17 jars waiting to be labeled and stored down in the cellar.  I love being able to grab my own, homemade applesauce to use in recipes or just to dig a spoon into and it as is.  And knowing what went into my food makes me feel all the better for eating it.

 

The apple has been a sacred fruit for centuries.  Once it was though to be the fruit of the Harvest Goddesses, because when you slice it sideways you get a five pointed star, the symbol of female power.   Cultures from then on has either revered or hated the apple in their stories and myths.  For us here in the north it is one of our main fruits, usually easily grown and harvested.  It also stores well in root cellars, something that was very important before refrigeration and canning was invented.  Northern people have always loved the apple and with my Viking ancestors, I am no different.  I always slice the first apple of the season across to see the star and know that there is still a power in the harvest and there is still a power in the feminine.  This year there is also the power in gratitude for what we have.  When we have plenty we often forget, when we have less, it becomes precious again.

 

 

Building a Handicap Ramp

This is a boring blog today, but then I only did two things today so I suppose it would be boring. 

Ever since I started teaching people self reliant skills at the house I've been planning on putting a handicap ramp to one of my doors.  Since my kitchen steps had given up the ghost last winter, they were the logical place to start.  So I went out and bought lumber and hardware and then... 

Well, here's the problem I've built many a stairs and steps.  I built decks, buildings, fireplaces, chimneys, root cellars and even went through a three year period where I built log cabins just to see if I could do it.  I can. :-)  But when a person builds all of those things they try their darnedest to make it level.  Level I am good at.  But handicap ramps aren't level.  That's kinda the point of them.  They slope up gradually so that those will mobility issues have an easier time going from point A to point B.  I've never built anything like this, so it is a challenge for me.  I love challenges but for some reason I've been putting this one off. 

But this last weekend I was looking at that stack of lumber that I had to mow around (not much because of the drought but still...) and I decided it was time to get started.  I hired my 16 year old nephew to come over and help me (and laugh at my mistakes), and we started our project today.

First here are my broken kitchen steps that needed replacing anyway.

Scary I know.  No one but me and my cousin has been allowed through this door since last March.

So first came the demolition.  The fun part of any job.  Smashing and tearing at things lets out any pent up anger I may be carrying (not that I carry that much).  But for broken down steps, those suckers fought to stay put.  We did prevail, however, though I did lose a whole bunch of morning glories in the process.

You can see the stakes that I set out to mark where the new posts were going in.  Because the two remaining posts that are there are still in good shape, and because a friend that has since past on signed them, I did not want to get rid of them.  I simply moved them to the back.  So if you're wondering why there are still two faded green posts there, it's because they have sentimental meaning.

Next we framed out the deck.  Easy enough and a good skill for me to teach my nephew.  It's also good for young men to work with a woman being their boss from time to time. 

From there the deck and stairs were easy if time consuming.  Measure, cut and screw in place. Here in Wisconsin it is best to use screws in building a deck because they usually don't pop back out and trying to shovel snow off a deck that has popped nails is a pain.  By late afternoon that part was finished.

So that's it... Wait, what about the handicap ramp!?!  Since I have never built a handicap ramp and because it was getting well over 90 degrees outside and this is NOT in the shade, I decided to start fresh in the morning when I can think a little bit better.  The ramp will come off right next to the steps and it will be less steep.  I just have to figure out how to do not level and I need a brain that's not melting in my head to do that.

Tomorrow we'll be back to work and it would be wonderful if we could get the main part of the ramp done.  We'll see, but for now at least I have stairs going into the kitchen that aren't so scary and a sixteen year old boy that knows how to build them (something many contractors don't do).  All and all, a good day's work. 

Except I went out and picked apples and am now making applesauce.  Sometimes I need to know when to stop.  It is too hot to make applesauce today, but I figure it will taste wonderful on a cold day in January, when the snow is three feet deep and I get to taste a bit of summer in a jar.  Yep, I'll get this done and then maybe go swimming at the swimming hole.  A late night skinny dip may be needed to clear my head and cool me off.  LOL

 

Wild Medicinals and The Drought

I spent the day with the apprentices today.  We spent the morning learning the basics of cleaning and preparing wool for spinning and the afternoon working with some wild medicinals.  This year has been very interesting year for those of us that are bonded with wild plants.  Because of the very early spring, the the late frost, and then the drought all the plants seem to have changed their normal patterns.  Not that plants have ever lived by human rules, but this year has been especially odd.  From harvesting maple sap in January (instead of the usual March), to now counting four seasons of raspberries (usually we only have one or two), to some very normal plants simply not making an appearance at all this year.  I have been very concerned with what the plants have been saying this year.

Yes, plants do communicate.  I know that sounds waaayyy out there, but like animal tracks in the sand, plants have markers of their own that once a human gets past their own noses, they can be easily read.

One of the easiest plants to read is the slippery elm.  This is a tree that produces the wild medicinal of slippery elm bark, an excellent internal bandage, great for healing most ailments of the digestive track, and one of the best treatments to get people use to eating foods they may not be use to eating.  Eating strange foods can be a survival strategy but people often find that when they try to force their body to consume something it is unfamiliar with, their body will reject it.  By first drinking a slippery elm bark slurry, the body can be prepared to deal with something it has never had to deal with.

The tree itself has this wonderful tell that scientists have known about for many years, though they can not tell you WHY or HOW the tree does it.  Before a stress year the slippery elm tree will send out thousands of seeds.  On good years, it will not send out any.  So when you see many seeds on a slippery elm tree it may be time to batten down the hatches, so to speak, because even though we do not know HOW the tree knows it will be a bad year, never less it does react to a bad year that is coming.

This spring the slippery elm trees put out thousands of seeds and as a witch of the woods, I knew to listen.  We put up extra corn and hay for the animals and planted a few more edibles for ourselves as well.  I even did a video on YouTube about this phenomenon this spring and said that the elm was telling us to get ready.  Sure enough, it is a good friend to listen to.  The drought hit about 2/3 of the North American continent, killing many plants and will more than likely drive up food costs after the fall tallies are done. 

Listening to the plants is a good way to stay ahead of the game.

Well, many of the wild edibles and medicinals are running late this year, so those of us that are harvesting are finding that we will have long weeks of nothing and then suddenly all the plants will be ready for harvest at once.  This makes for a crazy few days of trying to harvest enough of everything before it fades away.

Today we focused on:

 

Field vervain.  This makes both a nice tea and a tincture that can be used to help relax the body and let a person rest.  Mixed with meadowsweet it s a great night time pain medicine.  It is not as strong as valarian or hops but it is a bit stronger than chamomile.  This plant is easily found in pastures or waste places and would be very hard to over harvest.  Feel free to take as much as you want.

 

 

Jewelweed or touch-me-not, nature's cortisone.  This plant can be crushed where it stands and rubbed on insect bites, poison ivy, friction rashes, sunburns...anything that you might buy a cortisone cream for.  It does not store well except by freezing it.  It can be ground up in a blender with a touch of water then poured into ice cube trays and frozen.  Take out a cube when you need some topical relief.  I do this with a few more ingredients; a cucumber, some witch hazel tincture, a couple aloe leaves, and a good couple handfuls of jewelweed, stems and all.  This is blended until smooth and then pour through a sieve into ice cube trays.  Almost any skin ailments can be made to feel better with one of those cubes rubbed across it.

 

 





 

Lobelia, one of the darker medicines that we use.  Lobelia made in a gentle tincture of apple cider vinegar is wonderful for opening up airways during an asthma attack or in cases of allergies.  Chewed it acts like nicotine and, if used VERY carefully, can help a person who is quitting smoking.  It can even help level out withdrawal symptoms of any stimulate addiction.  For us in the temperate zones it is one of our few stimulates we can gather from the wilds.  Caution must be used with this plant, however because in a strong tincture it can cause dizziness, stupor or even (in very rare cases) death.  It is a plant that must be approached with respect to the little green ones that live in our world.

 

Heal all, Self heal or wound wort, the name of this plant says a great deal.  This wild member of the mint family has been used for healing by indigenous people on just about every continent.  It is best dried in a dark, well ventilated place and stored where it will not get damp or exposed to light.  The best way to use this plant is in a warm tea or even a sun tea.  Internally it is used as most mints are to help with an upset stomach or diarrhea.  It is also used to boost the immune system when a person is feel the first symptoms of a fever.  It's mild antibacterial action makes it a great gargle for sore throats or mouth sores (and the gargle can be swallowed, not spit out).  It can also be used cooled to wash out infected eyes or styes.  Actually, this tea can be used for so much more and I often put a handful of it into many healing teas I send out the door.  It is a common plant for common people to heal themselves with.  A good friend to know.

White snakeroot is a VERY dark medicine.  In fact this is actually a toxic plant.  Humans rarely if ever die from eating it, but over the centuries people have been poisoned from it.  How, if we don't die from eating it?  Well, humans are not very proficient at extracting everything that is in plants, we simply do not have the digestive tract to do this.  Cows, however, have multiple chambers to their stomach and can extract every last bit of nutrition as well as toxins from a plant.  The toxin in white snakeroot is stored in fatty tissue, such as breast and milk.  When we humans drink this milk, we take a highly concentrated form of the poison into ourself.  This is the "milk sickness" that killed thousands over the years before we learned how to manage our pastures (and now <yuck> feed lots).  It was what caused the death of Abraham Lincoln's mother.

So how is it a medicinal?  Well, there's really only one way to use it somewhat safely.  Roll the leaves up much like a sage bundle and tie it tight with a cotton string.  When this has dried it can be lit and blown out for the smoke and used like smelling salts of old.  It is guaranteed to wake up a person that is in a stupor.  If it doesn't, stop immediately and either way, call a doctor. 

And last but probably the most important of this buch was the elderberry.  The elderberry season came slowly and went fast and we are on the tail end of it.  Still there were enough elderberries left to make seven gallons of elderberry syrup, on gallon for each apprentice.  Elderberry, or Sister Elder as it is known on the North American Continent (Mother Elder on the European Continent) has been a sacred healing plant for a very, very long time.  It is still one of the most widely used medicinal plants, either through the elder flower or the elderberry.  Elderberry juice cooked slightly makes a wonderful healer for most upper respiratory infections.  I drink about a cup of it a day to keep my immune system strong through the cold winter months.  When my great grandmother was alive she told how elderberry syrup was one of the things that kept the 1918 flu pandemic from their door.  Most old families of the area talk about the tales of how elderberry, along with other plant cures, saved most if not all of their family's lives during that dark time.  I mix it with my kumbucha in a glass jar and sip on it all day long.  I will not go into all the things this combination has done for me, but I suggest anyone who can, try it.  In a month of continual use you will be shocked at how good you feel (and look too).

We did check out the wild hops but found they weren't quite ready.  When you work with wild edibles and medicinals you have to check you stands daily and harvest when the plants are ready, not when some human made calendar says they should be ready.  I can wait for my hops.  She is a great comfort for those who cannot sleep (just breathing in the fumes can make most people sleep) and helping women going through menopause (it is very high in a plant based estrogen).  In a week or two we'll go out and gather that one in.

A good day's work done.  We have 8 fleeces ready for the spinning wheel and 5 wild medicinals either ready or getting ready to be stored for what ails us.  Not bad for seven apprentices and one tired teacher.  lol  Tomorrow we start building the handicap ramp into the house, but tonight I am going to surf through all the wonderful blogs that are out there.  You all have a sweet night and may all your dreams be good and powerful.



Dillies

Most people when they think of pickles they think of cucumbers.  The problem is they are missing out of so many other wonderful veggies just waiting to be pickled.  From the garden you can pickle darn near everything, with the main one we do being green tomatoes.  Just before the first big frost that will kill off every last tomato on the vine all the tomatoes, ripe and unripe are gathered up.  The ripe ones are processed for one last batch of whatever tomato product we might be a bit short of in the cellar.  While the green ones are cut into quarters, put into wide mouth canning jars with whatever herbs and spices sound good at the time, and a mixture of vinegar, water and salt is poured over it. 

Many wild veggies can be pickled this way too.  My two favorites are purslane and milkweed pods.  Purslane grows in abundance in most disturbed areas so even if you don't garden you can easily have some delicious pickles free for the taking from the wilds.  Milkweed pods take a bit more work, the must be put into at least three changes of boiling water to get the latex out of it.  From then on though it is just as easily pickled as any other veggie.

There are two ways of pickling; true pickling, which is when the veggie is submerged in a salt and moisture mixture until it lactose ferments.  The salt water keeps "bad" bacteria from forming on the veggies but allows for lactic acid to form.  The most famous way of doing this is with cabbage as sauerkraut.  But most vegetables can have this done to them.  More or less water may have to be added to the vegetable, depending on how much water the vegetable releases.  Fermenting is a great way of preserving vegetables and fermented foods are also very good for you.

The other way of pickling is called brine pickling.  This is where you use a brine made out of something that is already fermented, usually vinegar.  The easiest recipe for a pickling brine is equal parts vinegar to water with 1/4 cup of salt to ever 5 cups of vinegar/water.  This mixture is poured over your veggies and spices in a canning jar and then boiled in a water bath canner, usually 20 minutes for pints, 30 for quarts.  Give your county extension a call to find out any extra information.

I have an interesting green bean vine this year that produces one to one and a half foot long beans.  While they make lots of canning beans, they aren't as sweet as the standby Blue Lake Beans that I love to can.  So instead I pickle them, making dillies.  Dillies are simply green beans made the same way that cucumbers are made into kosher dill.

These four pints were made with 2 1/2 cups of water mixed with 2 1/2 cups of white vinegar with 1/4 cup of canning salt dissolved into it.  In scalded canning jars I put a head or two of dill seeds, two or three garlic cloves, and a tablespoon of pickling spices.  I fill up the rest of the space with the green beans and pour the vinegar mixture over it.  Put the cover on the jars, submerge them in a water bath canner and boil them for 20 minutes.  After I make sure the jars are sealed, I let them set for at least 2 weeks to blend the flavors (usually the set until winter though). 

It is a very easy pickle to make, as are most pickles and a good one to put up for the long winter nights.  Now is the time to work but winter nights are the time to rest in the darkness.  But first we must prepare for those nights.  Give it a try, pickle whatever veggies you have left over and give yourself the power to control your own food.  It is wonderful to have those jars on the shelves, ready for when you need them.  Controlling your own food is the first step into freedom.  Enjoy that step.






 

Walking Home From the Fishing Hole



Usually the first thing I do in the morning is get out and milk the cow(s) (depends on how many freshened cows I have) and get the calves back with their mammas, but not this morning.  With my cousin moving into my home and the new man in my life, sometimes, just sometimes, someone beats me to the punch.  This morning I woke a 4:00am to find that Amanda (my cousin) already down at the barn getting the cows ready for milking.

With nothing else pressing to do for a couple of hours I decided to head down to the fishing hole and catch some fish for breakfast.  It is a wonderful experience to bring home the food and put it on the table without ever once reaching into your wallet.  It is your own power and knowledge that puts a meal on the table.  I woke my reluctant partner, Ryan and told him he was coming fishing.

"When?" he mumbled from the depths of the pillow.

"Now," I called back, "be ready in five."

Well, I don't think he was actually ready but he was up and moving in five minutes, grumbling about falling in love with someone who liked getting up before the butt crack of dawn, or some such silliness.

We walked down through the woods through the darkness, feeling our way down the hill, across the bridge, and to the ponds.  The eastern sky was just starting to show a hint of light as we put the first lines into the water.  It was a cool morning, a promise of the changing seasons after a rough summer.  I curled up against Ryan's shoulder and waited for the tug on the line.  It wasn't long coming though the first large mouth bass was a bit small so back she went.  Just as the sun was coming up we caught our first keeper of the day, a sunfish.

We took 4 sunfish and 1 keeper large mouth bass, a good meal to go with our eggs and toast for breakfast.  I snapped a few pictures while we were out and I thought I would share them with you.

Mist rising over the fishing hole as the sun comes up

Three sandhill cranes flying over the ponds just at daybreak

Cottonwoods leaves already falling on the bridge

More cottonwood leaves in the creek, sign of a hard summer

A wild turkey feather along the path, they are moulting, getting ready for fall

This morning's breakfast for three, ready for cleaning

All of this before 6:30 am.  What a wonderful gift and what a beautiful way to start a day.