FORAGED.
"Our brains developed under the pressure of natural selection to make us good foragers, which is how humans have spent 99% of their time on Earth." -Michael Pollan, Botany of DesireWhen we moved into our new house a few days ago, Hannah and I set about exploring the property in search of things to exploit––fruit trees, wildflowers, edible greens, etc.––anything we might be able to use or eat or turn into wine. Although there is quite a lot of property to explore yet, simply starting with our yard we were immediately able to find some lamb's quarters––a tender green whose flavor is often meaty and whose nutritional qualities often greater than anything we can plant (despite the fact that it's most commonly referred to as a weed!). So, having not been up to the garden yet that day, I picked some and scrambled it for our first hot meal in the new home. CSA members, do not be surprised if you get some of this treat in your first basket!A little more exploration revealed a healthy mulberry tree, and though they aren't the most flavorful or juiciest mulberries we've ever eaten, they'll probably make a decent wine. Along with honey suckle I found at the edge of the forest, I combined the two things with some water and honey and as we speak, our first ever mulberry/honey suckle wine is fermenting away.I truly enjoy foraging and want to do more of it––wandering around and exploring all the free food that's out there, realizing how little we actually utilize from nature. Yes, indeed, it's smart to research foraged plants before you eat them, but once you grow to recognize food in the wild, the possibilities are endless. Our pear tree is loaded. There are hundreds of blackberry briars around. Cherry trees, wild grape vines and, yes, plenty of "weeds," all soon to be ripe for the pickin'. I'd say look forward to a summer of many foraged posts.- Jesse.
(ALMOST) READY.
Any of the stress we are dealing with these days seems to fade away when we are in the garden. There are flowers on the peas and potatoes, little strawberries turning red (we were supposed to pick all the flowers off this year, but who's gonna blame us for leaving a couple?), onions shooting forth from our small patch of Tennesee walking onions, and tiny broccoli heads peeking through. As we see lettuce and radishes and greens on the edge of being ready for harvest, we are preparing for our 1st CSA delivery! Tentatively, we are planning to have the first pick-up NEXT WEEK. It is exciting and a little scary, knowing that once we get started….that’s it and the train's moving for the next fifteen weeks! But we can see summer coming, with tomatoes and beans and zucchini and squash and melons all in the ground…we know that soon the bounty will be here.
WENDELL WEDNESDAY.
We thought we would take pictures of this event, because it won't be possible for very much longer.
MOVING ON UP.
Apologies for being a bit absent lately. It has been a little stressful around here, to put it mildly. Yesterday, we had to go ahead and move into our new house, which is still very much in the midst of construction. We are trying to live amongst the contractors and workers, while also preparing for our upcoming CSA season! Crazy times. So, we are sorry, and we hope to be back soon with more regular posts and an update about our first drop-off dates!- Hannah.
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