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Mushroom Mania
It happened again, it hits me every year, in the fall. I get a strange magnetic pool, that drags me to the woods, with the basket on my shoulder, and a pocket knife at my belt, to discover the hidden forest gems, the mushrooms. It is a thrill, an adventure, anticipation of what is there
Wild cherry cough syrup
Collecting wild cherries During second part of August is a perfect time to collect wild cherries. They can be a little dry and astringent when they are not completely ripe and therefore they are great for jam. But what I discovered several years ago was even better: wild cherry cough syrup!If you have a cherry
Birch gifts – sap, tea and other uses throughout the year.
The birch trees grow in temperate forests of the North. It is an official national tree of both Finland and Sweden and an informal national symbol of Russia. It is also the most common tree growing in Norway. There are many different kinds of birch: white or paper, river, silver, weeping, yellow, Himalayan, cherry and
Wild Oyster Mushrooms – delicious and sustainable fungi
It is the middle of June in Northern Wisconsin, and we see Oyster Mushrooms popping up everywhere! They grow with one flat side attached to the tree trunks of dead wood. Sometimes you have to look high. A lot of the times they lack the traditional mushroom stem, and have gills underneath the cap. Their
Basswood leaves for salad – that linden is delicious
Basswood is a beautiful tree that provides us with its shade, wood, bark, leaves and flowers. In Russia most of the wooden spoons and bowls are carved from its wood. The fiber is so soft, people compare it to butter for the ease of carving. People have used the bark for centuries for making ropes
Fiddlehead fern – delicious spring wild edible
Right now, in the late May forest, the green fronds of ostrich fern are unfurling; so why not catch the fiddleheads while some of them are still curled in a ball! This plant is called Matteuccia Struthiopteros, which combines both Latin “struthio” – ostrich, and Greek “pteris” – wing. This plant also goes by the
Wild leek pesto – first spring vitamins from the forest
If you are in the woods these days you might notice the first large wild green of the season. The forest floor is still pretty bare, and these islands of green are really bright. It is a wild leek, or ramp, or wild bear onion (allium tricoccum). It loves shady wet areas. Smart bears love
Black elderberry super power or how to survive a flu
This spring when the winter was almost over, suddenly and unexpectedly we got hit with the Influenza type A that was going around. Last time we were sick like this was 9 years ago. I like to use natural remedies and letting my body take care of viruses. So I just drank blackcurrant jam tea,
Pine Elixir
What do you do in the midst of Wisconsin’s icy snow storm at the end of April? You cheerfully go outside and collect freshly frozen pine needle clusters that are glistening in a crystal clear armor of ice. You collect it all, pine needles and ice, as icy water is structured water. During freezing water
Barefoot Snow Running
One of my favorite things about the winter season is snow! When I see snow, it means I can start my daily barefoot runs. I run to my mailbox and back. I don’t really know how it started for me…. When I moved to Cable 14 years ago, I remember going to my garage with