There's an apple tree in the park by our house in Michigan that I always begin to check on each spring. It gets to be covered in lush white flowers in early June. I patiently visit each summer trip to check on the tree's progress as these flowers turn to small fruits then slowly get … Continue reading Apple Hoarding
Foraging
Blackberry season at the Lake
Those of you who follow me will note that I have been absent from my blog for some time now. We have been going through some big changes around the farm. This past spring we decided it was time to step away from the retail sale of eggs. We have so much going on in … Continue reading Blackberry season at the Lake
Did you eat your weeds today?
I noticed lots of spring edibles on my nightly walk with Soju this evening so I started collecting some items for a salad. I came back with a handful: daylily shoots, dead nettle, hairy bittercress and wild garlic. I rounded out my collection after dropping Soju off. I found sorrel, dandelion, chickweed and forsythia near … Continue reading Did you eat your weeds today?
A New Generation of Foragers is Born
The middle schoolers from the Xavier University Montessori Lab School have been coming out once each month this school year to spend a day learning and helping with a project. Today's theme was "Signs of Spring." We started off the day by dividing into three groups. Each was to search out as many signs of … Continue reading A New Generation of Foragers is Born
Tree Tapping & Fermentation Fun
This school year, I have found a new way to connect my two areas of expertise: education and farming. Because of my connection to the Montessori department at Xavier, I was asked if we might serve as the farm for the middle schoolers at the lab school to visit each month. Maria Montessori thought that … Continue reading Tree Tapping & Fermentation Fun
Wild Grape Jelly
I went out in search of goldenrod and came home with a basket filled to the brim with wild grapes. We have grape vines growing up over almost every tree at the edges of our property. It feels like a never ending battle between these and the honeysuckle. Both, luckily, also provide some edibles. Usually … Continue reading Wild Grape Jelly
When life gives you apples, make applesauce
My husband and I were driving down State route 222 a couple weeks ago when I noticed a small apple tree in front of an apartment complex. "Oooh," I said, "Are those apples??!" Josh rolled his eyes and said, "I am not pulling over so you can pick apples." Well I wrote down the number … Continue reading When life gives you apples, make applesauce
August in Northern Michigan: a Food Paradise
We spent the weekend at our house up in Michigan for my sweet husband's birthday. This weekend had me saying, "yup, I could live up here!" Apparently Northern Michigan is a food paradise come late summer. The day we arrived I went out to check on my plants in the yard. I found my raspberry … Continue reading August in Northern Michigan: a Food Paradise
Cherry Mint Water
We are up at the Lakehouse for a week of family vacation. Today is hot and we are out on the boat cooling off in the nice lake water. Here along the shore my eye caught site of bunches of chocolate mint and spearmint growing along the shore. We also have some cherries to snack … Continue reading Cherry Mint Water
Mulberry Experiments
Mulberry trees are one of those local plants many people love to hate. When they grow over your driveway, I can understand the distress they cause when those lush dark berries stain every surface they fall on. Fortunately, we have a large mulberry tree at the edge of our back field, where the berries just … Continue reading Mulberry Experiments
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