Today on the way home from Wildwood Glen we encountered a snake on East Refuge Road in Crex Meadows Wildlife Area. I stopped next to it, thinking it had been hit by a car. It was lying on its back, but would twist and turn back to its "front". I have seen Eastern Hognose Snakes … Continue reading Master Bluffer
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Wild Rice with Mushrooms and Ramps
Spring is the time to harvest ramps, or wild onions, and this recipe is a good one to highlight their savory garlicky onion flavor. I cooked some of the wild rice that I harvested last fall and added some sliced mushrooms and wild ramps to create a flavorful side dish that paired well with grilled … Continue reading Wild Rice with Mushrooms and Ramps
Venture Down To The River
Adeline, Annie and I ventured down to the St. Croix River Valley yesterday evening to look for ramps. On the way down the hillside we stopped to check out the Skunk Cabbage which is emerging all over the place filling the wet areas with its green leaves and purple spathes. We found a couple small … Continue reading Venture Down To The River
Spring Ephemeral Wildflowers
A walk in the St. Croix River Valley this time of year will restore your soul from the weariness that a long, snowy winter can bring. When the snow has melted away and the sun rises higher in the springtime sky, and before the trees leaf out, the forest floor becomes alive with a vast … Continue reading Spring Ephemeral Wildflowers
Asparagus Time!
Asparagus will soon be coming up in the garden. My favorite way to prepare asparagus is on the grill, but any way of cooking that creates a char works nearly as well. I also like using lemon juice, and sometimes make a hollandaise sauce if I am feeling adventurous. We had asparagus with dinner last … Continue reading Asparagus Time!
North Dakota birds
I’m in North Dakota today and we drove some backroads between Valley City and Jamestown. I forgot to bring a card reader so this is the only way I can share some images. Tomorrow we drive from Jamestown to Sioux Falls. u
Counting Cranes
Each spring a group of volunteers diverge throughout Crex Meadows and Fish Lake Wildlife Areas near Grantsburg Wisconsin to survey the marshlands for Sandhill Cranes. The goal is to get a handle on how many breeding pairs of cranes exist in the midwest and is sponsored by the International Crane Foundation. The survey takes place … Continue reading Counting Cranes
Online Mapping Tools Aid in Exploration
The Burnett County GIS website http://burnettcowi.wgxtreme.com/ allows you to search and explore properties and owner information for the entire county. You can change the layers and use different aerial maps taken at different times of year over the past 15 years and save and print screen shots. It is a pretty neat tool! Other counties … Continue reading Online Mapping Tools Aid in Exploration
Spring birding at Crex Meadows
Spring is here and birds are returning from their southern ventures over the winter. Crex Meadows Wildlife Area is one of the premier birding hot spots in the country, and for many good reasons. Habitat: Crex Meadows is over 30,000 acres of undeveloped land that includes mainly upland brush prairie, marshy wetlands and shallow flowages, … Continue reading Spring birding at Crex Meadows
Tater Tot Hot Dish with Ground Venison
The second best part of a successful deer hunt is all that delicious venison in the freezer. Venison is very similar to beef in the many different ways to use it in cooking, from roasts and steaks to jerky, burgers, tacos, and casseroles. We grind about two thirds of our venison into "hamburger" that we … Continue reading Tater Tot Hot Dish with Ground Venison
The Wildwood Glen 