I was so excited a few days ago to discover a local woods just covered with ramps growing on the forest floor. Problem was, it was on private land and collecting some would be trespassing. Luckily I was able to figure out who owned said woods, found their phone number and was granted permission to … Continue reading A Forest Full of Ramps!
I’ve been out on the wild rice beds near my home in Grantsburg, WI for a few evenings this past week and all day today. The harvest has been pretty good so far, and my partners and I have gathered somewhere around 80 lbs of raw rice through today. Maybe more, but I am not … Continue reading Another Great Ricing Season Underway
I was invited to a childhood friend’s 50th birthday party last weekend (yes, I’m soon there myself)! The party was a pot luck and was in Minnesota, land of the hotdish, so I decided to bring a dish to share that incorporated things I had harvested myself from the wilds of Wisconsin. I rarely start … Continue reading Venison Wild Rice Hotdish
The weather this summer has made for weird and confusing timing for the wild harvest in Northwest Wisconsin. Normally, we would have started picking blueberries on the barrens a week or so ago, but in my neck of the woods they are just beginning to ripen. I have not found any ripe ones yet, but … Continue reading Wild Harvest Season: Unusual Timing
I think my favorite family of flowering plants has to be the Heath Family, because of it's diverse plant types, useful fruits and generally small but beautiful flowers. The Latin name for this family is Ericaceae, which is derived from the Greek ereike, which means, loosely "heather". Members of the Heath Family can be found … Continue reading The Perfect Flower Family
Each spring I look for blueberry flowers and monitor their progress. The timing of their bloom can determine the abundance of blueberries each summer, and a late frost can do serious damage and even completely destroy an entire year's worth of the delectable crop. In the past dozen years, there has been a late frost … Continue reading Wild Blueberries
I love rice, and I enjoy making pilafs with various veggies and spices. One shortcut I often deploy is to start with rice-a-roni and jazz it up by adding my hand-harvested wild rice and whatever vegetables I have on hand. The main course tonight was grilled salmon and I was in charge of a side … Continue reading Another Rice Pilaf
Vining plants are a useful commodity and gift from nature. They can be utilized for several different projects, from making wreaths and other artful decorations to more utilitarian uses such as making cordage for rope or even weaving them into bowls and containers for carrying and storage. I have two vining species that grow in … Continue reading Useful Vines
The Wildwood Glen 