Foraging and farm happenings.
I had someone ask me if I regretted getting off of Instagram the other day. The answer is “Absolutely Not!” I miss seeing the culinary videos and plate ups from chefs I followed and the hunting and outdoor world, but beyond that……nope! I know it works for most people but it feels good to have the time suck and the perfect world of day to day life behind me. Focusing more on things that matter to me and work better for me is all I really care about. If I want to talk to someone and visa versa we call. If not, well then I guess we won’t and that’s ok too.
As tourism will be showing it’s face more so as we encroach on the 4th of July weekend I hope with the current state of affairs that it doesn’t slow each and everyone of us down that depend on people traveling to the state to recreate and spend money. I hope everyone has a prosperous summer and fall and truly knocks it out of the park.
I had some June cancellations which are never fun to get, but I used that time for foraging and farm work which never seems to end and it’s always good to stay ahead if at all possible. July through October are busy so I’m just trying to take advantage of the time. I’ve been foraging, dehydrating, fermenting, vinegar and extract making, freezing etc…. One of my favorite things in the spring and early summer is wild rose. It smells so good while in the dehydrator and it honestly brightens up any day when you smell its intoxicating aroma mixed with terra firma on any trail or bushwhacking. Good for tea, rosewater, ice cream, sugar and pastry, it’s just always a welcome flavor after a long winter.
Obviously morels are everyone’s favorite in the spring. I get that, but there’s so much more to had in such a short window of opportunity. I went over a lot of this in my last newsletter but since then with our rains we have a crazy abundance of claytonia, spruce tips, wood sorrel, stinging nettle, nettle leaf hyssop, chickweed, field mint, mousseron, dandelion and elderberry flower just to name a few. It’s also a good time to look at your berry hot spots to make sure they are looking good. So far I have seen what looks to be an amazing start to huckleberry, raspberry, whortleberry, currents, chokecherry, elderberry, thimbleberry and rose hips. All great stuff to look at for mid to late summer and into the fall.
As for farm happenings, the garden boxes and greenhouse are all in full swing and looking great! Heavy composting along with a good dose of blood meal and halibut and black cod scrap made into fish tea has done a great job to fuel the plants growing needs. The first round of meat birds are on grass and fattening up to hit the cone in a couple of weeks. The laying hens have had a total of 18 peeps this year which is pretty decent. My birds have produced their own offspring for a long time so none of my flock is vaccinated. They are all natural and fed all natural NON GMO, no corn or soy and local based feed. The meat birds are not vaccinated either and never have been each year that they are raised. I always have believed that if you let animals be animals without meddling in everything they tend to do pretty well overall. I’ve never had issues with disease of any kind. I keep them clean, well fed and well taken care of and they yield outstanding tasting meat and eggs. You really can’t go wrong with that.
We have had pretty decent weather this year so far and I hope it continues. I hope we all prosper in these unsettled times and figure out a plan that works for each other’s business and growth. I feel like it’s a great time to look outside our comfort zone or outside the box. There’s so much opportunity these days and it seems like a shame to just let it slip by with the little time we have on this planet. Take the time to figure things out for yourself. If you feel stagnant, make a change. There’s no reason not to and the resource that’s available to everyone is mind boggling. Focus on those specific goals you want to achieve and make it happen. It’s tough most days and we all complain and want things easier at times but if you work at it and stay focused on the end goal you can achieve your success
Have a great week ahead and get your hands dirty!
Scott (The Traveling Ungulate)