Wildcrafting - Winter observations and a few tips

*****
Harvesting gets more and more scant - but roots are still a great feast. Burdock (look for leaves with no flower stalks) and dandelion are two I've recently dug up and enjoyed in stir fries. Nov. 27, 2009

*****
We have slippery elm trees around here, but I’ve never harvested from them. I buy it in bulk at the People's Food Co-op. Bark is powdered and used to stop colds, prevent coughs, sooth the colon, and it is highly nutritious. I found it handy as my digestive system came back on line after abdominal surgery. A tablespoon over my oatmeal was soothing. I also had a friend buy some slippery elm lozenges for me to prevent any coughing, which is really important after abdominal surgery. They worked like a charm, and I tried to have them handy at all times. Because even a little cough was so painful. But my dog kept stealing them and eating them.

Although a bit of work, you can prepare your own slippery elm. When you harvest for bark, take vertical strips. If you gird the tree (go around) it dies. Except cork trees. But that is not a local tree! Nov. 25, 2009

*****
I had a chance to use peppermint oil to control post-surgery nausea. I had read studies that said it worked and this was my first and only chance to try it. Amazing. Wonderful. Would wild mint work as well? Maybe I'll try it some day. I brought a small bottle of essential oil with me, and then, in the recovery room, just sniffed a few oil drops on surgical gauze. A bit formal - but some concessions can be made for the setting. Totally and completely effective. Nov. 22, 2009

*****
A friend walking my dog came back with witch hazel flowers. It blooms in November. The flower has fringy thin yellow petals. It is not edible, but tinctured for an astringent. Witch hazel grows in clumps of small trees. This must be an ornamental variety as my friend says he saw only one tree. One of the few trees that fruits before it flowers. Nov. 21, 2009

*****
I came home from the hospital a day early, just over 24 hours post-surgery. The next morning I enjoyed oatmeal made with maple sap - not syrup - frozen from last season. And black raspberries. While I was in the hospital I avoided all the food they offered. I appreciate my friends who made that possible, as well as the nurse who helped me make oatmeal in a thermos. I brought in oatmeal with almonds, raisins, and honey. I had her pour some hot water over the oatmeal in the thermos at night, and it was cooked by the next morning. A bit of Eden Soy in a small package, and I had breakfast when I wanted it. Nov. 21, 2009

*****
The woods today are filled with young garlic mustard. Bad. And young strawberry plants - promise of good things in the spring. Good. Nov. 18, 2009

*****
Catnip is making a go of growing in this warm weather. It can be used for herbal tea, dry it for cats, add to cooking greens for flavor change. Like all mints, it soothes the stomach. Nov. 18, 2009

*****
It took about two weeks for my root cellar to stop smelling like dead mice. The down side to food storage. Those mice are amazing. They are destroyers. Nov. 18, 2009

*****
I see lots of dandelions, and I am craving tahini. They combine well as a salad dressing. There is a recipe here from my cookbook. Nov. 17, 2009

*****
Burdock root can be chopped then infused overnight, strained and used in baths for soothing skin care, for itching and luxurious sensations. You can also freeze it for later use. Comfrey root works well used in the same way. Nov. 15, 2009

*****
Tomorrow is the final comfrey leaf harvest. I'll use some for herbal vinegar, and a decoction to preserve by freezing. Comfrey is still used externally for wound healing. Nov. 15, 2009

*****
I made soup made from Jerusalem artichokes, chestnuts, garlic and brussel sprouts. Pureed artichokes, and used 40 cloves garlic for three gallons. Tasty. Nov 15, 2009

*****
Long walk, but not much to eat. My comfrey is still growing strong. My bees are a bit troubled, warm weather, but no flowers. That’s hard for them. Nov. 14, 2009

*****
Still available to harvest: roots of dandelion, burdock, chicory, and wild carrot; yellow dock leaves (think pesto); apples, crabapples; acorns, and black walnuts. Nov. 13, 2009

Tinctures and oils, ready for use or decanting.

Linda Diane Feldt | Contributor

*****
Productive day dealing with previous preparations. Decanted St. John’s Wort oil and tincture, vinegars of pine and comfrey, echinacea tincture. The alcoholic tincture of St. John’s Wort oil is ruby red, just beautiful. Used for shingles, nerve pain, anti-viral, and Seasonal Affective Disorder. Nov. 12, 2009

Ruby red color of Hypericum Tincture, St. John's Wort.

Linda Diane Feldt | Contributor

*****
I've been taking homemade Echinacea purpurea tincture daily - 10 drops in water - as prevention against miscellaneous viruses. It is made from roots of three-year-old plants. Evidence for Echinacea in small doses is all anecdotal. My published article, from conference proceedings at the University of Michigan Medical School. Nov. 11, 2009

*****
Drinking nettle leaf infusion, eating dandelion leaves, enjoying yellow dock leaf pesto, and savoring wild pears. My ground cherries not ripening. Nov. 11, 2009

*****
Health Insurance nightmares interfere with life & happiness, including posting on wild food. Sorry! Do it yourself medicine is more peaceful. Nov. 11, 2009

*****
Canoeing - found a few rosehips to nibble. Not much else, so I just enjoyed the warm sunny weather and being on the water. Rosehips - nibble on the red flesh, avoid the barbed seeds inside. Found some rosehips? You can dry them. Dry the flesh, not the seeds, on a tray in any airy warm place. Store in jars with lid. Use dried rosehips with other herbs for tea, infuse with lid 20 minutes or a couple of hours. Nice color, taste and vitamin C. Nov. 8, 2009

*****
I will be looking for unfrozen chives tomorrow. I forgot to dry some for the winter. After chopping them, I put them in a 200 degree oven, for an hour or two. They are stored in a well sealed jar. Nov. 6, 2009

A couple of gallons of Jerusalem Artichokes, volunteers from my garden.

Linda Diane Feldt | Contributor

*****
I harvested about 30 pounds of Jerusalem Artichokes. They are kind of wild. They grow where I don’t want them and come back every year. Eat raw like water chestnuts, baked and mashed with potatoes, boiled in soups, stir fried is awesome, very versatile. To store Jerusalem Artichokes, don’t remove the dirt, put them directly in plastic bags in the produce drawer of your refrigerator or in a root cellar. I’ve had some last almost a year. Nov. 5, 2009

Linda Diane Feldt is a Holistic Health Practitioner, writer and teacher now in her 30th year of private practice. You can follow her on twitter, attend her free classes sponsored by The People's Food Co-op, or look forward to weed walks in the spring.