Foraging Woes

Well the last two days have been amazing in my foraging life.

I did a wild foods consult in TN to show the owner what wild gifts were hiding in plain view on their land. Amazing wealth. Amazing beauty for the forest had not been clear cut in recent decades as is much of the land up here. SO the towering hardwoods and pines were like a cathedral ceiling backdropped by azure blue skies and puffy clouds far above. It was surreal.

I immediately fell in love with the land and had such joy in revealing each plant for it’s edible and medicinal treasures. Black and Blue Cohosh, Bloodroot, Solomon Seal, the HUGEST Violets and Dandelions I have ever seen… and a gazillion more gifts all tucked in place on this magnificent backdrop.

My woes were not plant related, but truck related. I had parked it next to an old country church nearby and when I drove off I deeply scraped a 5 foot gauge in the side of my truck as I gingerly navigated the narrow road with a precipice on the left and the church railing on the right. The good news is the church railing is fine, but my truck is now tatooed for life.

Then today I had a glorious time collecting almost 100 Cattails from the Cattail swamp for their cucumber shoots. A neighbor went with me and was thrilled with the adventure and the early morning bird calls, frog croaks and the soft breeze blowing away the mist and bringing the sun. The fast flowing stream that swooshes through the Cattail haven made constant happy and noisy bubbling sounds as we worked to fill our buckets and keep our balance. The rains of late have made the muck even more treacherous to navigate and retain my boots.

On the way home JD read from Linda Runyons MUST HAVE book, The Essential Wild Food Survival Guide her Cattail Memoires summarizing the unfolding of the Cattail season from shoot, green cob, pith, pollen, flour to fluff and tinder. It is so beautiful written revealing the mysteries of the Supermarket of the Swamp. As we drove I rolled up the windows to drown out truck noises and when we were backing down the driveway JD gasped, “Holly your rear tire is flat!”

My stomach is still in a knot as I type this. First a long deep dent… then a flat tire…. I’m just sick about it. God only knows how many miles I drove that way.

I think I’ll iron Jason’s shirts and cook a really nice ‘normal, unwild’ meal for dinner as a peace offering.

Housework is so droll when one can be frolicking in God’s creation!

Off to plug in the iron….