Shopping Tips
Foraging Friday’s started today on the porch of the Todd Mercantile where I taught some of my wild shopping tips and covered our shopping list for the morning. Then we headed out to some of my favorite ‘stores’ and brought back a wealth of nutrition and abundance to ‘garble’ and cook back at my house.
“Oh Lord, how many and varied are Your works, in wisdom You have made them all. The whole earth is full of Your riches.” Psalms 104:24
In contemplating these riches it occurred to me that they fall into various categories that includes something…edible…something medicinal…something useful…beautiful…transplantable…reproducible and we usually keep an eye open for something magical that is on sale.
Here was the list for today in non wild terms:
Edible: mushrooms, onions, garlic, peas, celery, lettuce, spinach, coffee, soda, flour
Useful / Practical / : wrapping paper, straws
Beautiful: centerpiece for lunch
Medicinal: Vitamin C, Liver tonic, Lymph mover, Lymes anecdote
Transplantable / Reproducible: plants for gardening, seeds for sowing
Magical: Magic just happens as you are out in the Creator’s playground, ask for eyes to see and ears to hear the Love that is so freely offered and the privilege of watching mysteries unfold before your eyes. I taught my students to change a verse in the Scriptures by adding a single letter L
Questionable: Always keep an eye out for mystery plants. PreFriends that you need to ID and befriend. A weed is a plant that you don’t know the use for yet!
“Open my eyes that I might behold WONDERFUL things in your WorLd.” Psalms 119:18
Pray for eyes to see the blessings hidden in plain view!
Our Wild Shopping List:
Morels, Wild Onion, Ramps, Poke leaves, Dandelion (roots, leaves, buds, crowns, blossoms, stems, seeds), Chickweed, Red Clover leaves, Redbud blossoms
Items on sale
Though our shopping list was pretty long it’s always wise to keep an eye out for what else is on The Creator’s shelves ripe for the picking. We saw Purple Nettle, Garlic Mustard, Wild Mustard, Cleavers, Yellowdock ready for harvesting as well.
Previews of upcoming sales
Spring is an amazing time to locate fruit trees. Their glorious flower adorned crowns are like neon lights saying REMEMBER ME in the Fall when you are looking for apples, or in July when you are looking for Elderberries. Once the flowers have dropped to the ground these treasures are hard to find unless you know where to look. So be observant.
Look too at last Fall’s seed skeletons to locate babies of the parent plant that will inevitably be popping up in a close vicinity to it’s origin.
Educate yourself on Nature’s Wave for each plant that you wish to study and befriend so you can know it’s hidden gifts at each stage of it’s evolution and growth.
Just wanted to drop you a line and tell you how very, very much I enjoy your blog. I try and absorb EVERYTHING I can about wild foods and medicines. Oh, it’s just – just the best and loveliest feeling in the world to gather and make use of what others do not even see!!
I continue to grow my plethora of herbs but am so fulfilled gathering the wild from my woods and field here in Indiana.
Thank you.
I really like the way you said this “It’s just the best and loveliest feeling in the world to gather and make use of what others do not even see!!” So true! It is like reclaiming lost TREASURE!
I marked your site months ago, but looked at it again to day. I live in Alaska, We have many of the same plants available here, and some different ones. I often say that in the spring and summer, I can not walk in my yard without stepping on something useful.
I noticed your statement on Elderberries. We only have red ones here, but this applies to both red and black. The blooms are useful as well. When picked in there prime, I make oil and tincture. They can also be dried and added to a wild tea mix for a wonderful flavor.
I use sweet almond oil to extract the aroma and medical aids from the blooms, and make a salve from the oil.
I love the wild harvest here, we have no snakes, ticks, or fleas to deal with just have to watch for the big creatures, moose and bear.
Thank you for your site and information on wild plants. this has been a life long passion of mine.
Betty ( known locally as the Dandelion lady.)
Hi Dandelion lady! What a cool way to be known! I loved reading the description of your life in Alaska. Awesome that you don’t have to fend off snakes, ticks and fleas but I dare say they sound harmless compared to bear and moose! Have you ever had a close encounter? May your wild knowledge and experience multiply to bless many others. And yes, I adore Elderflowers!
Hi I was referred to you by Lee Elizabeth i work with her and she told me about foraging fridays. I was wondering if you still do that on fridays and what is the cost? Thankyou