#backyard foraging

[renaissanceofherbs]

Dandelions are NOT just a weed(I hate that word, honestly). The leaves make a great green to add to a salad. All parts of the plant can be dried and used for tea(though you must be wary of roots grown in less-than-optimal soil). Dandelions are known for being high in nutrients, helping with cardiovascular health, and impoving your over-all immune health.

[josephkravis]

Pine Needles: From Backyard to Tea Cup ☕🌲

I Brewed My Backyard. You Won’t Believe What Happened Next!

What’s On My Mind Today? Sometimes, inspiration literally falls at your feet. After writing about pinecones and the pineal gland, I found myself staring at the towering Douglas fir in my backyard. A branch had fallen, loaded with fragrant pine needles. Curiosity (and a little caffeine deprivation) kicked in. Could I turn these needles into tea? Spoiler alert: Yes, I could! And oh, what a…

[plants-and-daydreams]

Despite the visible layer of pollen everywhere outside, I foraged a few things earlier today. I thought these violets looked pretty with the grass. I’ll be pressing some of the violets, but I’m using some of them in a spell, along with the grass.

[psuedo-nymph]

what’s growing?

(in my neighborhood)

❁ bluets ❁

also known as quaker ladies

these ones are more of a rich purple than the ones growing in my backyard. the tiny buds are so cute!

❁ henbit ❁

I don’t know a lot about it, so I’ll have to do some research, but I know henbit can be used in tea for medicinal purposes

❁ worm ❁ this counts because yes he is growing

and finally, a little worm I found and helped cross the sidewalk (from a previous post, yes this is he)

[tytonidyke]

Gallon jar decaying stump terrarium | 11.25.24

[raccoonzinspace]

Satisfying the "gatherer" part of my psychology by going out and picking wild blackberries in the backyard

[familiarquotation]

I had no time to haul out all the dead stuff so it hung, limp or dry, wherever the wind swung it over or down or across. All summer it stayed that way, untrimmed, and thickened. The paths grew damp and uncomfortable and mossy until nobody could get through but a mouse or a shadow. Blackberries, ferns, leaves, litter totally without direction management supervision. The birds loved it.

Mary Oliver, Backyard

[purplbear]

Found morels growing in our yard upon returning from a trip. What a welcome home!

[mushroominaforest]

What's the mushroom in your PFP? It looks neat :3

It is an old Prince (Agaricus augustus) mushroom! Here are some more photos of this mushroom (all taken by me) in different stages of it’s life cycle!

The Prince mushroom is edible and widely sought after, and I personally can confirm that it tastes good! I’ve foraged and eaten them before, and I don’t regret it! (Just make sure to only eat them when they’re young, the photo in the middle was taken right before I ate those mushrooms, but I definitely wouldn’t eat the ones in the last photo!)

Prince mushrooms can be really big, with caps up to 30cm in diameter! They are found fruiting at the base of conifer trees (but never off the trees themselves) typically in clumps of around three or five. They tend to fruit during early or late summer, and surprisingly enough, have adapted to thrive in areas of human activity. The ones I found were actually in my backyard, which was pretty insane for such a highly prized mushroom! This is the third year in a row they’ve fruited at the base of one particular tree in my yard, so I suspect the mycelium system is in a mycorrhizal relationship with that tree! Works well for me, I get free mushrooms to eat! I’ve spore printed them, and they have dark brown spores and gills. They taste good sautéed with a bit of garlic butter, but I’ve also thrown them into pasta sauce which was pretty tasty!

[deadofnightstudio]

Deercember Week One: Garden (prompt link)

[umiagawa]

Violet is one of my favourite spring flowers, but I rarely find so many fresh ones, as I did yesterday. While waiting for the eclipse, I spent two hours in the garden collecting them and digging up dandelion roots. Above is the violet syrup.

[backyard-homesteader]

Blackberry Picking

Last week’s adventure was blackberry picking with the puppies. I think it was my last harvest of the year. It’s late in the season now, with most of the remaining berries overripe and shriveled on the vine.

Although it’s been a shorter than usual season, I think I’ve still managed to get my share. I was out harvesting them almost every day since they ripened back in August. There are bags of blackberries in my freezer, and I’ve snacked on almost every vine I’ve walked past. Some days when I didn’t feel like making dinner, I would just shove a few handfuls into my gaping maw on the way home from work.

In my area, blackberries grow everywhere. Empty lots, roadsides, alleys, backyards. Name a place, and there are blackberries growing in it. They are incredibly invasive. Around 150 years ago, a eugenicist settler who liked to dabble in horticulture planted a shoot in his garden. Between the perfect climate, the shoot and root system the plant uses to grow, and seed distribution from birds, it quickly spread across the area, popping up through every crack it could and choking out the native flora.

There are so many ways to preserve blackberries. In past years, I’ve made them into jam and canned them. Other times I’ve cooked them with apples, spread the paste out in the dehydrator, and made fruit leather. At some point I’d like to try juicing them and making cider. Hopefully that can be a next year project.

This year however, I’ve been so short on time and had so many other foods to preserve that I simply opted for the fastest and easiest way, freezing. All that requires is rinsing them off, letting them dry, and tossing them in a bag.

Container in one hand and dog leash in the other, I walked over to the empty lot down the street where I usually pick. I always wear my work boots and pants when I’m dealing with blackberries, so I can step right up to the vines without worry of getting snagged or cutting my legs.

The dogs already knew the drill well. They also knew that their good behavior must be bought when I’m berry picking by myself, with no one to help me wrangle them.

One for the basket, one for the Dapple.

One for the basket, two for the Willow, you gluttonous little goblin.

Despite slightly over two thirds of my harvest going to the dog tax, I still managed to fill up my container, and sneak a few for myself. Since it was likely the final harvest of the season, I decided to make it special, and bake some of the blackberries into a pie. A little last hurrah and farewell. I don’t make the fanciest looking pies, but the crust was flaky and the filling had that mix of tart sweetness you get from biting into a blackberry fresh off the vine. I’d call it a good end to the season.

[psuedo-nymph]

the first wildflowers of the spring season have bloomed!

(in my backyard)

❁ pearlwort ❁

they’re technically a weed, but their little petals are so cute

❁ purple deadnettle ❁

also known as red deadnettle, and also technically a weed

the purple flowering part can be used in tea

if you pick the flower and bite the part where it connects to the plant, it tastes a bit like honeysuckle :)

❁ bluets ❁

also known as quaker ladies

they’re my favorite of the wildflowers that grow in my backyard

these ones are growing from the same little clump as last year

[memoriesofthepark]

Went to visit my parent's house to clean out some kayaks in preparation for a camping trip. The river and dock are old childhood friends and it was great to see them again. 💚🏞

Of course, I found some fungi while I was there. Pics and IDs to come. 🍄

Southeast Texas, 19 July 2024

[erieforage]

Fun with lasers… Been up grading my mushroom pocket knife for while. Today was the Handel scale design it’s based on some drawings me and Charlotte did for 3D printing. I will have to get better wood and do it again, but it’s still cool made the blade over a year ago…

[crazyskirtlady]

Doing some foraging in my backyard