I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.
John Burroughs

Friday, September 4, 2020

Harvesting, Canning and Foraging

Its been a very busy week! Its that time of year in the north country, when the days get noticeably shorter, the nights cool down, and days dawn foggy, misty, and very dew-wet. Some innate gene kicks in, its time to really focus on getting food squirreled away, time to prepare for winter. Frost is coming soon!

Yesterday was a sublime, sunny, warm, un-humid day. Late in the afternoon, I took a quick bicycle ride along one of our trails to look for mushrooms. I'd spent the rest of the day picking and processing a pail of apples into sauce, drying the cherry tomatoes, picking ripe tomatoes, then peeling and de-seeding a pot-full for the chili sauce that is now simmering beside me. (Sitting on a stool by the stove to keep stirring the pot).

Fresh ingredients

Pot 'o Chili Sauce

 On the short ride, I found a Parasol 'shroom that got sliced and sauteed into our supper, and several more in a new spot that I'll be keeping an eye on.

Not quite ready

 The major score, although it was way past its best and unusable, was an Old Man of the Woods, a shaggy, dark, choice edible, so that is another spot to keep an eye on.

Very old, Old Man

Last evening, around 8, a narrow band of rain passed over with a flurry of wind, then the sky cleared and later a waning moon silvered the yard. That wind and intense rain toppled my 'five foot, that grew to be 15 foot' sunflowers. I snipped off the blooms and now bees are visiting them in the containers I put them in, on the picnic table by the back door. A lot of apples dropped from one of our early trees, so later today, I'll be getting out the ladder and picking as many as I can. They keep in the cool room, and we can eat them fresh right through almost to the end of the year.

Buckets of Blooms
Today is an absolutely gorgeous early fall day, and I'd love to be out roaming the bush. There is colour coming here and there on tree branches. Some soft maples are showing promise of flaming beauty. There are a few tomatoes left, ripening, and they'll be canned when (and if) they are ready, the final green ones are destined for Grandma's green tomato and apple Chow. but right now, the focus is shifting to apples. I have to freeze and dry our winter's supply.

4 comments:

  1. Sounds like you are having beautiful and productive days, enjoy! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I would love to know about foraging wild mushrooms. We've tried to grow them, but never had any success. I love the cooler, dryer weather too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Leigh. I've always been interested in wild edibles. Its amazing what nature provides. Now that we are retired and are stewards of our own land, I can watch the plants live their yearly cycles, and get to know how they look at each stage. I just need many more lifetimes.....

      Delete