My Spring Foraging Adventure

Check out my Spring Foraging video through this link:

https://youtu.be/NPDhclt1VP0

Shitake Mushrooms growing On A Log

Shitake Mushrooms

I got the log and Shitake spores from MoTown Mushrooms, who I took a workshop with, 2 years ago. Yes, I waited 2 years for my first harvest. Shiitake mushrooms are one of the healthiest foods on the planet, used extensively in ancient Chinese medicine. Shitake mushrooms are great for your immune system, the cardiovascular system, and are a very good source of iron, are rich in B vitamins, such as B2, B5, B6, Riboflavin, and niacin. Additionally, they are rich in minerals, being an excellent source of selenium and copper, a very good source of zinc, and a good source of manganese. They are also a good source of vitamin D and dietary fiber. They also provide a wide variety of unique phytonutrients. Lentinan, a potent antifungal protein in shiitake mushrooms, was found to have cancer-preventing properties.

 Fiddleheads

Fiddleheads are the furled fronds of a young fern, harvested for use as a vegetable. These fiddleheads I found in the wild in Vermont. Though all ferns have a fiddlehead stage, it’s the Ostrich fern, a specific edible species, that has become synonymous with the word “fiddlehead.”  Their taste is often described somewhere between asparagus, broccoli and spinach. Pick them before they unfurl, when they’re about one to four inches in height. Wash off the the feathery-brown, paper-like material that covers the sides of the coils. Boil the fiddleheads for 5-7 minutes. Pour off the water, then saute' with garlic in olive oil. Enjoy! Though they are not hard to find, many keep their locations secret so they will not be over harvested.  And I feel the same way! I would recommend an experienced guide the first time to be on the safe side.  Some fiddleheads look like the Ostrich fern varieties and are not only not edible but can be toxic. 

There are also some good guidebooks that will help you identify fiddleheads and other wild edibles. I recommend:

The Forager’s Harvest by Samuel Thayer, or Peterson's Field Guide-A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants
                                  

 Fiddleheads & Shitake Mushrooms

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Thanks for your visits, favs and comments. As always, appreciated very much!

© all rights reserved by Elise T. Marks. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.

Signs Of Spring

Goldfinches & A Woodpecker at my bird feeder on a lovely spring day that felt like summer.

CROCUS

In the iris family, the crocus is a genus of flowers that derived its name from the Latin word crocatus, which means saffron yellow.

The spice saffron is obtained from the stigmas of Crocus sativus, an autumn-blooming species. Saffron from the crocus flower is used as a spice to season foods, and is also known as an anti-carcinogenic and an antioxidant and boosts the immune system. Its fragrance is used in perfumes and cosmetics.

Gathering At The Burlington Waterfront On A Lovely Spring Day

Male Downy Woodpecker Enjoying Some Wood In My Yard

Pretty Petunias

A plant of the nightshade family with brightly colored funnel-shaped flowers. Native to tropical America, it has been widely developed as an ornamental hybrid.

Forsythia

Forsythia suspensa has a long history of medicinal use in its Native China and is considered one of the 50 fundamental herbs in Chinese herbology. Forsythia fruit is combined with another backyard favorite, honeysuckle, in one of the most widely used cold remedies in China. 

Preparation Methods & Dosage :The dried fruit is used in teas, and extracts, the powdered form is found in capsules. 

 The fruit of this olive relative is used to treat colds, viral infections, and fevers in traditional Chinese medicine.

 Forsythia sticks are used to bow a Korean string instrument called ajaeng.

Driftwood Sculptures at the waterfront, amongst natures sculptures, make interesting pictures.

The Boathouse & Boardwalk Are A Good Place To Visit When The Rhododendrons Bloom On The Waterfront. This photo was Awarded Photo of the Day on Capture My Vermont, for May 22, 2017.

Swinging Amongst The Rhododendrons

Beautiful Girls Amongst The Rhododendrons

Thanks for your visits, favs and comments. As always, appreciated very much!

© all rights reserved by Elise T. Marks. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.

The TreeSisters Million Trees campaign kickoff

TreeSisters - Is The Game Over?

Morning Glory

Morning Glory

The morning glory flower is a flower of duality. The Victorian meaning of morning glory is either love or mortality or love in vain. 

Morning glory seeds are used in chinese medicine to treat disorders of the lungs, kidneys and large intestine. They have a purgative effect and can reduce or clear phlem in the lungs. They can act as a diuretic for the kidneys which reduces swelling in the body. 
The morning glory root was used by native americans to make a tea which was especially effective for coughs because of it’s ability to remove phlegm. The leaves were powdered and dried and made into a tea to treat stomach problems and headaches. Morning glory wine can be made from the flower petals if they are soaked in purified cold water for about two weeks. 
If necessary, the morning glory can be used to induce labor during pregnancy. If morning glory seeds are eaten a person could have a hallucinogenic episode similar to an LSD experience. Morning glories can be toxic and will cause nerve damage in larger doses than recommended. The flower and it’s stems, leaves and seeds must be used with great caution. 

The Morning Glory Flower’s Message

Tenacity and tenderness in all things, be gentle but strong in your endeavors with other people, animals and nature. Above all hold fast to your goals.

My photographs are available for purchase through EliseCreations.artfire.com

Thanks for your visits, favs and comments. As always, appreciated very much!

© all rights reserved by Elise T. Marks. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.

White Admiral Butterfly

 White Admiral or red-spotted purple (Limenitis arthemis) Butterfly

My photographs are available for purchase through EliseCreations.artfire.com

My photographs are available for purchase through EliseCreations.net

Thanks for your visits, favs and comments. As always, appreciated very much!

© all rights reserved by Elise T. Marks. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.

Orange-Collared Scape Moth

 Orange-Collared Scape Moth & Friend On Goose Neck Loosetrife

Orange-collared Scape Moth (Cisseps fulvicollis)...

has long black wings, an abdomen of iridescent blue, and a bright yellow or orange collar, from which it takes its name. It's other common name is, Yellow-Collared Scape Moth.

The Yellow or Orange-collared Scape Moth is widespread in North America.

Habitat includes fields with flowers as adults are commonly seen visiting flowers during the day, while they also fly at night and are attracted to light.

Season for the adults is from May to October or until the first hard frost.

Adults feed on goldenrod and other small nectar bearing flowers.

The larvae feed on grasses, lichens, and spike-rushes.

Goose Neck Loosetrife (Lysimachia clethroides)

My photographs are available for purchase through elisecreations.net

Thanks for your visits, favs and comments. As always, appreciated very much!

© all rights reserved by Elise T. Marks. Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.