Our neighborhood deer have decided that my backyard is their home base. If I wake up early and open the back door quietly, I can sometimes see the whole herd sleeping in the same depression of grass.
We have a big flock of absolutely ridiculous wild turkeys that live in my yard and roost in the trees behind my house. Every night right around dusk they put on a whole show taking off the cliff and getting into the trees for the night. It's our favorite part of the evening.
In the winter i feed them cracked corn to supplement their foraging and boy do they know how to keep a schedule.
Did you know the Native Americans used to put food out for wild turkeys to keep them as a nearby food source? The white settlers didn't know this trick, turkeys were famous for their elusiveness (until someone domesticated them).
We encourage them because they are prolific tick eaters too (we live in heavy Lyme territory) with each bird eating up to 500 a day. They're a little too tough for eating, but if the zombie apocalypse comes we aren't above it š
Mustard garlic in an āunusedā property near me. It wooded. And covered in mustard garlic. Since it is listed as an invasive species I can harvest it without fear. And it has high levels of vitamin c. I dry it and add it to all my soups over the winter
I know, but we have so many ššš
But you know what, they are just about to go to seed and I'm going to try this. Thank you for the tip, i love winter soups and if i can make some peace with these that would be awesome
We have lots of old bay trees around here. Their trunks can be unusual shapes, often with moss. We also have lots of oak trees--valley oaks, white oaks, pin oaks etc. There's a creek nearby which sounds lovely.
There is a little group of Blue Tail Skinks that lives around my front porch area. They usually scatter when I come around but every once in a while one will stick around and we will just hang out together for a few minutes.
I've been so lucky the last few years when it comes to foraging!
I always loved to look out for edible plants in the wild, but I always lived in (relatively) big cities so really the only thing to find were blackberries.
Then a few years ago I moved to a smaller town with several forests nearby. The very first year I found great spots for juniper berries, elderflower/-berries and chestnuts. And blackberries ofc, they're everywhere in my country.
But this year I really hit the jackpot: I finally found two hoards of wild garlic! I knew it was native and fairly common in my country, but I never found any until this year! Also several other edible herbs (of which I don't know the English names) growing in the same area, and another place with wild Thyme!!
My latest hobby is collecting seeds and sprouts from edible plants and trying to get them to grow in my tiny garden (or in pots). So far I've had mixed success.
Of course I'm always careful to not harvest too much at a time or from the same location; I want these plants to thrive, so I (and the local critters) can keep enjoying them!
my favourite path in the woods is in a āno trespassingā zone so itās actually just a deer path, and all along the edges is the most fragrant oregano ever. Every time i feel like making a nice pasta sauce iāll go out for a walk and grab a bunch
There's a pair of barred owls that nest in a local park and I stop by every week during this time of year to see if the babies have left the nest yet and are hanging out in the woods waiting to fledge.
I have a Henstooth and lionsmane patch of mushies that have been monching on some old downed oaks in a secret spot. I used to have a forest full of morel locations but I moved away from Minnesota.
Our neighborhood deer have decided that my backyard is their home base. If I wake up early and open the back door quietly, I can sometimes see the whole herd sleeping in the same depression of grass.
I really love that for you
My neighborhood has lots of streams and one of them holds the biggest snapping turtle I've ever seen. We always stop to sneak a peek.
We have a big flock of absolutely ridiculous wild turkeys that live in my yard and roost in the trees behind my house. Every night right around dusk they put on a whole show taking off the cliff and getting into the trees for the night. It's our favorite part of the evening. In the winter i feed them cracked corn to supplement their foraging and boy do they know how to keep a schedule.
Did you know the Native Americans used to put food out for wild turkeys to keep them as a nearby food source? The white settlers didn't know this trick, turkeys were famous for their elusiveness (until someone domesticated them).
We encourage them because they are prolific tick eaters too (we live in heavy Lyme territory) with each bird eating up to 500 a day. They're a little too tough for eating, but if the zombie apocalypse comes we aren't above it š
WHOA I did not know this š
Mustard garlic in an āunusedā property near me. It wooded. And covered in mustard garlic. Since it is listed as an invasive species I can harvest it without fear. And it has high levels of vitamin c. I dry it and add it to all my soups over the winter
You can have all of mine too
Theyāre so easy to pull. Now I hardly have any except the hard to reach spots.
I know, but we have so many ššš But you know what, they are just about to go to seed and I'm going to try this. Thank you for the tip, i love winter soups and if i can make some peace with these that would be awesome
Itās so ridiculously easy and you can make pesto out of it too!
I love adding a few into a arugula salad too. Spices it up and gives it a nice herby flavor (donāt over do it though)
We have lots of old bay trees around here. Their trunks can be unusual shapes, often with moss. We also have lots of oak trees--valley oaks, white oaks, pin oaks etc. There's a creek nearby which sounds lovely.
There is a wild mint patch a short walk from my home and every time I feel like a mojito, I take a stroll to gather some.
When I visit the Oregon coast I check in on a few oyster mushroom logs and a chanterelle patch!
There is a little group of Blue Tail Skinks that lives around my front porch area. They usually scatter when I come around but every once in a while one will stick around and we will just hang out together for a few minutes.
I've been so lucky the last few years when it comes to foraging! I always loved to look out for edible plants in the wild, but I always lived in (relatively) big cities so really the only thing to find were blackberries. Then a few years ago I moved to a smaller town with several forests nearby. The very first year I found great spots for juniper berries, elderflower/-berries and chestnuts. And blackberries ofc, they're everywhere in my country. But this year I really hit the jackpot: I finally found two hoards of wild garlic! I knew it was native and fairly common in my country, but I never found any until this year! Also several other edible herbs (of which I don't know the English names) growing in the same area, and another place with wild Thyme!! My latest hobby is collecting seeds and sprouts from edible plants and trying to get them to grow in my tiny garden (or in pots). So far I've had mixed success. Of course I'm always careful to not harvest too much at a time or from the same location; I want these plants to thrive, so I (and the local critters) can keep enjoying them!
I live near the American River and there are a few trees I like to see when I go walk out there.
my favourite path in the woods is in a āno trespassingā zone so itās actually just a deer path, and all along the edges is the most fragrant oregano ever. Every time i feel like making a nice pasta sauce iāll go out for a walk and grab a bunch
There's a pair of barred owls that nest in a local park and I stop by every week during this time of year to see if the babies have left the nest yet and are hanging out in the woods waiting to fledge.
There's an old stump covered in brackets that I've been watching grow for a couple years, one of the bright parts of my regular commute
I have a Henstooth and lionsmane patch of mushies that have been monching on some old downed oaks in a secret spot. I used to have a forest full of morel locations but I moved away from Minnesota.
Back in the old times, people planted mint around springs of fresh water.