Wildcrafting

I have been consciously making time to walk each day, as a gift to myself.  It's actually rather hard to schedule.  I leave school at about 3 PM, then go straight to the farm, where I feed goats, tend a garden, and who knows what else.  It's been near dark when I've come home the past few days, but I have found a solution.  I walk there, before I tend my girls.  It realigns my mind, and helps me transition from my profession to my passion.  An absolutely necessary half-hour of communion with nature.

The garlic mustard has grown miles since I last photographed it, and I made a wonderful pesto with it yesterday which I served with pork chops for dinner.  Today, we had a nice mixed greens salad (much of it wild), with a navy bean and ramp puree and bratwurst with home ground horseradish.  Peter's home-brewed Chardonnay chased it nicely.

The salad was a two-day project.  Yesterday's effort included green leaf lettuce, dandelion greens, cucumber, raisins, almonds, ramps, and kumquat rinds.  Today, I added more dandelion greens, a little fennel, chopped prunes, and a few fried bacon bits.

Health food.  HA. 

Well, the only unhealthy part was the bacon, and that was (at least) local.

My big news for the day (outside of school, which I don't discuss here), is the wild garden I'm bringing home to my little corner under the deck.  I'm importing shade loving plants that I find useful.  I have three cleavers plants, a chickweed plant, and some creeping thyme.  I'm creating a micro-haven, a hidey-hole for those hot summer days.  You'll find me there, book in hand, when I have the time to dally. 

I'm counting on it.