Was my foraging successful? Did I end up buying lunch? Did I go hungry?
Yes, no, and no.
My foraging started at 1:30pm - late for lunch, yes, but my work schedule got in the way of my foraging schedule.
Lesson One: A modern work day interferes with a hunter-gatherer lifestyle.
I thought some acorns might be a nice, nutty nosh - but raccoons and squirrels had beaten me to the best oak trees. My efforts in acorn hunting were rewarded not by oak mast, but raccoon poop.
Lesson Two: Raccoons are better wild omnivores than I am. I was outforaged by red squirrels...
My hunger growing, I started to look harder. I found some mountain ash berries - unpalatable during the summer, but after a frost, only slightly bitter and sour. Score: One handful of slightly unpleasant berries.
I remembered we had some cloves of garlic and onions from FortWhyte Farms kicking around. They belong to everyone, and no one...a tragedy of the commons, really, as no one would likely use them. Except me.
Score: Two cloves of garlic, one onion, and some berries.
I remembered some past foraging I'd done, during mushroom season. I had some lovely dried morels, and a few oyster mushrooms. Add these to the score.
Looking around the FortWhyte landscape, I saw the one plant we can count on to feed us in any season- the cattail. Fall and winter, cattail roots provide a potato-like, if somewhat fibrous, starch food. My colleague Minna and I grabbed a spade, and five minutes later, could add one cup of cattail root to the score.
I will post the recipe below, but cooked together into a hearty soup, my foraged ingredients made a nice, late afternoon soup lunch. Vegetable, starch, a tiny bit of butter for fat and dairy, and a reasonably balanced lunch results.
The initial review of the soup was very positive. The mountain ash berries, which are pretty poor snacking on their own, lent a tang to the soup. The onion, garlic, mushrooms and cattail came together to make a whole greater than the sum of its parts.
Lesson Three: Sometimes, with a little ingenuity, the most unlikely things just come together and become good!
Lesson Four: A return to only hunting and gathering is not likely the answer to our current problem of over-consumption and consumerism. But it was a fun way to mark Buy Nothing Day. It was an experience that reminded me of the value of food, how easy it can be for us to get food, and how we still have a long way to go to make sure scrounging and foraging is a choice, not a necessity, for people, here and elsewhere.
For anyone who is interested, I'm posting the recipe below.
Foraged Soup with Cattail Root and Wild Mushroom
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper optional
10 frozen mountain ash berries
1 cup dried mushrooms (morels and oysters?)
1 cup cattail roots, freshly dug
l litre of fresh water.
Saute onion, garlic in butter. Add salt and pepper, and mountain ash berries. Wash and peel cattail roots, saute for two minute. Add half the water. Bring to boil for five minutes. Add mushrooms and remaining water. Bring back to boil, and simmer for ten minutes, until mushrooms are tender and rehydrated.
Serves two hungry people, allows for four light tastings.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Forage Day!!!
Hello, Readers!
Today, I will be going for a walk in the woods, and foraging for my lunch. It's Manitoba, in November. Even with our warm fall, there is not a whole lot growing anymore...it's going to be a challenge!
I can hear the question forming in your heads..."WHY!?!?!?! Why not enjoy something nice from the cafe? Why not bring lunch from home?"
Today is "Buy Nothing Day", an annual protest against the rampant consumerism of the developed world. The observance, founded by the folks at Adbusters Magazine in the 1980's, encourages people to take a day, and opt out of our consumer society by attempting to do exactly what the name implies, and buy nothing.
For me, Buy Nothing Day is an annual reminder of how our consumer society touches everything we do. If you are reading my blog, you've bought power to run a computer, for example. Also, I find it somewhat ironic that Buy Nothing Day was founded and is promoted by a magazine...granted, a magazine that stands against advertising and wanton consumerism, but still a somewhat commercial concern.
I'm not writing today to start a debate about Buy Nothing Day. Again, the fact that I'm writing means I've already "bought in" and purchased power (I realize that hardcore Buy Nothing observers could point out that this is not a conscious act of consumerism, and so does not technically violate the spirit of Buy Nothing Day). I'm a big believer in honouring an observance in a way that is personally meaningful - hence, Foraging For Lunch Day.
So, I will be foraging - I cannot get much more into the "Buy Nothing Day" spirit than by channeling
our collective hunter-gatherer past.. I will post later to let everyone out in Blogland know how my foraging excursion goes.
Today, I will be going for a walk in the woods, and foraging for my lunch. It's Manitoba, in November. Even with our warm fall, there is not a whole lot growing anymore...it's going to be a challenge!
I can hear the question forming in your heads..."WHY!?!?!?! Why not enjoy something nice from the cafe? Why not bring lunch from home?"
Today is "Buy Nothing Day", an annual protest against the rampant consumerism of the developed world. The observance, founded by the folks at Adbusters Magazine in the 1980's, encourages people to take a day, and opt out of our consumer society by attempting to do exactly what the name implies, and buy nothing.
For me, Buy Nothing Day is an annual reminder of how our consumer society touches everything we do. If you are reading my blog, you've bought power to run a computer, for example. Also, I find it somewhat ironic that Buy Nothing Day was founded and is promoted by a magazine...granted, a magazine that stands against advertising and wanton consumerism, but still a somewhat commercial concern.
I'm not writing today to start a debate about Buy Nothing Day. Again, the fact that I'm writing means I've already "bought in" and purchased power (I realize that hardcore Buy Nothing observers could point out that this is not a conscious act of consumerism, and so does not technically violate the spirit of Buy Nothing Day). I'm a big believer in honouring an observance in a way that is personally meaningful - hence, Foraging For Lunch Day.
So, I will be foraging - I cannot get much more into the "Buy Nothing Day" spirit than by channeling
our collective hunter-gatherer past.. I will post later to let everyone out in Blogland know how my foraging excursion goes.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
A Warm November to Remember
With the skiff of snow, and lower temperatures yesterday and today, it seems winter may finally have arrived at FortWhyte Alive.
Until now, I (and my colleagues) have been wondering when the inevitable cool-down would occur. We've been enjoying above average temperatures this month - some days, as high as ten degrees above normal!
Our non-human FortWhyte neighbours have been affected by the warm weather, as well. Though the ground in the forest is starting to freeze, some of our bedding plants seem a bit confused about the season, and have held on to flowers longer than normal. Certainly, the trees were late in dropping their leaves.
Our song bird migration seemd late. Having only been here at FortWhyte Alive for two previous autumns, I must admit I lack a deep frame of reference, but warblers, vireos, towhees, and all their feathered friendsmoved through a few weeks later than I expected. Until our lakes starting freezing over at night (which only began a few days ago) none of the geese staging here showed any urgency in continuing migration. With the arrival of ice, their behaviour has changed, with fewer flocks returning to roost here at night, presumably having left for fresher, frost-free fields and liquid lakes.
The deer have not been moving around as they have the past few falls, either. The herd seems to be most active in the middle of the night - two or three in the morning - instead of the dawn-and-dusk pattern we would expect from deer in November. This seems to be the case right across Southern Manitoba, resulting in many a frustrated hunter (and, I would imagine, happy deer!). I've heard many theories as to why this might be, but I subscribe to the "with a winter coat and stored fat...it's just to warm to move in the daytime" theory. As we've seen temperatures drop a little bit, we've seen the deer become a little more active in the morning and evening.
If you're seeing anything unusual, and suspect the warmer temperatures we've seen this fall may be the cause, let me know!
Until now, I (and my colleagues) have been wondering when the inevitable cool-down would occur. We've been enjoying above average temperatures this month - some days, as high as ten degrees above normal!
Our non-human FortWhyte neighbours have been affected by the warm weather, as well. Though the ground in the forest is starting to freeze, some of our bedding plants seem a bit confused about the season, and have held on to flowers longer than normal. Certainly, the trees were late in dropping their leaves.
Our song bird migration seemd late. Having only been here at FortWhyte Alive for two previous autumns, I must admit I lack a deep frame of reference, but warblers, vireos, towhees, and all their feathered friendsmoved through a few weeks later than I expected. Until our lakes starting freezing over at night (which only began a few days ago) none of the geese staging here showed any urgency in continuing migration. With the arrival of ice, their behaviour has changed, with fewer flocks returning to roost here at night, presumably having left for fresher, frost-free fields and liquid lakes.
The deer have not been moving around as they have the past few falls, either. The herd seems to be most active in the middle of the night - two or three in the morning - instead of the dawn-and-dusk pattern we would expect from deer in November. This seems to be the case right across Southern Manitoba, resulting in many a frustrated hunter (and, I would imagine, happy deer!). I've heard many theories as to why this might be, but I subscribe to the "with a winter coat and stored fat...it's just to warm to move in the daytime" theory. As we've seen temperatures drop a little bit, we've seen the deer become a little more active in the morning and evening.
If you're seeing anything unusual, and suspect the warmer temperatures we've seen this fall may be the cause, let me know!
Monday, November 23, 2009
CBC Radio One Interview - Nov. 24
Hello, Everyone!
I will be on CBC Radio One (89.9 FM, 990 AM) tomorrow morning between 7:45 and 8:00 am. The CBC folks want a naturalist's perspective on our unusually warm fall weather - they've lined up little ol' me to represent FortWhyte Alive and the Winnipeg region, and have a guest from Churchill speaking about the effect in our province's north.
It should be an interesting radio spot....hope you can tune in!
-Barret
PS: if any readers have noticed anything unusual of note - budding trees, flowers that shouldn't be, strange animal behaviour, etc. - tips are appreciated! Leave me a comment! Thanks!
I will be on CBC Radio One (89.9 FM, 990 AM) tomorrow morning between 7:45 and 8:00 am. The CBC folks want a naturalist's perspective on our unusually warm fall weather - they've lined up little ol' me to represent FortWhyte Alive and the Winnipeg region, and have a guest from Churchill speaking about the effect in our province's north.
It should be an interesting radio spot....hope you can tune in!
-Barret
PS: if any readers have noticed anything unusual of note - budding trees, flowers that shouldn't be, strange animal behaviour, etc. - tips are appreciated! Leave me a comment! Thanks!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Atl Whatl? The fine art of throwing board repair.
When people ask what I do all day at FortWhyte Alive, there is no easy answer.
What makes the answer comlicated is the "Special Programs" part of my title. What's a special program? It can be just about anything.
Today, for example, I repaired the throwing board of an atlatl.
For those of you out there who think I also spend my time making up words with too many consonants and too few vowels, rest assured: atlatls are real. Atlatl is a Nahautl (Aztec) word referring to a device consisting of a throwing board and spear. Most every culture on earth has used the device at one time or another. The throwing board is used to propel the spear at a target, faster and more accurately than unaided arm strength can manage.
We use the atlatl to help students connect with the challenges faced by people living on the Prairies in the past. At some point, everyone (regardless of geographic or cultural heritage) has had an ancestor who held a throwing board and a dart, and knew that this simple tool was all that stood between their current situation and starvation...all of a sudden, the little things that divide us pale, and the common human needs for food, shelter, and the drive to care for family come to the forefront. Standing in front of grade five class and saying this all would get an interpreter laughed at. Standing in front of a grade five class just finishing THROWING SPEARS!!!!, the interpreter has the class' full attention.
A full summer and fall of atlatl use left one of our throwing boards worse for wear. The leather finger straps had torn away from the throwing board, the result of too much enthusiastic use. This was not a worn out, damaged good, to be disposed of or junked, as we are so prone to do these days. This was a colleague in need of help and rest - granted, I don't feel the same bond with the non-living chunk of wood and leather as with my living, breathing, teammates...however, I can't fix my living, breathing teammates when they need help and rest. I can only listen. I can fix an atlatl board!
I cannot disclose all the details involved in repairing an throwing board - any organization needs a few secrets! I will let you know that the process involves milkweed stems, general-purpose epxoy, and time.
The repair part of the job was a challenge. I love trying to get the look of the repair right, while at the same time ensuring it is structurally capable of handling pretty heavy use. However, the really fun part of this task comes tomorrow...when I field test the repair!
Watch for pictures. Talk to you then!
What makes the answer comlicated is the "Special Programs" part of my title. What's a special program? It can be just about anything.
Today, for example, I repaired the throwing board of an atlatl.
For those of you out there who think I also spend my time making up words with too many consonants and too few vowels, rest assured: atlatls are real. Atlatl is a Nahautl (Aztec) word referring to a device consisting of a throwing board and spear. Most every culture on earth has used the device at one time or another. The throwing board is used to propel the spear at a target, faster and more accurately than unaided arm strength can manage.
We use the atlatl to help students connect with the challenges faced by people living on the Prairies in the past. At some point, everyone (regardless of geographic or cultural heritage) has had an ancestor who held a throwing board and a dart, and knew that this simple tool was all that stood between their current situation and starvation...all of a sudden, the little things that divide us pale, and the common human needs for food, shelter, and the drive to care for family come to the forefront. Standing in front of grade five class and saying this all would get an interpreter laughed at. Standing in front of a grade five class just finishing THROWING SPEARS!!!!, the interpreter has the class' full attention.
A full summer and fall of atlatl use left one of our throwing boards worse for wear. The leather finger straps had torn away from the throwing board, the result of too much enthusiastic use. This was not a worn out, damaged good, to be disposed of or junked, as we are so prone to do these days. This was a colleague in need of help and rest - granted, I don't feel the same bond with the non-living chunk of wood and leather as with my living, breathing, teammates...however, I can't fix my living, breathing teammates when they need help and rest. I can only listen. I can fix an atlatl board!
I cannot disclose all the details involved in repairing an throwing board - any organization needs a few secrets! I will let you know that the process involves milkweed stems, general-purpose epxoy, and time.
The repair part of the job was a challenge. I love trying to get the look of the repair right, while at the same time ensuring it is structurally capable of handling pretty heavy use. However, the really fun part of this task comes tomorrow...when I field test the repair!
Watch for pictures. Talk to you then!
Monday, November 9, 2009
...sometimes, you'll find, you get what you need! (Like a Muskrat!)
It was late afternoon last Friday when we decided to take a walk as an education staff team.
Ostensibly, we needed to ensure all of our geochaches were well-hidden and stocked with papers, pencils, and were securely waterproofed. The caches are part of the "Blazing Your Trail" program (see my last post). Fortunately for nature, but unfortunately for our team, concerned visitors had been removing the caches and throwing them away as someone else's litter, keeping FortWhyte Alive clean and pristine - but making geocaching slightly difficult.
(We've now switched to a less-litter-looking format for our caches. If you are a visitor, and find a coffee can in the woods, with a notepad inside, its supposed to be there. I thank you in advance!)
We walked through the beautiful south wind and growing shadows of the November afternoon. If we encountered visitors on the trail, we had a chance to chat, find out what our visitors had seen during the afternoon, and generally enjoy the walk.
One couple shared the location of a freshly-killed muskrat. We decided to investigate.
Lying on the trail, right where we'd been told we'd find the recently-deceased muskrat, was...a recently-deceased muskrat!
I know this find is likely not exciting to most people. In fact, some might feel a little revulsion upon finding a fresh ex-muskrat. Reacting in quite the other direction, I was thrilled! I've been waiting a LONG time to find a muskrat!
Though muskrats are a common FortWhyte Alive animal, we have not had a mounted muskrat in our Touch Museum for about 18 months. Our old muskrat had seen long service, and over time, had simply been touched to the point of no longer being a fur-bearing animal. The old mount was retired, with full honours, but no new muskrat had "stepped up" to the roel.
Our policy is to never kill, trap, or otherwise harm an animal to add a specimen to our collection. We depend on good fortune, natural cycles, and motor-vehicle/animal interactions to fill our Museum.
The muskrat in question seemed to have been caught by a bird of prey, and dropped. (Perhaps the bird's eyes and stomach were bigger than it's wings...the muskrat is a fairly hefty fellow!) In a few months, we will have another mount on display, allowing for visitors to explore the adaptations of the species without ever having to harass a living muskrat.
Mick Jagger summed up Mother Nature quite well. You can't always get what you want (or, when you want it)...but if you try sometimes, you get what you need!
Ostensibly, we needed to ensure all of our geochaches were well-hidden and stocked with papers, pencils, and were securely waterproofed. The caches are part of the "Blazing Your Trail" program (see my last post). Fortunately for nature, but unfortunately for our team, concerned visitors had been removing the caches and throwing them away as someone else's litter, keeping FortWhyte Alive clean and pristine - but making geocaching slightly difficult.
(We've now switched to a less-litter-looking format for our caches. If you are a visitor, and find a coffee can in the woods, with a notepad inside, its supposed to be there. I thank you in advance!)
We walked through the beautiful south wind and growing shadows of the November afternoon. If we encountered visitors on the trail, we had a chance to chat, find out what our visitors had seen during the afternoon, and generally enjoy the walk.
One couple shared the location of a freshly-killed muskrat. We decided to investigate.
Lying on the trail, right where we'd been told we'd find the recently-deceased muskrat, was...a recently-deceased muskrat!
I know this find is likely not exciting to most people. In fact, some might feel a little revulsion upon finding a fresh ex-muskrat. Reacting in quite the other direction, I was thrilled! I've been waiting a LONG time to find a muskrat!
Though muskrats are a common FortWhyte Alive animal, we have not had a mounted muskrat in our Touch Museum for about 18 months. Our old muskrat had seen long service, and over time, had simply been touched to the point of no longer being a fur-bearing animal. The old mount was retired, with full honours, but no new muskrat had "stepped up" to the roel.
Our policy is to never kill, trap, or otherwise harm an animal to add a specimen to our collection. We depend on good fortune, natural cycles, and motor-vehicle/animal interactions to fill our Museum.
The muskrat in question seemed to have been caught by a bird of prey, and dropped. (Perhaps the bird's eyes and stomach were bigger than it's wings...the muskrat is a fairly hefty fellow!) In a few months, we will have another mount on display, allowing for visitors to explore the adaptations of the species without ever having to harass a living muskrat.
Mick Jagger summed up Mother Nature quite well. You can't always get what you want (or, when you want it)...but if you try sometimes, you get what you need!
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