#foraging
Monthly Forageables
I’ll add some drawings of some of the different plants on this list
Went brambleberry picking early yesterday morning while walking the dog, I haven’t decided whether I want to make another pie, a crumble or some jam
How crows connect
The New Caledonian crow is well-known for its ability to make and use tools to poke nutritious insects out of their hiding places.
An international team led by the University of St Andrews has studied the social networks of crows to understand how tool-use might spread between birds and across communities.
The team looked at the social interactions of wild New Caledonian crows in their tropical habitat. Each crow was fitted with a high-tech, miniature spy tag which provided a record of which crows met at any given time.
They found that providing the crows with food had a similar effect to putting out a plate of freshly baked cookies – individual crows hang around the supply which can accelerate the spread of interesting information.
Scientists still don’t know how much of their tool-use behaviour New Caledonian crows learn from each other, but the study shows that opportunities for information exchange are plenty, especially when important resources encourage birds to forage in the same place.
Images: James St Clair, James St Clair, Jolyon Troscianko
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Fuschia plants and their edible fruit. Most fuschia berries taste “meh”, with peculiar combinations of berry-sweetness, leafy-green flavors, and black pepper flavors. Certain species and hybrids have reliably tasty fruit, and niche farmers have even gone as far as to breed commercially viable Fuschia fruit!
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Went back to my favorite foraging location yesterday to check on the progress of the berries. Looks like it’ll be about 14 days til bliss.
Doug Firs + My Dog Porter + Spring Sunshine = ⚡️✨
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Last March in the Oregon Coast Range. Morel Mushroom Tarot in Black Cotton.
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#mushroomtarot #morel #morelhunter #forager #foraging #oregon #oregonmade #cascademade #illustrator #screenprinting #apparel #chrisadams #dogs #dougfir #oregoncoastrange #sporelust #mushrooms #hongos #mushroomlove (at Corvidopolis)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BtwHRqZHXH3/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ha1tk0cycodm
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Finally got the new Mushrooms are People Too! shirts printed!!
These new blanks from Alternative Apparel are pretty different than the previous tees, but I really like the vintage feel. They’ve got a looser weave, they’re super soft, and the fabric blend almost forces a vintage look to a water-based + discharge print. It really works for this illustration for sure.
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I’ll get them updated in the shop here real soon, and we’ll be running a sale on old styles this month, so stay tuned!!
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#apparel #shirts #polycotton #screenprinting #retroaesthetic #vintagelook #illustration #graphicartist #mushrooms #foraging #mushroomsarepeopletoo #morel #mushroomlove #naturallyweird #crvdpls #corvidopolis #chrisadams #handprinted #oregonmade #cascademade #mushroomman (at Corvidopolis)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BteQ9MonYnA/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=15ob6g0oeg9ha
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It’s Friday everyone!!
I’ve been running around all morning hanging art and going to meetings, but now I’m home and seriously considering rolling out in the woods this afternoon.
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What are you doing this weekend? I hope mushrooms or the woods are involved…
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#pnw #pregon #forager #foraging #sporelust #mushrooms #hongos #mushroomlove #mushroomsarepeopletoo #hedgehogmushrooms #oregoncoastrange #mushroomhunter #thewoods #forestpower (at Corvidopolis)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BtWiu3YHUOM/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=eue3dn7nj78i
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BIG UPDATE!
I’ve finally finished my biological patches set! After many months of designing, editing, and trial and error, I’m proud to post up photos of the final products!
They are woven with bright, beautiful colors that will endure many washes and adventures to come. They’re only $8 in my store:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/Monsternium
Here are the first five patches in my biological patch set. Once all ten are made, the rainbow of studies will be complete! Each one is illustrated, digitized, and embroidered by me. Stay tuned for more! Next up is herpetology ;)Reblogging this post for the update!
Reblogging again for yet another update! Newly added: Arachnology.
All the designs have been redrawn, new creatures picked. Super happy with these!
Available now in my shop:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/Monsternium
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I Found some wild edibles in the woods the other day. They were yummy :3
7 Laws of Foraging
[Disclaimer: These aren’t actual legal rules, but important knowledge to avoid, you know, dying.]
Foraging herbs is an extremely good way to get both food and magik supplies on a budget, but mistakes can be dangerous and even deadly. These are some of the most important rules to follow if you want to be safe.
1. If you aren’t entirely sure what a plant is, treat it like it’s toxic. Even if you’re mostly confident, you need to be absolutely certain before you put anything in your mouth, and ideally before you touch it.
2. Never assume plants away from home are the same as the ones where you usually forage. Generally speaking, once you change climate and/or time zones, at least some plants will change and lookalikes will appear. Also, some plants become more or less toxic with temperature and location changes–white clover is a good example of this.
3. Don’t guess the safety of a plant you can’t identify. Many extremely dangerous plants look unassuming and pleasant, and a lot of plants that look like murder in a leaf are totally harmless. Also, never consume a herb if you don’t know its medicinal properties or if it’ll interact with your medication or a health condition. If the name ends in -wort, it probably interacts with anti inflammatory meds, SSRIs, and/or heart medication, but other plants can, too.
4. When you learn a new plant’s identification, learn its lookalikes, too. This is especially important for leafy plants, which are more likely to have dangerous lookalikes, but goes for all plants. This helps you know if it’s safe to make a mistake (for example, wild blackberries have lookalikes, but they’re all nearly identical edible berries), when you can’t risk it, and what to compare.
5. Know what parts of a plant are safe, and know if its age affects its use or edibility. Some plants are edible when young, but extremely toxic when mature, or have edible roots but emetic flowers.
6. Know what assumptions you can make. Generally, if you can cook it or breathe it, you can burn it, if you can eat it, you can touch it, etc.
7. Remember that medicine is preferable to herbs for a reason. Herbs produce chemicals in different amounts, can be misidentified, and are generally unreliable. Pills are significantly less likely to accidentally give you an overdose. If you have access to working medication, that’s always the first.
03. Inktober 2016.
I watched the opening to The Tales of Peter Rabbit and ended up referring to Lucie from The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle to come up with a dress I was happy with.
@vanessamakesthings‘ recent pieces have reminded me how much I love rabbits in clothes.
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Black Walnut and the White Walnut
The Black Walnut compared to the White Walnut also known as the Butternut. Both of these nuts are worth getting to know if you don’t know them already. They are very similar and very different at the same time.
When cleaning the hulled nuts be sure to do it outside in buckets or you may end up clogging your kitchen drain!
The Black Walnut
The White Walnut
All Photographs by Gary Cremese
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Elderberries!
I was out riding my bike when I came across these elderberry shrubs. I noticed that most of the berries were very ripe. Only a few clusters were immature. I didn’t have my foraging gear with me at the time so I had to go back for them and I knew I couldn’t put it off. I had to act right away.
When I went back I managed to get a good amount. I picked the whole clusters not the individual berries. So when I got home I had to process them to get the berries off the stems. To make it easy some people freeze them first. I have never tried it that way. I used the fork method. That’s when you use a fork to comb through the clusters knocking off the berries from the stems. That worked very well!
There are many recipes to choose from and I’m sure they all have their place. I made a very basic elderberry syrup which consists of 2 parts elderberry tea (decoction) and one part honey (raw is best) I mixed that with 1 part 100 proof vodka. You can use any type of alcoholic drink, brandy, bourbon, etc.. You just have to make sure that the final product has at least 20% alcohol if you want a super long shelf life. Without the alcohol the syrup will have a relatively short shelf life. With the alcohol the shelf life becomes almost infinite.
I went one step further with the vodka. I used the 100 proof vodka to tincture the echinacea then mixed the tincture with the syrup. It’s a very popular combination. Both elderberry and echinacea boost the immune system, but echinacea is an antibacterial, and elderberry is antiviral so you have all of the bases covered. The echinacea doesn’t seem to affect the taste too much at all.
Flu Busting Echinacea and Elderberry Syrup
Echinacea
Echinacea fights inflammation, bacterial and viral infections. It is good for the immune and the lymphatic systems. It is helpful for allergies, colds, flu and other infections. You can read more about echinacea for colds here.
Elderberry
According to Nutritional Healing, elderberry fights inflammation and relieves coughs and congestion . It enhances immune system function, lowers fevers and soothes the respiratory tract. It is very effective against flu viruses.
All Photographs by Gary Cremese
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A Field of Herbs
Here’s something you don’t see very often! A whole field full of Echinacea and Wild Bergamot.
Echinacea
I have never seen echinacea in the wild before! I see it all the time in people’s yards mostly to add beauty. Although some grow it to make medicine or use it to make a medicinal tea. It is also known as Purple Coneflower or Echinacea Purpurea. Of the many varieties of Echinacea this variety is said to be the most medicinal. It is native to North America, but not Connecticut. The purple Coneflower plant is a hardy plant that usually grows 2 -4 feet and rarely grows up to 6 feet tall. The flower usually grows to be about 3 to 4 inches wide. It has little or no smell. The Root is the most potent part of the plant, but the whole plant can be used. It is recommended to use the flowers and leaves so the plant can continue to grow.
What medicine is echinacea used for?
Echinacea is an herbal supplements which can be used as treatment for the common cold, herpes simplex infection (topical), immunostimulant, psoriasis (topical), upper respiratory tract infections (viral), urinary tract infections, vaginal yeast infection, skin wounds (topical), and for skin ulcers (topical).
Wild Bergamot
This is the first time I have ever found Wild Bergamot growing in the wild. Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) is very similar to regular bergamot (shown in the last 2 pictures) However there are some differences. One of the differences is that the color is always the same dull pastel purple on the wild variety. Where as the regular bergamot comes in many colors including the bright scarlet as shown in the last two pictures. Also the smell is a little different on the wild vs the cultivated varieties. The cultivated seems to be stronger and nicer smelling.
Bergamot is also known as Bee Balm, and orMonarda. It is a member of the mint family as you can tell because of the square stem and the smell of the flowers.
What can I do with wild bergamot?
Leaves, stems and flowers of Wild Bergamot are edible. They can be used as a garnish or in salads raw or cooked. Leaves are used to make tea and as a garnish. But stems, flowers, and leaves can be used as a seasoning herb in soups, stews.
Medicinal use of Wild Bergamot:
An infusion is used internally in the treatment of colds, catarrh, headaches, gastric disorders, aching kidneys, to reduce low fevers and soothe sore throats. Externally, it is applied as a poultice to skin eruptions, cuts etc and as a wash for sore eyes, and more.
All photographs by Gary Cremese.
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