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Monthly Archives: December 2012
Hazelnuts
The holiday season is upon us again and familiar goodies abound on store shelves. Mixed nuts have always been a favorite of mine ever since I was a kid. I always enjoyed cracking them and extracting the sweet meat. Pecans, … Continue reading
Posted in foraging
Tagged American hazelnut, beaked hazelnut, eastern filbert blight, filbert, foraging, nature, nuts
15 Comments
Beautyberry
Take a walk on the edge of the woods in the fall, particularly near an old cemetery or abandoned landscape. Your eyes will likely zone in on some iridescent purple to magenta berries. They encircle the stems in clusters and … Continue reading
Posted in foraging
Tagged beautyberry, edible, fall, foraging, insect repellant, iridescent purple, jelly, nature
14 Comments
Appalachian Christmas
Sometimes our fondest memories are simple things that didn’t cost much. I know they are for me, because Christmas doesn’t come from a store. My wife is from rural West Virginia. Her parents were tenant farmers, meaning they worked long … Continue reading
Posted in foraging
Tagged black walnuts, Christmas, fond memories, hickory nuts, tradition, West Virginia
3 Comments
Mistletoe
Christmas is getting closer and bunches of mistletoe again adorn doorways. The tradition of kissing under the mistletoe is one that originated with the Druids. A white berry-like fruit is removed after each kiss. When all are gone kissing is … Continue reading
Posted in foraging
Tagged drupe, dung twig, hemi parasite, hypotension, mistletoe, nature, phoratoxin, white fruit
16 Comments
Witch hazel
I was out for a drive after Hurricane Sandy and noticed the storm had speeded up the leaf drop a little. Because of that I was able to see some of the most interesting late fall flowers in the landscape. … Continue reading
Posted in foraging
Tagged anti-bacterial, dowsing rods, extracts, fall flowering, foraging, nature, ribbin-like petals, tannins, witch hazel, yellow flowers
13 Comments
Don’t trust the birds
Recently I’ve written about some obscure brightly colored fruits many think are poisonous. Beautyberries and firethorn are edible and birds love both. Don’t let the latter fool you, because you can’t trust the birds. Now that leaves are beginning to … Continue reading
Posted in foraging
Tagged berry-like cones, cotoneaster, heavenly bamboo, nature, poisonous, winterberry holly, yew
14 Comments
Nutria
I’ve heard them called muskrats on steroids. They’re the kudzu of the animal world, an uncontrollable pest introduced from South America. These semi-aquatic rodents can grow to 30 pounds. In the process they eat a lot of vegetation. Many introduced … Continue reading
Posted in foraging
Tagged exotic pest, foraging, habitat destruction, muskrat, nature, nutria, nutria itch, orange teeth
6 Comments
Groundsel tree
Groundsel tree October to November is the time of the year when cotton bales are seen in bunches as we drive to and from work. Despite that, there’s still a lot of white out there. Large feathery shrubs dominate the … Continue reading
Posted in foraging
Tagged Baccharis halimifolia, dioceous, fast growing, feathery white seeds, groundsel tree, nature, salt tolerant
4 Comments
tedmanzer 