To Forage or Not To Forage?

An odd but decidedly cool thing happened in our family recently. 

A couple of weeks ago, I entered a book giveaway for a book about foraging called Dandelion Hunter:  Foraging the Urban Wilderness.  I was lucky enough to win, and I started reading it last week.

At about the same time, without having discussed the book I won, Shane joined a Facebook group centered on foraging Missouri wild edibles.

Also at the same time, without any of us knowing what the others were doing, my son-in-law began foraging for wild edibles in his own neighborhood.

While we've each eaten the occasional berries, nuts, wild mushroom or wild greens, as far as I know, none of us have ever had a driving interest in foraging wild edibles for either culinary or medicinal uses.

Some say there are no coincidences, so I'm taking this as a sign we're on the right track in taking up this line of study, whether for fun now or for more serious reasons in some unforeseen future.  Many plants and fungi can be mistaken for others, causing skin irritations, illness or even death.  The way I see it, three sets of knowledgeable eyes are better than one or two.

Meanwhile, I'm beginning to believe we have a lot more to eat in our garden than we planted!

Do you forage wild edibles or do you know anyone who does?  If so, are your reasons more culinary or medicinal?

March Resolution Review

It's hard to believe that a quarter of the year has already passed.  Time just flies for me lately!

I set some goals at the beginning of the year, so I thought I'd give a quick monthly update on my progress in March. 


Reading: 

• Goal - 18 Books and more than a year of Mother Earth News and Hobby Farm Home back issues (and yes, I've let the subscriptions to those magazines expire).
• March Progress - Read 2 books (7 books of 18 total), and 4 of the  magazines (10 magazines of 38 total). 

The books I read were:

• Jewel by Bret Lott
• The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

Crafting:

• Goal - 12 completed projects, preferably one a month, with one being a quilted item and another being knit socks.
• March Progress - Started and completed the second toe-up knitted sock, completing the pair.  I also crocheted a couple of much needed pot holders using this pattern. ( 3 projects of 12 total)

The socks are far from perfect, but functional and very comfortable.  I love how they match, but aren't identical.  I really enjoyed knitting them and I'm sure I'll knit more in the future.

Gardening: 

• Goal - Organized planning, leading to an organized garden.
• March Progress - We finally bought a new printer and I was finally able to print pages from the garden planner I mentioned in earlier posts.  I love it; it's a very functional and attractive planner to use.
  
  We have begun planting and so far have potatoes and two new gooseberries bushes in the ground.  I transplanted 76 strawberry plants into a new pyramid, the garlic we planted last fall is coming up, as are the perennial asparagus and rhubarb.  We had big plans to continue planting early crops, but last weekend we were hit with our third mega-snowstorm in two months, so planting will have to wait a little longer.

Diet/Nutrition:

• Goal - To switch over to less harmful types of sweeteners and/or reduce sugars in our foods.  To grow more of our food in our backyard.
• March Progress - I have decided that the only way for me to do this is to just do it!  Despite the cost difference between plain granulated sugar and organic cane juice crystals, I used up the last bag of white sugar and I've vowed to eliminate it from sugar from our shopping list entirely.  I consider cane juice crystals the next step up on the sweetener hierarchy.  Not the best choice, but a better one.  We also continue to use local honey, molasses (local when possible), Sucanat and real maple syrup as sweeteners, but not with any regularity.

Fitness:

• Goal - To join a local yoga class better flexibility, balance and overall health.
• March Progress - I still haven't made any effort to find a different class, but with gardening starting up, I'm not to worried.  Gardening is great exercise!

Finances:

• Goal - To pay off our RV.
• March Progress - Shane has been working out of town a lot lately.  He's been getting both a per diem allowance (there is usually a little left over after expenses) and at least a couple of hours of overtime on almost every check lately.   That has helped me to continue to pay extra on each RV payment.  I don't think I'll reach the goal of having it completely paid off this year, but the balance will be reduced considerably.

January Resolution Review

I set some goals at the beginning of the year, so I thought I'd give a quick monthly update on my progress.


Reading: 

• Goal - 18 Books and more than a year of Mother Earth News and Hobby Farm Home back issues (and yes, I've let the subscriptions to those magazines expire).
• January Progress - Read 3 books (3 of 18), but just one of the  magazines (1 of 38). 

The books I read were:

• Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!: The Beatles, Beatlemania, and the Music that Changed the World by Bob Spitz
• The Asperkid's (Secret) Book of Social Rules: The Handbook of Not-So-Obvious Social Guidelines for Tweens and Teens with Asperger Syndrome by Jennifer Cook O'Toole
• The Unschooling Handbook:  How to Use the Whole World As Your Child's Classroom by Mary Griffith.

Crafting:

• Goal - 12 completed projects, preferably one a month, with one being a quilted item and another being knit socks.
• January Progress - Finished a pair of fingerless mittens. (1 of 12)

I finished these crocheted fingerless mittens.  I had started them back in the summer on a camping trip, but lost the pattern on the same trip.  Fortunately, I was able to find it online, and was able to complete the pair. 

I also knitted a small afghan/blanket for our cat Bob, who was moved from outside to our basement in December.  He likes to sleep on dirty laundry, specifically sweaters, so I decided to make him something of his own.  It isn't much to look at, but it used up some of my yarn stash, and was good knitting practice for me.


Gardening: 

• Goal - Organized planning, leading to an organized garden.
• January Progress - Did germination testing on the seeds we already have on hand.  Printed garden organizer I purchased from Northwest Edible Life and recorded seed tests and a few other things.  Read about gardening.  Thought about gardening.

Diet/Nutrition:

• Goal - To switch over to less harmful types of sweeteners and/or reduce sugars in our foods.  To grow more of our food in our backyard.
• January Progress - Shane has switched entirely to local honey as the sweetener in his coffee.  I only sweeten coffee occasionally, but when I do, I've been using Sucanat.  I have not yet found a sweetener I like in my tea other than white sugar, so I'm working on reducing the amount.  Little other progress has been made on this front.

Fitness:

• Goal - To join a local yoga class better flexibility, balance and overall health.
• January Progress - Something came up and I was unable to join.  I plan to look for another class or a different activity to meet this goal.
• I've started looking at bicycles.  I'm getting a good idea about what I want and don't want in a bike.  Basically, I'd like a big ol' cruiser bike with a big, well-padded seat, and handlebars I don't have to lean over, but with multiple speeds.  If I can't find what I want, Shane says he can (and will) Frankenstein custom build one for me. 

Finances:

• Goal - To pay off our RV.
• January Progress - None.  I have filed our tax returns already, and should be getting refunds, but those funds are earmarked for tires for Shane's truck, tires for the RV, and a large chunk of savings for next winter when holidays and bad weather shrink Shane's paycheck considerably.  Very little, if any, funds will go toward the RV balance.  On the other hand, we just completed a No Spend/Reduced Spending month and were able to save quite a bit of money to put toward savings.

Bi-Monthly Book Look - November/December

I did it, but barely.  I read the 26 books I set out to read this year. 

I was able to finish six books - five novels and one non-fiction -  in November and December:

The Flame Alphabet - Ben Marcus
My Rating: 1 out of 5.

I had high hopes of enjoying this book after reading the jacket flap.  Adults were becoming ill, sometimes fatally so, from the sounds of children's speech.  It seemed like such an interesting, if far-fetched premise, and the type of sci-fi/suspense story I could really get into.  Umm...not so much.  The plot was weak, and there was a Jewish sub-text that didn't seem to have any relevance to the story. I should have ditched this book early on, but I kept reading in hopes of find out why the adults were affected by communication with their children. Unfortunately, I felt as lost at the end as I did at the beginning.  

The Giver - Lois Lowry
My Rating: 4 out of 5.

Gathering Blue - Lois Lowry
My Rating: 4 out of 5.

Messenger - Lois Lowry
My Rating: 4 out of 5.

Son - Lois Lowry

My Rating:  4 out of 5.

I've read more young adult fiction this year than I have since I was a preteen.  This series of four novels was recommended by Kat's mom after I read the Hunger Games series. 

This series consists of three unrelated villages, the third being a haven for those who can escape the first two (as well as other) dystopian societies.  By the fourth novel, the connections between the characters from the different villages is made known.

Like Hunger Games, there are some disturbing premises in these stories.  Unlike Hunger Games, there is very little violence involved.  There are some supernatural elements involved, but if looked at symbolically rather than literally, they don't seem to detract from the plot.

The books, the first of which is a Newberry Medal winner, are well-written and suitable for 'tweens, teens and adults alike.

The Battle of Westport: Missouri's Great Confederate Raid - Paul Kirkman
My Rating: 2 out of 5

I am not a Civil War buff, but The Battle of Westport and surrounding events is of interest to me for its local history.  Unfortunately, this book was hard to follow.  The author seemed to be "all over the place", and I was often confused about who was fighting for the North, who for the South, whether they were in Missouri or Kansas at any given time, etc.  Many of the players' names were the same or similar, but the author would use full names here, only surnames there, until I couldn't decipher who was being written about at times.

I do think an account of this battle is worth my time to read, but I will first seek out a book that is less confusing.

Bi-Monthly Book Look - September/October

I'm finally finding a little more time for reading, and I'm right on track with my goal of reading 26 books in 2012.  I can't become complacent, though, or I won't make it through the last six books by the end of the year.

I was able to finish four books, all novels, in September and October:

Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
My Rating: 3 out of 5. 

Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins
My Rating: 5 out of 5.

Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins
My Rating: 4 out of 5.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to read this series or not, but Shane would like to see the Hunger Games movie, so I decided to read the books first.  Overall, it is a great story, and I'd give it 4 or 4.5.  I'm not usually impressed by Young Adult fiction, but this story didn't seem YA to me at all.  As stand alone books, the first is a little weak, in my opinion, with an unsatisfactory ending, but because I was able to go directly to the second book, it felt more like the end of a chapter than the end of a book.  I think most readers already know what these books are about, but for those who don't, teenagers in a post-apocalyptic country (formerly known as USA) are selected by government lottery and forced to enter a kill-or-be-killed game of survival.

Home Across The Road - Nancy Peacock
My Rating:  5 out of 5. 

This is the story of Roseberry, the plantation home of the white Redds and the the black Redds, whom they own as slaves.  The drama and tragedies of both families is told in a story that spans more than 100 years.  The author repeats parts of the story over and over throughout the book, yet never never becomes dull or tiresome in doing so.  Overall, it's a beautifully written book.

Bi-Monthly Book Look - July/August

I'm still having trouble finding as much time to read for pleasure as I would like.  I've been reading a lot of homesteading magazines and online-articles, which I also enjoy, but it's not the same as picking up a book simply because it sounds interesting.

I was able to finish three books in July and August, which is amazing considering I fell asleep most nights after just a few pages.

Arcadia - Lauren Groff
My Rating: 4 out of 5.  This novel follows the life of flower child Bit Stone from before his birth to late adulthood, as he both sheds and desperately hangs on to the hippie ideals of his commune-living parents.

A Lesson Before Dying - Ernest J. Gaines
My Rating:  4 out of 5.  This is an Oprah's Book Club book from the 1990s, reminiscent of To Kill a Mockinbird.  When a young man is wrongly convicted of murder, his former teacher is called upon to convince him of his self-worth before he dies.  When I picked it up and started reading, I remembered the story, but having finished it, I still can't say whether I had read it before or if I saw the film version.

Folks, This Ain't Normal:  A Farmer's Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World - Joel Salatin
My Rating: 5 out of 5. I loved this book, which is as much about child-rearing and personal responsibility as it is about farming.  I enjoy Salatin's tone, and learned quite a lot from this book.

Goodreads synopsis:  From farmer Joel Salatin's point of view, life in the 21st century just ain't normal. In FOLKS, THIS AIN'T NORMAL, he discusses how far removed we are from the simple, sustainable joy that comes from living close to the land and the people we love. Salatin has many thoughts on what normal is and shares practical and philosophical ideas for changing our lives in small ways that have big impact.

Quiet:  The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking -  Susan Cain
My Rating: 4 out of 5.  This in an important book for introverts like me, but maybe even a more important read for the extroverted majority to read.  The book explains how introverts and extroverts process information and seek stimulation differently, while sharing valuable insight on how we can all contribute and relate to one another better.

Bi-Monthly Book Look - May/June

I don't have much to add here this time around.  Gardening, RVing, swimming and other summer fun has kept me from reading as much as usual.  I do read nightly, but these days I'm so tired that I barely make it through a few pages before I crash.

Wind Through The Keyhole - Stephen King
My Rating: 3 out of 5.  This story is an afterthought, of sorts, to The Dark Tower series of novels.  To describe it wouldn't do much good unless you, too, are a fan of the series.  I am a long-time fan of Stephen King and of the DT series, but this story just didn't do much for me.

Lost Memory of Skin - Russell Banks
My Rating: 4 out of 5.  This novel is about homeless sex offenders living under a causeway because they can't, by law, live anywhere else.  These men, some rightly convicted and some not, but who have all served their prison sentence, are just trying to survive.  It is a much less disturbing book than it sounds.  The specific crimes are not detailed; the way in which these men try to turn their lives around (with little success) is.

I am deep into three more books as I post this, so I hope to have more books to write about in August.  Meanwhile, I am right on course with my reading goal of 26 books in 2012.

Bi-Monthly Book Look - March/April

I think I may have set a record for fewest books I've ever read in a two month period.  I managed to finish just three books, all fiction:

Firefly Lane - Kristin Hannah
My Rating: 3 out of 5.  This novel follows the friendship of two young teenage girls through high school, college, early adulthood and into middle age.  When a single act of betrayal destroys their friendship, what can bring them back together?  This book is less melodramatic than the synopsis led me to believe and turned out to be an enjoyable read, but it wasn't very memorable.  A month after reading it, I had to review the synopsis just to remember what it was about.

Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood
My Rating: 4 out of 5.
This is a work of dystopian fantasy, or as Atwood would call it, speculative fiction.  It was both fascinating and disturbing, in that the events are set in the not-so-distant future and seem at least somewhat plausible:

In search of answers, Snowman embarks on a journey–with the help of the green-eyed Children of Crake–through the lush wilderness that was so recently a great city, until powerful corporations took mankind on an uncontrolled genetic engineering ride. Margaret Atwood projects us into a near future that is both all too familiar and beyond our imagining.

Oryx and Crake is the first book in the Maddaddam Trilogy, although the books don't need to be read in order.  I read the second book, The Year of the Flood, last year; it a stand-alone story that overlaps with Oryx and Crake only a bit.  I've heard the term "sidequel" used, which seems fitting in a way that neither "prequel" or "sequel" do.

The Outlaw Album - Daniel Woodrell
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5
This is a book of a dozen short "Ozark noir" stories told in fewer than 200 pages by one of my favorite authors in one of my favorite genres, MO/KS/AR regional fiction.  Things aren't always what they seem, and being outside the law can look like a lot of things, from insanity to revenge, to patriotism to simple grief.

Bi-Monthly Book Look - January/February

I thought I'd take a look at the books I read in January and February of this year.  Maybe you'll find something here you like.

I've divided them into non-fiction and fiction.  Beyond that, they are in the order they were read.

Non-Fiction

Making It - Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen
My rating: 5 of 5.  This is a great book of formulas, recipes and instructions for making homemade food, drinks, cleaners and useful objects.  I liked this book well enough that I bought a copy for myself.

Fed Up With Lunch - The School Lunch Project - Mrs. Q
My rating: 3 of 5.  A Chicago-land teacher decides to eat her school's hot lunch every day for a year, and lived to tell about it.  While interesting, the book offers little to solve the problem of the declining quality of school lunches.

Made By Hand: My Adventures in the World of Do-It-Yourself - Mark Frauenfelder
My rating: 4 out of 5.  This is one man's account of his decision to delve into the world of "makers".  Not only does he describe his own experiences, but he discusses the philosphies behind what he calls the "DIY Movement" and the value of making mistakes.  It was a fun read and as someone who has always been a do-it-yourselfer  to some extent or another (and who doesn't think of this as a "movement" at all),  it was interesting to see the processes of DIY projects from the point of view of someone who wasn't naturally called to work with his hands.


Fiction

The Heart Specialist - Claire Holden Rothman
My rating: 4 out of 5.  Historical novel about one of Canada's first female physicians.

Gone For Good - Mark Childress
My rating: 3.5 out of 5.  A 1970s rock star finds himself plane-wrecked on a tropical island, where other inhabitants include Marilyn Monroe, Amelia Earhart and other famous dead folks.

11/22/63 - Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5.  What if you could travel back in time and prevent JFK's assassination?  That would be a good thing.  Or would it?

I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive - Steve Earle
My rating: 5 of 5.  Alt-country music fans will recognize Steve Earle as a singer/songwriter; I think he does an impressive job with his first novel.  Imagine being a washed up heroin-junkie physician living with the ghost of Hank Williams.  What would it take to make you go clean?  (Coincidentally, this was the third novel in a row that included JFK among their casts of characters.  What are the chances?)

Something To Think About

Last week I wrote about following along with Erica at NW Edibles as she does a month of anti-inflammatory dieting.   I mentioned then that I was participating "casually", since I don't have a defined goal in mind.  I'm not concerned about losing weight and I don't have many issues with pain (other than migraines and a mild, but frequent shoulder ache).  Mostly, I think, I am following along to learn something new.

Since last week, I have:

• Done a little bit of reading about the Primal Blueprint diet.  Even if I don't agree with 100% of Mark Sisson's guidelines, I'm intrigued. Actually, I agree with most of what he says, and I love the way he presents his thoughts.  First he tells you what he thinks and why, then he opens up his blog posts and forums to readers to discuss and debate.  He also makes clear his idea that the plan is adaptable to each person's needs and pace.  In my brief reading, nothing is set in stone.  I find that refreshing.  (I apologize for not having links.  I am unable to get to those pages right now...will add them later when I'm able.)
  
  
• Been eating a good deal of good meat, both venison Shane hunted last fall and quality pork that we bought directly from the farmer last August.
  
  
• Reduced our consumption of granulated white sugar and high-fructose corn syrup.  I've been using cane juice crystals in our drinks, and have reduced the amount of sweetener I've been using in hot tea by half and in iced tea by a third.  I've used honey in baked goods.  I bought ketchup that's free of HFCS and we've had no soda at all in the past week.
  
  
• Consumed probiotics in the form of kombucha every day this week.
  
  
• Used coconut oil almost exclusively in cooking and baking.  I have also used a little bit of butter and a little bit of peanut oil.
  
  
• Reduced the amount of grains we consumed, but have not eliminated them (and currently have no plans to).
  
  
• Tried to be more active.  Nothing formal, but I've managed to do more walking this week and made sure to take the stairs when I went to my 4th Floor doctor appointment on Wednesday.
  
  
• Attempted to eat breakfast more often.  I'm not a breakfast fan, and I don't like traditional breakfast foods in the morning (but love them later in the day).  I've been trying to eat at least a an orange or an avocado within in the first couple hours of my day.
  
  
• Managed to stay on a regular sleep schedule of roughly 11:00 p.m. to 6 a.m., even on the weekend.

As you can see, I'm not being very strict about this.  I'm just learning and trying a few things out.  Do I notice anything different yet?  No, not really, but it's only been a week.  If anything at all, I've not had the "afternoon slump" that I sometimes get around 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon. That's a good thing.

I also think there's a certain amount of well-being that comes simply from paying attention to my body and what I'm putting into it. 

Stay tuned for another update next Friday.

Things I Want To Accomplish This Year

Oh, I know we're already a few days into the new year, but it's not too late for me to set a couple of goals for 2012. 

These aren't resolutions, per say.  They are just a couple of mini goals I've set for myself.

The first is a reading goal.  Last year, I set a goal to read 52 book, or one a week.  I reached my goal, and in fact, I read 55 books, but it was tough.  I lost a lot of ground during gardening season and had to really push at the end of the year to meet the goal.

I love reading, but this year, I'm scaling back to a much more reasonable 26 books, or one every two weeks. I fully expect I'll read more than that, but I don't want to feel like I HAVE TO.  If you are interested, you can follow my progress by watching the Goodreads widget in my sidebar.  If you click in, you should be able to see the titles of the books I've read.

My other goal is that I will do more crafting in 2012.  I enjoy crocheting, knitting, cross-stitch and sewing (among other crafts), but I have a hang-up.  If I have chores left to be done, I won't allow myself to sit down and craft.  That's all going to change this year.  I plan to finish some projects I've already started and also start (and finish) some new projects, to the tune of at least a project a month. I'm going to make sure I have some fun craft time this year, whether I like it or not!

This is where that accountability comes in.  The first projects I plan to finish are:

1) Cut and hem 4 pair of light- and draft-blocking drapes.  The drapes are long enough that they cover our furnace registers if I don't pull them back.  Pulling them back defeats their draft blocking properties.  This is NOT what I consider a fun craft project but it needs to be done.

2) This multi-colored crocheted afghan I began for my daughter and son-in-law more than two years ago.  Crocheting is usually fun for me, but all the color changes in this project have got me down.  It's time to be done with this one.

3) Cut out and sew some skirts and pants for Kat.  I bought the patterns and fabric a couple of months ago, so I need to get going on these.

I've also decided that if I simply can't or won't finish something, well, I'm going to get rid of it one way or another.  Who needs the guilt of an unfinished project hanging over their head?  I don't.

Anyone else want to join me in wrapping things up this year?