Helianthus tuberosus The topinambour; sunchoke; Jerusalem artichoke; any other names I am missing?! For years these Plants have been shooting up great green sprouts and soon enough October rolls around and they finally begin to flower. Topinambours are a staple to the NorthEastern NorthAmerican diet (or so they should be!) as they are perennial… Continue reading Topinambour
Lacto-fermentation as a “foodie” thing is of course raging in popularity right now. The simplicity of preparation, the dense aroma of semi-rotten, bacteria-eaten vegetables, the infinite variety. The fact that this dish (and it is a dish, never a side) is raw is also quite interesting as the process of fermentation releases mineral content and… Continue reading Fermentation Basics
Or; an exercise of eating on-screen For a food film (or a film about food), Julie & Julia sure does include a lot of eating scenes. I am especially impressed by the number of eating/meal scenes. I was so moved, in fact, that I almost forgot about Meryl Streep’s part as Julia Child. Instead I… Continue reading Film Review :: Julie & Julia
Acer saccharum Spotting, tapping & learning from the maple tree. This tree which represents Canada in many ways is actually not apparent across the country and is largely found in the southeast mixed forest in the Canadian Shield. Maple is big business and small operations have thousands of taps. Even people with 100 or 200… Continue reading Sugar Water Tree
Emesis ****This is a post about emesis, so consider this your warning. I’m going to keep this log short because if I am going to admit that I am in the throes of one of my recurring symptoms :: vomiting. Apparently I am a sucker for “bad” gut bacteria that just won’t quit. I love… Continue reading Emesis
Allow me to cut straight to the chase, here. If anyone wants to harvest food or medicine from the wild, it must absolutely must be done with the safety of the plants in mind. When harvesting the burdock root, only take less than 1/3 of the amount from a large patch. Leave the flower of… Continue reading Chaga :: How NOT to harvest
I have been enamored with companion planting ever since I started observing and building permaculture designs. The attraction and repelling properties that plants have on each other is so difficult to detect to humans. A lot of the times you cannot see the effects that a parsley or yarrow plant will have on a tomato… Continue reading 7 Sisters :: Buckwheat
Poison Partners We’re still a long way off from any sign of new, green growth outdoors up here in Wentworth-Nord but I can see that pretty much everywhere else things are a bit different. On this day I’m dreaming of my poison pasture that I established last season. Poison pasture? Yes, I made a portion… Continue reading Poison Partners
The morning coffee game has never been stronger. I used to just pour hot water over preground coffee beans, serve with some cream and just a touch of sugar. I’m not sure when exactly I started wanting to drink less coffee. When my migraines started to get really bad, or when I feel the effects… Continue reading 6 Shades of Gold
Tea of the day :: Calendula – horsetail – seaberry – joe pye weed – corn silk – fireweed Nephros- Pertaining to the kidneys, and essentially the urinary system. Kidney days The urinary system is composed of the kidneys, the bladder, ureter, and urethra. The supradrenal glands sit on top the kidneys on each side… Continue reading Nephros
Homestead Nomads 