Afternoon Jaunt

After my big adventure over the weekend, I ached for some more fresh air and hiking.
I like to hike.

I put together a few things and off Morris and I went.  Hubby went to take a nap and said he wanted me to wake him up in about an hour and a half.

I marched down the ridge road to the creek and started up our dry run.  It didn't seem to be much of a challenge after my last adventure with the kids.  However I did climb all the way to the ridge across mossy rocks and boulders.

Each year it seems another tree falls into the dry run.  There was a bit of crawling and scrambling to get through.  Morris however, took the easy way and followed a deer trail right above me.
I'm sure he wondered what was wrong with me.

This old oak will probably go with the next huge gully washer.  It has been hanging on for years and I am amazed that it is still upright.

We got to the edge of our land and watched through the trees as a huge combine picked corn.  

It is that time of year again, when photography in the woods feels pretty mundane and boring.
The landscape is not beautiful.
So I am going to try and find some photographic inspiration somehow.

Perhaps I'll have to dig into my black and white 'magic pouch' and see if I can come up with something worth looking at.

All in all, I hiked at least one mile with a change of elevation of 200 ft, which makes for a nice workout.
We found some deer trails, but nothing heavily used enough to clear the leaves off the path.

Morris and I made it home in time to wake up hubby and get chores done.

I found some wild parsnip and sauteed them in pesto sauce.  Wow, was that ever good!

Foraging for Fresh Veggies

I wondered how long it would take me to find enough fresh food in the woods.  I had some Wild Parsnips in mind.  I wanted to stir fry them up with some Ramps ... also known as Leeks.

So Morris and I took off with a shovel and a couple of plastic bags.

Morris was very pleased to be able to get out and run.  He'd suffered too many days of staying in the house.  In fact one of those days he simply acted as if he were very depressed.

It was good to see him run happily around!

When things begin to get hectic around here, Morris will be going on vacation at a couple of different places.  He will go stay with my ex boss and his wife for a bit.  That means he'll be able to hang out at the Chiropractic Office and greet patients as he used to when he was younger.

Other arrangements include visiting with his beloved 'kids'.

Anyway, off we went in a hurry.  We were going to go pick up our new ride later in LaCrosse so I wanted to hustle and get some very fresh natural wild ... food!

I laid a 'picked' parsnip next to one that was still in the ground.  Doesn't look like much does it?  
Well when the Wild Parsnip which is an invasive species is in full bloom, they are nasty wicked plants.
In the spring, they are tasty wild morsels when cooked up right!

After gathering enough for a meal, rinsed the dirt off from them and broke off the tops.  I stuffed them in a bag and headed off to the patch of Leeks.

I took a quick glance around the creek bottom area.  There were a lot of deer tracks in the mud mixed in with some raccoon.  I saw no sign of coyotes.

I was pretty warm by the time I climbed into the Leek Patch.  
A few weeks ago they were just emerging.

Now it was a full fledged patch.

I climbed up the steep bank using the shovel as a walking stick.  Then I set to work.

I stuffed those in a bag and checked my watch.  I had to get home and walk up hubby from his nap so we could get a move on.

Of course, I did get sidetracked by the 'Pinks'.  I think the proper name is Spring Beauties or perhaps 'Virginia Pinks' which is their official name.

These are incredibly small and hard to notice if you really aren't looking for them.  But once you find a patch, it is incredible and awe inspiring.

I made it home with some time to spare.

I'd found fresh wild vegetables in the woods, rejoiced at finding Virginia Pinks, and delighted in finding several patches of Mayflowers coming up.

I didn't have time to seek out the trillium I'd found the other day to see if it was going to open or not.

That would have to wait at least two more days.

We'll be travelling for appointments today and tomorrow I'm busy with deliveries and my own doctor checkup.

But spring is here finally.
Which means I will go Morel hunting soon.

Even if I don't find them, it is fun to look.

Wild Parsnip ~ delicious!

Well if you like to experiment and get FREE food there are some great things to be found in the woods.

Yesterday I found Wild Parsnip which is an invasive species and when it is blossoming in the summer, the juice from the plant can give you a nasty burn.

This is a shot from a year or so ago on a very warm spring day.  

I was doing yard work yesterday, digging out thistles when I spotted some wild parsnip tops in a pile of dirt.  I've not seen them ever in the yard yet so I decided to get rid the ones I saw.

I was very surprised at how long and huge the roots were when I dug them out. They didn't look like much when I tossed them on the ground so I twisted off the tops and brushed the dirt off from them.

I took them to the outside pump and rinsed them.

I used a peeler and then diced them up and tossed them in the frying pan with some olive oil and pesto and a dash of garlic pepper.

I really wasn't quite sure as to how it would all turn out until we sat down to eat.

It was super!  I realized then that this weekend I'd be out foraging the creek bottom for more spring wild parsnip and some wild ramp/leeks to go in the fry pan.

There certainly is no reason to go hungry for fresh vegetables in the early spring.

I'm not certain I am ready for looking for Fiddleheads which is a type of fern that can be cooked up.

Soon enough it will be time to search for those delicious and elusive mushrooms, the Morel!