Wild Food Foraging

John Kallas, Ph.D., Director, Wild Food Adventures (holding wild sweet pea)

http://www.wildfoodadventures.com/

This past summer, including today, I have taken 3 classes on Wild Foods from John Kallas here in Portland. 

The first class, we went to an organic farm and learned about all the edible weeds that can grown on a farm, we picked an assortment and made a delicious salad with them..  I really do mean that it was delicious..You'd never realize how good some of these plants are!  He doesn't like to call them weeds, because really they are native plants that are indeed edible, but often mistaken for weeds. 

(rose hips)

The second class, was about survival. It was a foundation class that went over the types of survival and about some of the easier foods to find and prepare-ones to avoid because they take too much energy to prepare. He said that the number one important thing to do in a survival situation is to stay calm and simply look around for awhile and think about what your resources are and what is around you..  In other words, your psychological state is #1!!  Chances are you want to leave that situation and food isnt' really your first priority(oftentimes)--people are usually rescued within 3 days and you can survive a month without food depending on the weather and conditions..water you need much sooner, though.. 

 (beautyberry??(sp)

Today's class, was neighborhood foraging and we found lots of foods from an old city neighborhood, from trees, bushes, weeds...bushes.  (rosehips, plums, english walnut, lindentree, (pokeweed bad-unless really cooked), sheep sorrel, chestnuts, cats ear, pulslane(sp?), hawthorne, mountain ash, wild fennel, mint, wild sweet pea, green amarath, english linden tree, oregon white oak, wild spinnach, red clover, etc..) Lots of food around here!!  Learned that wild spinnach and wild garlic mustard are among the most nutritious greens known (and taste really good)!

english linden tree-like lettuce

 Brought my husband and  kids with me this time--little bit tricky with my kids..3 hours is a long time for them, I realized to listen and stand around looking at plants..but I think it was good for them to try..  My husband needed to take them for a couple breaks..  Realized that it is good for kids to be pushed sometimes even when they are bored--wasn't as fun for us, but character building for them (I hope)

In any case, these were fun and valuable classes.   He offers many many more classes..I realized through the 3 classes that I took that there is a wealth of knowledge out there!!  I only got a grazing of it..  There are many plants that are poisionous, so you really need to be careful and know what you are doing!  (for example the wild carrot looks almost just like the VERY poisonous hemlock that can kill you even in a very small quanitity and tastes good..

John Kallas also has his first book out and plans to write a whole series. 

Beginner Sewing and Knitting: Taking back the skillz

Here is my first apron that I just finished about a week ago.

In part of my journey towards a sustainable lifestyle, I am determined to learn some of the skills that have been on my bucket list for years!  I have always enjoyed crafting..As a child/youth, I made many a latch hooking, as a teen and college student, I got into oil painting, but I always wanted to know how to knit and sew.  In 6th grade I took a home ec class and briefly learned to use a sewing machine, but didn't pursue it, because I thought it was not the "college track"--Even though, I enjoyed it, I did not think it was a class "worthy" of the track towards "success" and "being college educated".  (what a snob I was)--and I really wasn't a snob.. especially in junior high..I was kind of shy and nerdy and not in the hip group..but I was a popular wanna-be-for sure!  I did not always have the backbone or confidence to stand by and trust what I felt was right either-back then... I'd like an earring and someone would tell me it was ugly and then I'd think I was wrong in liking it-- (that is a whole other story of adolescent insecurities) In any case, I feel very differently about the "value" of this skill..  And really want to "take back the skills" that have been devalued during at least the last couple of generations..  For example: with this skill, I can make pajamas for my kids that are not filled with toxic flame retardant--take control of my own buying power so that I do not have to be limited by what is on the shelves or be "forced" into buying fume filled sleep ware.

And here I am, going back to it, because I really did want to learn how..and have always thought "the thought of knitting and sewing during the wintertime" a very warm and fuzzy thought--just as appealing as sitting in a cafe sipping a great latte..


 **I am learning how to use a sewing machine and sew from patterns from classes at Portland Sewing--taking the complete 12 week course: Learning to Sew. 12 classes @ 3 hours/class.  The first 4 week block, you make an apron, the second-a robe, and the third pajamas.


Portland Sewing: "We offer sewing classes for the beginner to the advanced stitcher wanting to learn something new, from sewing basics to pattern making, draping, tailoring and couture. No matter the class, our job is to make sure you gain skills, create a project you like, build your confidence — and have a good time doing it!" (My review is that I really like the instructors and the school.  You can begin knowing nothing about sewing and feel after each 3 hour class, you have learned a great deal)  I am not afraid to ask questions..and find it much easier to learn the skills and "tricks" than I would have trying to learn on my own..  The classes continue from the very beginner all the way to people who wish to do apparel design professionally!  You begin with Learn to Sew (if you are a complete beginner)--Then you can continue to Beginning Sewing, then Intermediate, and so on..  I also believe that the prices are very reasonable considering each class is 3 hours long and you really get the help and the level of learning that matches where you are at in your skill level. 


2111 NE 43rd Ave. Portland, OR
(503) 927-5457
Sharon Blair
http://www.portlandsewing.com/



I am learning how to knit from the book: Stitch and Bitch. (which breaks down each knitting skill into manageable bites) with simple projects for the beginner to intermediate..and interesting historical commentary on knitting.

 Here is the Janome sewing machine I am making payments on on top of a sewing table I bought on Craigslist.  (I really like that it has metal parts (built to last) and can lock in place the slooooowww speed)--because I am such a beginner!  (-; 

And here is the first 1/3 of the scarf I am working on. Knit Knit. Pearl Pearl..  (-; 


And this is truly truly fun for me.  I love create and get to see the "art" of what comes out of it; and I love to learn..and it is sooo useful.  I am hoping to next learn how to knit a hat, and I also have high hopes of making Halloween costumes, curtains, learn to quilt, and hem up some pants.  (if I can find enough "free time")  Fall/winter is a good time to attempt this, I think as my garden slows down..

And I want to be a part of advocating for a wonderful (not quite lost art)--that is not just an art, but a very very useful skill.

Feeling Soo inspired by book Radical Homemaking

Reading this book and feeling sooooo inspired. This is beyond liberal/conservative--It is NOT about being "subservient" or "less than"--It is about being independent of corporations--of developing SKILLS that have been lost..so that we don't have to be in such a hurry and have to buy (McDonalds or other convieniences)--so we can eat healthy food...and buy less "stuff" and instead spend time together as familiies and community..get to know our neighbors.. And also feel fulfilled/self-actualized---and be responsible to our planet, our animals, and people in 3rd world who sweat blood/starve to make our $5 t-shirts.

http://radicalhomemakers.com/
http://www.homegrown.org/group/radicalhomemakers

page 54

The first sacrice we make to this extractive economy is our time...we attribute little or no value to our time, unless it is used in a process whereby money changes hands..It matters not what the time was used for, so l ong as the trade resulted in the generation of dollars. "It could go to thinking up new ways to seduce children into drinking more cola, or plotting ways to subvert clean air laws," notes Rowe. "So long as the time has flowed into the market and increased the churn of money there, it has been used beneficially where the economic mind is concerned. " Once we have sacrificed our time to the extractive econonmy, there is even more money to be made, because we now must use our hard-earned cash in order to purchase substitues for the time we've traded. We buy take-out and fast food when we don't have time to cook dinner. We buy prescription drugs when we no longer have time to take care of our health and get ample rest. We buy luxury goods for our loved ones as a substitute for spending time together. We throw out our shoes when the soles wear thin, toss our electronics into landfills when they stop working properly, because it takes too much time to repair them. In the long run, we wind up cash-poor and time-destitute, while coporate American

accumulates our wealth."

Page 58 Toward a Life-Serving Econonmy

(Shannon Hayes says that whether we work in the home or outside the home, it is important we follow these 4 tenets in our livelihood)

1.  Respect and care for the community life.

2. Ecological integrity

3. Social and economic justice

4. Democracy, nonviolence and peac

Haiti

I almost don't want to think about the eathquake in Haiti...and all the people who are suffering right now. Each time something like this happens...I become overwhelmed with the images of the people..and the fear that it could happen to us and the guilt for my own comforts while others are suffering. Our mortal life is so fragile. Our comforts could be fleeting. It is a reminder of that fact. I am honestly, very accustomed to being "comfortable"...the discomforts I feels are miniscule in contrast to what people are going through in Haiti right now. It is important to donate money if you can...or to help others who are suffering..I am glad that there are easy ways to donate towards the victims in Haiti.

One of the easiest, I found was to Text "HAITI" to 90999. The red Cross will get $10 and you'll be billed the $ on your next cell bill. I think $10 is worth it to help save a life. One less lunch out...



"When a crisis sweeps over the world no person should hope to remain intact. We belong to an organic unit and when one part of the organism suffers all the rest of the body will feel its consequence." -Bahá’í Scriptures

Magical, Mystical Bees: Friendly Haven Rise Farm: Jacqueline

One thing, I would love to do is add a hive or two to our yard to support our honeybees (and to have some of our own raw honey. YUM!) When I saw a documentry on PBS http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/silence-of-the-bees/video-full-episode/251/ about CCD, I realized that our food supply could be in trouble if our honeybees disappear. A huge part of our food is dependent upon pollunation by bees..fruit, vegetables...are all bee dependent. Bees are not just important for honey!

1 in 3 U.S. Bees Died This Winter (May 2009)
That's good news, in terms of colony collapse disorder -- but still very bad news for beekeepers. Also see our DIY backyard beekeeping guide.Read more: http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/blogs/bees/colony-collapse-disorder-88052606#ixzz0XQC7t9Fw


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_collapse_disorder
Colony collapse disorder (CCD) or sometimes honey bee depopulation syndrome (HBDS)[1] is a phenomenon in which worker bees from a beehive or European honey bee colony abruptly disappear. While such disappearances have occurred throughout the history of apiculture, the term colony collapse disorder was first applied to a drastic rise in the number of disappearances of Western honey bee colonies in North America in late 2006.[2] Colony collapse is economically significant because many agricultural crops worldwide are pollinated by bees.

Why We Need Bees and More People Becoming Organic Beekeepers AlterNet

A couple of years ago, I attended a Beekeeping class at this farm:

http://www.friendlyhaven.com/classes.html

Jacqueline was an amazing teacher. I still feel refreshed when I think about the hours I spent on her farm that day and what I learned. She is a bee rescuer. She will get a call that a swarm has been located in someone's barn, or inside of someone's wall, and she will capture and relocate the swarm and create a new hive/home for it.

I believe she takes a bio-dynamic approach to farming. (something I would like to learn more about!)

From Wikpedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodynamic_agriculture

Biodynamic agriculture is a method of organic farming that treats farms as unified and individual organisms,[1] emphasizing balancing the holistic development and interrelationship of the soil, plants, animals as a self-nourishing system without external inputs[2] insofar as this is possible given the loss of nutrients due to the export of food.[3]
Regarded by some as the first modern ecological farming system,[4] biodynamic farming has much in common with other organic approaches, such as emphasizing the use of manures and composts and excluding of the use of artificial chemicals on soil and plants. Methods unique to the biodynamic approach include the use of fermented herbal and mineral preparations as compost additives and field sprays and the use of an astronomical sowing and planting calendar.[5] Biodynamics originated out of the work of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of the spiritual philosophy anthroposophy.

Jacqueline takes an approach that is very different from commercial beekeeping. Did you know that most commercial hives do not contain a true queen, but a "weaker" substitute queen that is only supposed to function for about a year until a true queen is born, but subs are continued to be used, to keep the hive from swarming away? These subs, will never be strong like the true queens..never meant to be the queen for long, etc.... Did you know that queens are marked with a dot-from a permanent marker so that commercial beekeepers can keep track of the queen. I could go on and on about why bees could be disappearing..pesticides, monoculture crops, commercial-large scale practices, etc..
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/silence-of-the-bees/ccd-update-from-dennis-van-engelsdorp-may-2009/4991/"Every colony has a queen, and what we’re finding is that those queens are dying. And if a colony is unable to successfully replace them, or if the beekeeper is unable to identify that there’s a problem with the queen and buy a new queen to replace her, the colony dies.
Also, we’re finding that beekeepers tend to have better success keeping their colonies alive by keeping colonies as healthy as possible and by aggressively treating disease and keeping colonies well nourished."
It is a very interesting topic to me.. One I hope to learn more about at some point. To me, bees seem magical/mystical. I highly recommend reading The Secret Life of Bees http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Life-Bees-Monk-Kidd/dp/0143114557/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258736331&sr=8-1
There are so many aspects to bees, that are truly amazing. How they set up their community, their hive, their social order, even how their little bodies work, how they pollunate...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_bee
Amazing how important one of God's small little creatures is! How easy it is to forget...