.Another plant is emerging this time of year that some people wish wouldn't and others, like me, enjoy carefully - stinging nettles! They have these annoying hair-like 'stingers' along the stem and leaves that, when you brush against them, cause a mildly painful and burning sensation that takes awhile to wear off. If you want to learn about what causes the stinging and how it happens, here's a great article that explains what they do (and don't) know. One of the components is formic acid (the same chemical that many ants inject when they bite you), but, according to this article, it may not be the main irritant. I'll leave you to read about it on your own. My mom used to say that peeing on the affected skin would neutralize the toxin, but according to the article, this has not been substantiated scientifically. Same with rubbing dock leaves on your skin. Apparently antihistamines do counteract the histamine that is one of the components of stinging nettle toxic cocktail. From personal experience, I can tell you that the good news is that the sting does eventually wear off after several hours and, at least for me, it's not all that bad. But there is more good news! If you're careful about picking the newly emerged leaves, they make an excellent and very bright green soup! Some people add potatoes to thicken the soup and some people use fish. All you have to do is wear gloves and have enough patience to pick a large bag full of leaves. I guarantee you that when you find a patch, you'll certainly have more than enough. Then you quickly boil the leaves, which neutralizes the stinging effect. |
Here's one of the recipes I use. I use the leeks that overwintered in my vegetable garden and a lot more cream than the recipe calls for. Given that the dreaded and highly invasive garlic mustard is also growing, you can do double duty by uprooting the garlic mustard and using its leaves to add more garlic flavor to the recipe. I'm going to test out this recipe with my Walkabouters this very chilly week - along with some homemade sourdough bread. That ought to warm them up as we explore the woods together.
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There is a term that photographers and artists use to call the waxing and waning hours of the day as the sun is low on the horizon. It's called the 'sweet light' where colors are more vibrant and the shadows and side lighting make for beautiful photographs. There was a time where I used to do a LOT of photography and lugged around a lot of heavy camera equipment. Now, with a smartphone in my pocket and digital image technology so improved, it's easy to stop in my tracks on my farm to enjoy and photograph a beautiful moment in the sweet light. Such was the case recently when the spring blooms were particularly radiant. Right now, the bloodroot, bluebells, hyacinths, and daffodils (of which I have hundreds growing throughout my woods) are blooming as the ferns are unfurling.
It was a sad day yesterday. The three giant ash trees who stood sentinel along with the basswood and oak trees in front of my house finally succumbed to the dreaded ash borer disease. My biodiversity students know about borers, as do the woodpeckers who excavate through bark to get at them. The larvae feed on the water (and nutrient) transportation system beneath the bark, cutting off this essential component for photosynthesis. The branches could no longer produce leaves, so the trees 'tried' to compensate by producing branchlets around the base of the tree where there was no damage yet. But, eventually, the trees could not survive.
I'm sad because they provided lovely shade during the summer and allowed glorious sunshine through the windows in the wintertime. But, dead trees can cause great damage to a house, so they had to go. There will be a few unhappy squirrels who used these trees as their 'high'way around the house to avoid Darcy. Fortunately there were no dreys in or on the trees. Below is a picture of the 3 big trees furthest left, and then another picture of the devastation when they were felled. As with all negatives, there is always a positive - LOTS of firewood to keep me warm next winter. For more pictures and some spectacular video showing slow motion crashes as they came down, go to this link. All my students know Darcy, my sidekick and partner in the classroom. This winter we both retired from teaching and, only a month into my retirement, I've been keeping busy tearing out an old bathroom and remodeling it. What my students didn't know (until they read this) was that last June Darcy was diagnosed with renal failure. Next month she'll turn 14 and this is a common problem for older dogs. This was kept hidden because of Covid at-home learning, so they only saw Darcy sleeping on the couch behind me as I taught over Zoom. The fact is that online learning turned out to have its blessings because of how much attention Darcy now needs. She was always a thin dog, but now she is anorexic and positively skeletal. I cook special diets for her and have to now hand feed her to keep her strength up. This doesn't mean that she doesn't enjoy chasing a squirrel on occasion, but she now conserves her energy by sleeping A LOT. She has her little housecoat to keep warm and often a blanket over that. When I first learned the prognosis of having between a couple of months to a year to live, I cried for weeks. I couldn't even talk about it without starting to tear up. And, even as I write this, a few dribbles emerge from the corners of my eyes. But we've settled into a new routine, and things seem stable. Every now and then I see a little sign that gives me a scare - like another few ounces lost - and then a sign of hope when she gains it back. Today was another, different moment for Darcy.
But, today, as I opened the door back into the warm house, she stood outside shivering despite wearing two coats. I could tell that she wanted to stay outside. The sun on the snow is breathtaking, especially in the morning and late afternoon as the shadows cast by the trees are so stark and the snow so glittery (adamantine to my Geology students!). Anyway, she opted for warmth, but I could tell she was longing for the old days. So, as she finds a sunny spot by the window to soak in that beautiful sun, I'll begin re-tiling the shower.
Coming back from cutting up some boards for my bathroom remodel in the unheated barn workshop, I had to take a moment out by the chicken coop before heading to the cozy warmth of the woodstove. There was no wind, just the soft glow of the moon and lights on the snow. It was worth lingering a little longer in the cold.
Take a good look at this 6 year old silky chicken that lives on my farm. Do you think it's a hen or a rooster? Long red wattles and and a bright red comb sure make it look like a rooster. And, yes, this summer it crowed like a rooster, too. Check out this link to my video that I took this summer. BUT, before you make up your mind..... 'Here's a picture of this very same chicken raising chicks only the year before. For 5 years, this 'hen' laid eggs and occasionally raised chicks. "Her" name is Josephine. Notice the smaller comb and wattles, too! Imagine my surprise when s/he began crowing this summer. So off to Google I went and discovered that (while very rare) it has been documented that hens can turn into roosters. I have a trans-rooster! Not sure what pronoun s/he prefers.
But before I could get used to calling 'him' Joey, autumn rolled around and apparently s/he made another transformation back to Josephine. No more crowing and the wattles are back to their former size. This weekend we're getting the big tease - almost 60 degrees are predicted for Sunday! The spring bulbs are starting to peak through the fallen leaves, the chipmunks are out teasing Darcy, the hens are trying to brood (but I'll make them wait another 2 weeks before I let them sit on eggs), and.....the sap is running! That means maple syruping time! But, in reality, it's box elder syruping time at Maggie's Farm.
Maple trees and box elder trees are related, and it's true that you can get a wonderful syrup from the box elder tree. I once read in a "How to Make Maple Syrup" booklet that the native Americans were quoted as saying that "the only thing wrong with box elder syrup is that there isn't enough of it." I'm somewhat skeptical of this because box elder trees are often considered "weed trees". They are the first to take over a field that has been abandoned by a farmer, and that's the case with my little farm. Box elder trees are in abundance around here, so when in Rome..... So here are some photos of the process and a little video of our boiling contraption - something my sister showed me - made out of my old washing machine. We used to take this burner on a sled to the ski hill when my sons raced - it kept them warm in between races and cooked up some wonderful food at the same time! Fall is not just a time for harvesting pumpkins, corn, squash, fall crop raspberries and our very abundant broccoli. After the recent rains, a bumper crop of these beauties were found springing up all through the woods. And while you should NEVER eat a mushroom in the wild without an expert and parental supervision and consent, I will tell you that Giant puffball mushrooms are heavenly eating - especially fried up in lots of butter and garlic and eaten with toast. Giant puffballs can grow bigger than a basketball and look like spongy Wonder Bread on the inside - that is, before they turn into a brown sac full of spores. The one on the left "busted its seams" and split, but, as you can see in the other photos, they are typically nice and round. |
Maggie's Farm
Follow the antics of the Science room chicks and their offspring, Darcy and me as we hang out on Maggie's Farm. During the summer, we grow vegetables and raspberries that are sold to Madison's restaurants. There's always a project going on, which is what makes me happy! Archives
April 2021
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