Flower Moon Recipe: Dandelion Jelly

The Full Flower Moon rose and fell last night, shedding light on an American Bittern, or "Thunderpump," that was making his strange calls in the swamps across the street. The primal songs of the toads trilling in puddles and a lone Snipe's ghostlike echo made the indoors feel like a jail cell. The warmer nights are here and the days are ripe with blooming wildflowers.

One such flower is familiar to all, loved by some and hated by many: the Dandelion, or Taraxacum officinale.

The First Dandelion 

by Walt Whitman

Simple and fresh and fair from winter's close emerging, As if no artifice of fashion, business, politics, had ever been,
Forth from its sunny nook of shelter'd grass--innocent, golden, calm
as the dawn,
The spring's first dandelion shows its trustful face.

Despite the poet's musings over this small, conspicuous flower, millions of pounds of herbicides are used every year to prevent it's "trustful face" from showing up on lawns and golf courses. This is a pity since the uses of Dandelion are many. Here is just one idea on how to use this ubiquitous herb: Dandelion Jelly!

Full Moon Feasts: The Flower Moon

April 21st - May 20th 2012

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canidensis)

 
Foraging has always been something more than just gathering food. It is a complete immersion into the ebb and flow of the seasons. Just being out there and being open and receptive to the moods of the landscape can we learn so much about our place in the world. And few moments in nature are as dramatic as Springtime. The first flush of wildflowers can fill us with so much hope for warmth and growth - both personal growth and the lush vegetation of summer - and indigenous festivals the world over echo this sentiment. In the Atlantic Isles my ancestors would extinguish all hearth fires in a final farewell to winter and kindle a ceremonial "need-fire" on May Day to welcome the new season. In other Northern European villages "Winter," which was portrayed by a man on horseback dressed in furs and twigs, would be chased out of town by "Summer," a man dressed in lush vegetation and garlanded with wildflowers. Then villagers would go around town singing songs and collecting gifts of eggs and bacon from cottagers, all the while collecting wildflowers for their homes. These festivals served not only to preserve community resilience but they were believed to physically aid the triumph of the coming season of life over the season of death.

"The sight of the fresh green in brake and thicket, of vernal flowers blowing 

on mossy banks, of swallows arriving from the south, and of the sun mounting daily higher
in the sky, would be welcomed by them as so many visible signs that their enchantments
were indeed taking effect..."

                                                                                  -J.G. Frazer The Golden Bough

Full Egg Moon Recipe: Northwoods "Egg Rolls"

It has been a while since I have seen the Moon at night. The Full Egg Moon has passed and is waning. Birds all over are singing their spring songs and we even heard a Hermit Thrush last night on our 4th annual walk to view the dramatic mating display of the American Woodcock. If he is successful, around three females will nest in his territory and lay a clutch of up to twelve eggs. I pray for their prosperity; I love Woodcocks - both in the field and roasted on a bed of watercress. Habitat loss and herbicides are continuing to create a major population decline. At around a 55% decrease in the last 40 years, the future of the American Woodcock is questionable.

But hope is there. I am reminded every time I see a Trumpeter Swan sailing overhead. Once a common sight centuries ago, these Swans were over-hunted for their fashionable plumage and by 1932 their population in the continental United States was at only 26 individual birds (Grandlund, 1994). Through recovery efforts of places like the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary, the count of Swans in Michigan alone 12 years ago was over 400 individuals. Part of the recovery program for both Swans and Loons has shifted in recent years to raising awareness of a growing threat to native waterfowl: the Mute Swan.

Full Moon Feasts: The Egg Moon

March 22nd - April 20th, 2012

Canada Goose eggs along the Jordan River, day of the New Egg Moon.

With the warming weather the birds are on the move to their nesting grounds and we have entered a new Moon that in many cultures was known as the Egg Moon. Moving into our area for egg laying are our Woodcock, Thrushes, and many others. Moving even more northwards are our winter residents who use the boreal forests and tundra for their nesting and rearing. These include birds such as the Rough-Legged Hawk, the Snowy Owl, and several diving ducks like the Goldeneye. In the Finnish mythological epic, the Kalevala, it was a Goldeneye's egg from which the earth, sun and moon were born. It is said that this duck nested on the exposed knee of the great goddess Ilmatar as she drifted underwater. She shook her knee and the eggs spilled and broke forming our world. The bottom of the shell became earth, and the top the sky. The yolk became the sun and the white the moon.

The Sap Moon Recipe: Maple Sap Switchel

Fresh Maple Sap under the waxing Sap Moon

The Sap Moon is waning and syrup is being made in the sugarshack as I write. This winter was the mildest I've seen and its worrying syrup makers throughout the region. Its feared that the trees never had a chance to go dormant and the sap will be weak. Nevertheless we tapped 600 or so trees and are pushing thru despite our concerns. After all, sugaring is also about camaraderie!

For the Sap Moon I've decided to do a simple recipe with the sap itself. Everyone knows how to use syrup, but few people consume sap directly, which is a shame to me because it is so smooth, sweet and alive with nutrients. The sap itself can be used in place of water in any recipe and I've decided to make "switchel." Switchel is a traditional beverage that was quaffed by field workers on break. It is a non-alcoholic vinegar based tonic that is restorative, refreshing, and just plain delicious. It is mentioned in a Laura Ingalls Wilder book, so that makes it taste even better to me.