Usnea spp

 

 Usnea spp.(Usnea barata in picture) is a wonderful antimicrobial (antifungal, antibacterial, antifungal) to have on hand. Thanks to a friend, I was able to harvest 8 ounces of it yesterday which is quite a lot. A tincture is the works on my shelf already. You know you have usnea when you pull apart a stem and see the little white cord (see inside circle). Unless your friend hates the sight of it and tells you to take all of it 🙂, you should harvest from the ground after a heavy storm. It is very slow growing.​

Great Blue Lobelia

Another fantastic foraging find: Great Blue Lobelia! It's now in a jar being extracted in alcohol to make a tincture that will treat colds, coughs, pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma, fevers, etc. I have also used it in the past to help my muscles relax so I could go to sleep. Lobeline, the chemical in Lobelia, can also treat drug dependency, caffeine, and nicotine withdrawal, depression, ADHD, Parkinson's disease, and more.

Goldenrod Better For You than Green Tea

Today's foraging harvest was goldenrod. My girls learned from me as we harvested and prepared it. Goldenrod is NOT what gives you allergies. It is insect-pollinated (heavy, sticky pollen). It is ragweed and other wind-pollinated plants that cause hayfever, etc. Goldenrod HELPS allergies. It also treats pain, sore muscles, colds, flu, and contains powerful saponins and antioxidants that we need for good health. Goldenrod tea is higher in antioxidants than vitamin C and green tea. The flowers and leaves can be used for tea, linaments, oil infusions, tinctures, etc. The tender leaves in the spring can be used in a salad or soups. Goldenrod is anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and has some antibacterial properties. It has been used for diabetes, enlarged prostates, liver problems, gout, arthritis, muscle strains and sprains, skin wounds, fungal infections, kidney issues, etc. It took us 30 minutes to pick and prepare enough of this natural medicine to last us a couple of years. We made a linament and a tincture. I have more drying in my attic for teas and a salve that I will make at a later date.

News coming?

If the person sticks to what they told Clint on the phone last night, we should have some exciting family news mid-October. That's all I can say atm.

Snakeweed aka Broomweed

I was excited to find this broomweed aka snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae) which is in the Aster family. I plan on making traditional brooms out of what I collected. It has been used to treat fevers, snake bites, insect bites, diarrhea, colds, headaches, indigestion, and more. It was also used by different tribes to make ceremonial items. It is poisonous in larger quantities and should be kept from grazing animals. I watched the happy little bee for a few minutes before moving on.

Sumac-ade from Winged Sumac

Another one of my foraging finds from a few days ago. At this time of year, you can find winged (aka shining) sumac berries and make sumac-ade which is better than lemonade if you get the berries at the right time. There is an acidic coating on the berries that washes off some with each rain. This is what makes the sumac-ade. The ID is easy because of the "wing" along the leaf stem. Rhus Copallium is a cooling astringent that can be used as a tonic. It has also been used as an antiseptic as a mouthwash and for treating wounds. For sumac-ade, soak the berries in water for about 15 to 20 minutes. Move those berries around to loosen up the malic acid (also found in pears, apples, blackberries, etc). You can soak it longer, but it may get more of an astringent taste which is still safe to drink. You can sweeten it to your liking. I like asking people to rub their fingers over the berries on the bush and then lick their fingers. If the berries are harvested at the right time, their eyes will get big because their fingers can taste quite tart! I'm drinking a big glass of sumac-ade as I type this post. Yum!!

Active Shooter Near Us?

People have been asking which is how we were informed. Here is what I know. The sheriff and deputies responded to a situation that may be an active shooter on a major highway in our county. It is an area many of our family members pass through daily. However, it may just be someone practicing with a firearm. We live in a rural county. The area where they say the shooter is is also an area where people target practice. The shooter and the firearm have been apprehended. That is all the deputies will say. I'll try to follow up. We are all fine. We feel very safe. Thank you all for your concern. We love you too!

Update 7:09 p.m. It was a reckless person shooting at a wild animal. No charges were filed. Btw, it was a concerned citizen who used the word apprehended. Somehow that carried over as I made the post in an attempt to answer some questions. The deputies used the word "located." 

Cattle Egret Visiting

We now have a cattle egret visiting. This is another rare bird. The last one I had on my property was some years ago and was mentioned in the blog. I'd take the time to look it up and post a link, but I am in the middle of preparing over 500* domestic birds and animals for us to be away for a couple of days. There is an off-roading adventure with some foraging in my very near future. (*The number is constantly changing with births, hatches, sales, harvests, and passings. The incubator SHOULD explode with 400-500 quail chicks in a couple of weeks, and there is a big harvest coming up.)

The animals will be looked over and cared for, but I do a lot of prep work to make it extremely easy on the helpers. I try to make it so the helpers can verify needs are met with a glance. Then they just make sure each critter is up and moving around and looking healthy. This makes it a quick and easy walk-through. It is more labor intensive for me, but I make it easy so people are very willing to do it for us.

If I can get a picture of it, I will post it here for my fellow bird-loving friends. If I am home or have an adult child available, I'll let you come onto the property to view it.

Beauty Berry

The berries, we used to make a beautiful jelly. We will be using the leaves to make an insect repellent. The leftover stems will become compost. The Native Americans used different parts of the plant to treat arthritis, colic, dysentery, and more. This plant contains an antibiotic that targets certain strains of MRSA and salmonella. Beauty Berry is a cooling astringent herb with diuretic, antibacterial, antiviral, astringent, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. Thanks to a great friend who spent a day foraging with me in Suffolk and NC, I was able to harvest 20 cups of berries, a couple of paper bagfuls of leaves, and three bushes of my very own!

Joshua and His Girl

Joshua and Jurnee

Update on Boid the Wood Stork

Boid has moved onward. We enjoyed the month he was here. The eBird reporting website is now showing him in a state park close to our home. 

My new egg basket

Thanks, Clint!

Canned Quail

I started pressure canning in my early 20s. I had no one to teach me, so I learned from books I purchased. Today it is easier and free with online resources. At first, I would not pressure can meat because I could not get around how it looked. It took a few years, but I grew up mentally. Today, I love it for the time-saving and convenience. It also doesn't cost me anything for it to sit on the shelf. Food in the freezer requires electricity (actual cost goes up as long as it is in your freezer) and is vulnerable to power outages. This is how I do "fast food" for my family. Open and add spices, heat, and eat. I can serve a meal faster than I can drive to the restaurants within 5 minutes of my home, wait for my food, and drive back home. This is part of the quail four of us harvested earlier this week.

Wood Stork, A Rare Guest

 

 

This wood stork has been hanging out at our house for a few weeks now. He or she has an orange bill which indicates it is an immature bird. It goes off to hunt in our river and comes back here to take naps and roost at night. 

I logged the sighting under my account on eBird. I did not share my name or exact location. I shared my handle which has my first name only and pinned the spot near my road. A delivery driver and fellow birder used his database to find me. He got my phone number off of the sign at the end of my gated driveway. And that's how things got started. Thank you, Lord, for moving Clint to install that gate a couple of decades ago! 

I am not feeling 100% (EBV flare-up due to chronic ear infection due to the e tube dysfunction). So, if Brandon or Clint can be around, we are letting people drive into the front yard, take pictures, check the sighting off of their birding lists, and leave. They are not allowed out of their cars or to get too close to where "Boid" perches. 

Boid has a few favorite spots on our property and doesn't mind our family. Its pretty good until we are closer than six feet. I've made it my job to give Boid a haven here until it moves onward. 

From what the birding community has told me, this is the first one in our county and surrounding area. The closest one to us was in VA Beach.

While I am a person who does not like a lot of people around, I understand the exuberance. I am a nature lover and a bird watcher. I used to keep a book and check birds off my list too. I have made treks to see birds but always when they were on public lands. As long as people are respectful of our property and the rules we put into place, I will work with them. 

If they aren't respectful I will charge them with trespassing. 

If you are a birdwatcher or ornithologist and would like to take a gander at Boid, please contact me at the email in the header of this page. My love to all!

Neil Med Eustachi

I have eustachian tube dysfunction. I learned about the Eustachi device from my friend Tom. While I usually have to use it a few times a session a few sessions a day, it works to help my ears drain. My Eustachi device failed after only a few uses. It would not turn on. It was one month out of warranty. Clint contacted Neil Med, the maker, and they are sending me a new one free of charge. So here is a shout-out to a company that stands by its products and treats its customers right! 

I also use their sinus rinse bottles to prevent sinus infections. It is very helpful after I cut grass or work outdoors during peak allergy seasons.