As the season progresses here in the Boreal forest of Canada, July brings one of the most abundant times for harvesting from the wild.
A massive EMP (Electro Magnetic Pulse) from the sun has knocked out the electrical grid and the world has devolved into chaos. You and your party had fled into the woods to escape being overrun by marauders.
Here's where the foraging in the woods comes in and I feel very fortunate to be able to see the abundance around me and have the knowledge of what is edible and how to use it so I can adapt to situations like this.
With my loyal, protective dog, Bruno, at my side I venture down the path, keeping my eyes open for edibles.
First plant I spot is the wild mint which makes a lovely tea.
Next I spotted some red clover which I like to combine with the rose hips and raspberry leaves for a lovely herbal tea.
There is a lot of ripe raspberries too, which will be added to my food supply with the abundance of blueberries found waiting to be harvested.
In the wet area beside the path I found a lot of Stinging Nettle, a very nutrient dense plant.
Those lovely seeds make a nutrient rich snack to energize me for my hike into the woods. I just pick them and eat them straight off the plant. The seeds do not have a sting like the rest of the plant. I pick a few of the whole plants to take along with me carefully gripping the stem, making sure none of the leaves touch my skin. If they do, there is a lot of the plantain herb growing right by it. If you macerate the leaves of the plantain and rub some of the juice where you feel the sting from the nettle, it will take the sting away.
Along this path I see a lot of little frogs hopping into the water. H-m-m do I want to eat frogs legs to get some protein in my diet (not at this point am I ready to do that.)
The path moved out of the wet area and patches of sarsaparilla started to appear. The root of this plant is rather like a thin carrot and will go well in my soups.
In the opening in the woods is a small cabin. I look inside to see if I could take shelter there to rest and restore my goods from the abundant forest.
The door was open and inside was a note which read "If you need to take shelter here you are welcome. Just remember there are others who may come behind you. You may use any supplies you find, but if you are able, please leave something behind for the next wanderer who may also need this shelter." I settled in and placed my food items harvested along the path on the table.
I dug through my pack and found the dehydrated potatoes down near the bottom, That and the wild onions I found just by the doorway will go well in a
Potato Nettle Soup
Ingredients:
3 wild Onions, Diced.
3 Sarsaparilla roots Scrubbed Clean And Diced.
1 bundle of Nettle Leaves, chopped
1 pack of dehydrated Potatoes (rehydrated), not quite the same as if I were at home and had fresh potatoes to dice and add into the soup, but they will do
8 cups water with stock cube
1 tsp. Mrs. Dash (I like the herb and garlic mix)
2 tablespoons of butter (ghee), or other oils for cooking.
salt and pepper to season to taste
I saute the onion in the oil until golden brown, on the wood heater found in the cabin. Then I sprinkle with the Mrs. Dash and add the re-hydrated potatoes, stirring them in the onions and seasoning to pick up some of the flavoring. Next comes the nettles. Stir them in with the potatoes, cooking until the nettles start to wilt. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Bring down to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes.
Back behind the cabin the trail opens into a pine meadow where I go foraging for more food. The blueberries grow in the acid soil by the pines. With the abundance of blueberries I like to freeze some for winter but if you don't have freezer space you can dehydrate them.
DIY Simple Solar Dehydrator
Make a simple solar dehydrator using a dark colored sling chair. Put the blueberries on a screen on the seat of the chair. Put a plastic covering over the arms of the chair, wrap around under the bottom leaving a space at the bottom edge of chair plus a space just above the edge of the arms where they connect to the back of the chair. You should have an opening that lets the air flow through over top of the blueberries (or what ever you are drying on the screen.) The opening by the back of the chair should act like a chimney drawing the air up over the dry material, as the dark color of the chair causes it to heat up in the sun. Place the chair in a spot that receives a lot of direct sunlight.
Remembering the note in the cabin, I realize I can dry enough blueberries to leave behind some for the next traveler who might need to stay in the cabin.
As I walk down the forest path I spy some bolet mushrooms which will make a nice side dish sauteed in the butter (ghee) with some of the wild onions.
I had seen some grasshoppers which could add some protein to my diet (chocolate covered grasshopper legs are a delicacy.) Again I'm not ready for this but fortunately as the path led into a mixed forest there were plenty of hazel nut tree.
Although there are lots of hazel nut bushes it is hard to get the nuts before the squirrels. Fortunately I beat the squirrels to them and they are a nice source of protein for my diet.
The abundance of the forest has provided well for me.