Wild Edibles in Bit-Sized Pieces - Winter Edition

Learning about wilderness survival and bush craft is a journey, and not a quick one. I know I can't learn everything I need to know from books, so I'd been debating which bush craft class take first. The first challenge was finding classes in NoVA. Luckily, the Crazy Goat Farmer sent me a tweet about Tim MacWelch's (@timmacwelch) Winter Wild Edibles class.

I perused the course list on Tim's site (Advance Survival Training) and was torn between several classes. They all looked like fun and lord knows I have a lot to learn. I mentioned to the Crazy Goat Farmer I was having trouble deciding, when Tim piped up.

"Not to sway you, but  I'll be serving some 1yr old maple wine @ #winter #wild #edibles."

Like that isn't going to sway me. Wine? I'm there.

The first test of the class was finding the camp. Passed that one. (*whew* That is a tough one for me. I'm navigationally challenged.) The second test was starting a fire. Fortunately, that was taken care of by my classmates.

The class was fantastic. It is all hands on, including food-finding expeditions. I was genuinely surprised that you could find so much edible food in January. I could go through every plant we found, but I think you should take the class instead. I will mention a couple of my favorites (aside from the Maple wine, which isn't nearly as sweet as I thought it would be).

My absolute favorite was the yarrow. It has a great flavor in addition to being pretty close to a super medicine plant. Of all the plants we found, this is the one I took back and added to my salad for lunch.

We even found a wild carrot. The flavor is so much better than anything you get at the store. There was no artificial orange to distract you from the way a carrot really should taste, as opposed to the bland woody flavor of a store-bought carrots. I'm having a hard time putting the store carrots in my grocery cart now. (By the way, we let Tim identify the carrot given its resemblance to many things you don't even want to touch!)

Lunchtime was wine time!

After lunch, we moved on to trees. I am definitely none to fond of unprocessed acorns, but I did loved the pine needle tea. Why wouldn't I? It was tea and there are very few teas I don't like.

The class included information on plants to avoid, especially those to avoid at all possible costs. That information alone was worth the class. It is as important to know what not to eat as what to eat.

I highly recommend the class and will be registering for more classes soon. He promised more maple wine at the next class if I bring friends. Register and tell him I sent you! (end shameless plug for wine)

Fort Hunt to Mount Vernon - Pretty, But Not So Much Fun

This is a new experience. I went for a lovely  seven- mile hike on a new trail. It was beautiful and I took a lot of beautiful pictures. I learned to identify an edible plant I didn't know before. And I hated nearly every minute of it.

The Mahonia plant and the GW
Parkway in the background. This
is what it is like the entire hike.

The Mount Vernon Trail from Fort Hunt, which used to be the northern end of the Mount Vernon Estate, to Mount Vernon runs along the Potomac River. It is very pretty - as long as you only look toward the river. If you look the opposite direction, you are never further than 20 feet from the Mount Vernon and George Washington Memorial parkways. For those of you not familiar with Northern Virginia, both are quite busy highways.

The loop around Fort Hunt Park is entirely in the road. Sasha and I walked through the park instead.

There are a couple of spots where you actually have to walk on the parkway to cross under a bridge or to access part of the trail from For Hunt. That's never a good idea in NoVA. Pedestrians, even ones in bright red winter coats, might as well be invisible to drivers here. Shoot, a neon flashing sign in the shape of a voluptuous woman bouncing up and down in the center of the street is invisible to NoVA drivers.

Hey! What's out there?

It was a rainy morning, but I don't mind the rain. It made the walk a little more peaceful and the fog over the Potomac was intriguing. It even obscured Maryland on the other side. It also made all the noises from the woods a little spooky, which drives Sasha the Dog nuts.

The other part of the hike that I didn't care for is that it is paved the entire way. You essentially make the whole hike on a bicycle/jogging trail. I suppose the upside is that stepping in the puddles cleaned the mud off of  my boots from my last hike at Battlefield National Park and didn't get any fresh mud on them.  The downside is that it doesn't feel much like getting back to nature.

It was good exercise at best for me. The constant traffic and dodging bicyclists and joggers is mentally tiring though. I nearly turned around a couple of times. Sasha did think that all of the mud on the side of the trail was great fun. Wait until she discovers it means BATH TIME!

Oh, and there was a shiny historical marker to commemorate the birth of George Washington given by the towns of Washington, Tyne,  and Wear, England. They also helped plant 250 trees along the Mount Vernon Memorial Parkway. Does this mean all  is forgiven for that pesky little rebellion?

I was happy to get pictures of a plant I later learned is edible and is common in this area. The Mahonia plant (pictured above) has edible flowers and berries. It is also a suitable alternative to holly for planting under windows to deter would-be peeping Toms thanks to its pointy leaves. (I prefer cacti for maximum deterrence, but Virginia doesn't have a lot of cacti.)  Of course, much to my chagrin, I had to get help identifying it from a friend in England. I'll get better at that!

It didn't help the hike that it took me two hours to travel the 30 miles to get back home! Only in NoVA can you go on a 3.5 hour hike and spend 2.5 hours in the car getting there and back again. Hopefully my next hike won't require so much car time!

The fog was so thick at times that I couldn't see the river or discern the horizon

Around the bend of the Potomac River

A less than subtle reminder that DC and
NoVA are built upon swamp lands.

The Startling Truth of the Burning Bowl

After growing up outdoors more than in, my life took a decidedly office-based turn. I'm trying to turn that around. Getting out more. Studying the outdoors. Reading up on survival, etc. Along the way, I learned something I didn't expect to learn in the tale of the Burning Bowl: Survivalists are funny. Sometimes intentionally. More often, not so much.

Those everyday people that you start discovering on Twitter when you do a little research into survival are the best entertainment. They are smart, thoughtful, kind, quirky, off-beat, and sometimes, really kind of nuts. (Feel free to place me in any of the three latter categories. Evil works for me too.)

I adore them. I adore the kind of crazy but nice goat farmers. I adore the survival researcher in Texas who could be my best pun friend ever. Yes, I even adore the "aww honeys" (as in "Aww honey, the elevator doesn't go to your floor, does it?"). There are surprisingly fewer "aww honeys" than I expected, but boy are they ever cute. I just want to wrap them in bubble wrap and pat them on the head.

The only thing missing from many a tweet is the preface, "Hold mah beer and watch this..." I suspect it is only missing because of the 140-character limit.

The Burning Bowl in progress.  The rocks control the direction
of the burn by blocking the wind. 

Not too long ago, a friend posted just such a tweet. He'd decided to "carve" a bowl out of wood. Okay. Lots of woodworkers,
crafty-types, preppers, and survivalists do this. There was a catch though.

"I'm going to burn a bowl," he declared. I'm pretty sure the "hold mah beer" was implied.

He was going to "carve" the bowl using an ember to burn out the center, then scrape out the charred wood to make the bowl. Apparently, this is a tried, tested, and true method of making a bowl. (He got the idea from a Creek Stewart show).  I suppose it makes sense in a survival situation when you might not have a full set of woodworking tools, but...

It also sounded like a bad idea on so many levels. I even had the headline written for my blog post after the project went bad: "Crazy Goat Farmer Burning a Bowl Burns Barn." Luckily for the crazy goat farmer, I don't get to use it. I'd be lying if I said I was a teeny, tiny bit disappointed that no mayhem ensued. His wife, on the other hand, is likely not disappointed at all.

In the process of burning his bowl, he did manage to flood the area with smoke and wondered if you could get high from burning pine. I wonder if we'd notice the difference if he did. And is a Burning Bowl like a Burning Bush? Will it lead you to some sort of truth? Or does that depend on the amount of smoke you inhale?

For the record, he was successful and he actually has he bowl halfway done. It looks an awful lot like the inside of a wonky walnut.  He still has to carve the outside. With actual tools. Sharp tools. This could go badly. I should start working on the title of that post. "Crazy Goat Farmer Severs Hand Shaping Burned Bowl." Meh. Needs work. I have time though.

His next project is a "rocket stove". I'm telling his wife. No good ever came from the combination of a man, fire, fuel, and anything with the word "rocket" in its name.

Disclaimer: If you are going to try this, do your research and follow directions! Be careful! There are plenty of instructional vids and blogs online. Just search "making a burn bowl".

Easy Trip to Nature in NoVA - Great Falls National Park

Great Falls National Park

Living in Northern Virginia means a lot of cars, buildings, people, and other suburban miscellany. Don't get me wrong. There are a lot of good things about living here too. Northern Virginia has a lot of rich history and cultural opportunities. Unfortunately, escapes to nature are a bit tricky. They usually involve a lengthy car ride, but if you know where to look, you can find some hidden local gems like Great Falls National Park (@GreatFallsNPS on Twitter).

Great Falls has some amazing vistas, even in the haze of winter. It is hard not to appreciate the rushing water and falls.

There are about five miles of trails to hike (almost seven if you add in Riverbend State Park which is adjacent to Great Falls). My daughter, Sasha the Dog, and I visit on a regular basis because it is so easy to get to and is a moderately easy hike. There are a few places where you might need to climb over a few rocks to get the best view, but they aren't too bad.

Daughter and Sasha the Dog

It's a popular spot with kayakers and other water enthusiasts, though I am going to freely admit to thinking the paddle-boarder who was out on the water the week after Christmas is nuts nuts nuts. Dude, that water is COLD!

The only drawback to Great Falls is its popularity. It is very busy all the time. You don't get to turn a corner and feel like you've left the crowds behind. There are people everywhere. Luckily, the park crowds are a friendly lot. Sasha doesn't mind the crowds because there are so many people to stop and pet her.

Great Falls is our go-to, need a quick nature fix hiking spot. The views are fantastic, the trails are moderately challenging, and it is conveniently off several major roadways.

Over there is the People's Republic of Maryland. We don't go there.

Finding Peace and Quiet in Northern Virginia - National Battlefield Park

Start of the trail.

I'm a displaced Montana girl. I like mountains and nature and peace and quiet. That's hard to come by in Northern Virginia. Lately, I've been actively searching for what vestiges of nature I can find in the ever-bustling DC metro area. This week, Sasha the Dog and I took the 15 minute drive to Manassas to visit National Battlefield Park (@ManassasNPS on Twitter).

Stonewall Jackson Memorial

We walked the the Henry Hill Loop first, about a mile, because I am completely incapable of bypassing a historical marker sign without stopping. There were so many markers to look at. They were so shiny.

It was a bit muddy, but not so much that it was an unpleasant walk. Sasha never minds the mud, especially not when she gets it on my pants, in my car, on my carpet, on my sofa...

After we started the First Manassas Trail, it was like walking out of suburban NoVA, and into rural Virginia. Of course, Sasha insisted upon stepping in every mud puddle on the entire trail.

It was much easier to escape people at the National Battlefield Park than at Great Falls National Park in Northern Virginia. Great Falls is in the middle of a residential neighborhood and it difficult to get more than 15 feet from another person. There is a lot more room to spread out at Manassas and absorb the surroundings. 

Walking in the winter means that you usually have brown and gray color palates, but we did find a few splashes of color here and there. We also found ice along the edges of the creeks.

We took several of the ancillary trails to some historic sites, so all total, Sasha and I walked about eight miles today, though she is sleeping like I walked her 80 miles instead of eight.

 I forgot to look at the time when we started, but I think it took about four hours to walk the Henry Hill Loop and the First Manassas Trail combined. We took a couple of breaks for water and treats. Okay, Sasha got the treats. Overall, we didn't stop much once we got out on the First Manassas Trail other than to snap a picture or read a marker.

Early on the First Manassas Trail