Summer Wild Edibles and Wild Brew! Woohoo!

After a break to accommodate real life and my addictions to pick-your-own farms and canning, I finally made it back to one of Tim MacWelch's (@timmacwelch) wild edibles classes and a wild brewing class. This time I dragged my daughter along as well. (Okay, getting a 22-year-old to a brewing class didn't require much dragging.)

Dried Sassafras Leaves

Of the edibles classes so far, the summer class was one of the best and I have to credit the blackberries. I love summer fruits and I'd have been perfectly happy if all we did was park in front of the blackberry bramble to graze.

It was a large class, but we were still able to cover a lot of ground. I know. I have the step count on my pedometer to prove it. I learned a few new plants and was able to identify a few that changed their appearance for summer.

I also got to bring home some sassafras from the Wild Brew class and I dried the leaves and will go into some stew or gumbo this fall. The roots will most likely end up in a soda or an ale. I haven't decided yet.

The ale brewing
over the campfire.

Mallory adding
the spice bush
to the ale.

Wild brewing was a blast and not just because Tim brought samples.  We started off the morning with a maple wine toast to the day, then jumped into brewing basics and beer brewing. It took some discussion, but the group finally decided on a Spice Bush Amber Ale. The students set off to find the spice bush from the previous day's class. Thankfully, we had a ringer who knew the property. A friend of Tim's was there to chaperon or I'd have been lost for sure. (I can get lost in my own small condo!) Mallory got to add the spice bush and pitch the yeast for the ale.

Moving on to the wine, we knew we'd be doing blackberries and all of us (except Tim - he's a sly one) braved the blackberry brambles, ticks, and sun to acquire our three pounds of wine in waiting. This wine will be amazing considering the blood, sweat, and tears we all shed for it.

Blackberry Spice Bush Mead
in the making.

Tim's hibiscus flower mead  rounded out our afternoon break and set the mood for the final project - mead!

The flavorings for the mead were a source of great discussion. We considered a great many things, even wild carrot, but finally settled on blackberry and spice bush. We had enough leftover from bottling that we all got a taste of the unfermented juice. It tasted fantastic. It is going to be a fantastic mead.

Mallory had enough fun in the class, she's all set to start brewing at home too. She's scouted out the local brewing store and priced out the basic supplies on Amazon already. She's got a steady supply of bottles courtesy of her also 22-year-old friends.

The class was also great fodder for things you don't normally hear in conversation:

• "Kiddo, please get the blackberry branch off my butt."
• "Burn that sum'bitch. Burn him. Burn him." (about a tick found on someone's pants)
• "A tick will turn a die-hard pacifist into cold-blooded killer."
• "This stick smells like french fries." (About the oak stick we stirred the ale with.)

Ale, Wine, Mead

The Next Bite - Spring Wild Edibles

Redbuds are pretty and taste good!

I got to take the next bite of wild edibles this past weekend at Tim MacWelch's Spring Wild Edibles class (Advanced Survival Training). I was excited for this one not only because the weather was (a lot) better than it was for the winter class in January, but also because I was really hoping to identify a few things on my own as well. (I did!)

We found several of the plants we were introduced to in the last class -  the common plantain, the seaside plantain, wild onions, and my favorite, the yarrow.

I learned that the weeds growing in between the pavers of my patio are Pennsylvania Bittercress, which I quite enjoy. I'd pull them up and put them in my salad if I didn't know what pesticides our homeowner's association sprayed on them. That, and the neighbor's dog pees on my patio to torment my dog. I'll find a safer place to forage.

The Pennsylvania Bittercress's cousin, Wintercress, I didn't enjoy so much. It was tasty at first, then the bitterness sneaked up on me and smacked me in the head. I'll eat it in a survival situation , but I don't think I'll be making it part of my everyday diet.

Spring Beauty
aka
The Fairy Potato

The actual Fairy Potato

My favorite of this class was the Spring Beauty, or as it was billed, the "elusive Fairy Potato". The flower is beautiful and incredibly delicate and if you dig it up, you get a tiny little potato. I was surprised how delicate the plant was.

I brought home two of the tiny potatoes and made itty bitty Fairy Potato Chips. It was a lot of work for a few tiny chips, but they were very good. I think if I cook with them again, I'll just cut them in half and drop them in a cup of soup or something.

We did find a small patch of wild strawberries. They'll be ready in June. Sadly, I won't be there for those, but maybe someone will get lucky and get a strawberry before the wild animals do.

One of the other bonuses of this class? We scoped out all the blackberries and other summer goodies are for the Summer Wild Edibles class and the Wild Brewing class - mostly the Wild Brewing class. That reminds me... I am off to empty three wine bottles for the Wild Brewing class so that we can refill them! (Don't worry. I won't empty them all at once.)

Salt and Pepper Fairy Potato Chips

Are You Prepared for Anything? No? Then Get this Book!

It was a busy - and tiring - weekend with two college-aged girls visiting. My daughter and her girlfriend spent half of their spring break with me this weekend. Since my daughter spend the first half of her spring break camping in Georgia, she was more interested in free laundry facilities than activities. Of course, this distraction left me at a loss for a post this week. Or at least at a loss for a post not about endless loads of stinky, college, camping laundry. Then I remembered that I'd just finished Tim MacWelch's book, Prepare for Anything Survival Manual.

I picked up the book after taking one of Tim's classes (Winter Wild Edibles) and put it in my to-read pile. It's a rather large stack and I didn't get to it right away. When I did, I was happily surprised. It is a fun read and Tim's sense of humor definitely comes through in his writing. (On canning food, "Drop Some Acid". Tip #179) This is not your gloom and doom end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it survival manual. I don't do gloom and doom. I try to take as little as possible too seriously.

It isn't even a manual I would consider just a survival scenario guide. It's useful every day. Who knew that vodka could de-stink your clothes or get rid of mold in your bathroom? Tim did, obviously. (I should have sprayed my daughter's laundry down with the stuff. It was bad!)

I love the sections on canning and drying foods since those are easy ones for me to replicate living in a condominium. I've considered planting a large garden or building a bunker, but the homeowners' association got a little testy when I suggested digging up the golf course. I guess I will make do with my indoor herb garden. Also on tap, home brewing!

There are a few tips I won't be trying voluntarily. There will be no jumping off buildings or treating bullet wounds unless I absolutely have to do so. Also, the first person who tries to puree animal brains in my blender to tan a hide will be buying me a new blender!

On a serious note, there is a lot of sage advice in this book: Get your finances in order, be responsible for your own wellness, secure your home, be prepared for emergencies. This isn't rocket science, but I'm always surprised at how many people can't put a bandage on a skinned knee, let alone splint a broken arm until they get to a doctor.

If you're interested in prepping or survival, this is a great book. If you want a fun read and to learn a little about being self-sufficient in the process, this is still a great book. If you want tips on how to survive a weekend with an invading horde of smelly college students, this book can't help, but I can. Drink. A lot.

Short Girl Bushcraft Tool Review - The Mora Companion Knife

I finally got to put my Mora Companion through its paces outdoors this past weekend. I trimmed a few branches off a tree, cut cord, and carved a notch in the hearth board of my bow drill set.  It was all smooth and easy. I even managed to do that all without injuring myself. Of course, my primitive skills instructor did forbid me to pay attention to any boys.

I really like the knife, with one little not-so-much.

The Good

The blade is great. Sharp right from the factory. Love that! A couple of my knives needed sharpening right out of the box, which I find terribly annoying. People buy knives to cut/carve/chop things. You can't do that (safely) with a dull knife. Why would any company deliberately leave their blades dull?

I also love the handle. Because of the rubberized, non-slip handle, it is very easy for me to hold onto. It's a slim handle to begin with, but the extra grip helps anyone with freakishly small hands control their blade. (My pistol coach told me I have the smallest hands he's ever seen, even for a woman.)

For a $15 knife, it is incredibly sturdy as well. It's solid and has a decent weight to the knife. For me, that means it has enough heft to be sturdy, but not be so weighty that it is tiring to use. It's well balanced.

Even if it weren't, for the price you won't be too sad if you lose it. One friend mentioned that he's lost two. He keeps replacing them because they are good knives. Of course, he gets nice brown and green knives that blend in with the leaves and grass beautifully. Mine might be an insanely obnoxious pink (magenta if you go by Mora's color chart), but if I drop it in a field, I can spot it from half a mile away.

The Not-So-Good

I've mentioned previously that I'm not a fan of the sheath. No need to unearth and beat that horse. It's already dead.

The only thing I didn't like about the knife is the spine of the blade. It has ever-so-slightly rounded edges so it won't create a spark on my fire steel. My Mora-losing friend mentioned that this is a change from his Moras. I don't need a knife that does every little thing, but I got a carbon steel-bladed knife so that it would work with a fire steel.

I can take a file to the spine and flatten it so that it will work with a fire steel, and eventually I probably will. I just shouldn't have to do that. It is a little bit of a bummer, but not enough for me to go looking for a different brand of knife.

The Summary

This is a great little knife that passes the short girl/little hands test. The key to passing the test is it has to do everything just as well as any other knife and be safely usable for a small-handed person. I know I make a fuss about having small hands, but it is very scary to have a knife slip out of your hand because the handle is too large and you just can't hold onto it.

Overall, the Mora Companion is a good utility knife. The sheath is standard for the inexpensive Moras. Someday, I might get a better sheath.  Someday sooner, I'll file down the back so the knife can be used to spark a fire too.

Short Girl Buschraft Tool Review - The *gasp*Bear Grylls*gasp* Multi-Tool

The flashlight, multi-tool, sheath, and fire steel. The paracord
is my addition to hook/carry the smaller tools since the
sheath is so awful.

I know as soon as you mention Bear Grylls, many bushcrafters, survivalists, and preppers scoff. Mention his line of Gerber tools and noses start to curl. I received one of the Bear Grylls Gerber multi-tool sets for Christmas. It has the flashlight, a multi-tool, and fire steel. (Yes, I see the noses turning. Chill.)

I actually quite like the multi-tool, but lets knock the little stuff out first. The flashlight is a flashlight. It's small and fits in my purse if I want it to. It's bright and it works. The fire steel also works just like it should. It makes nice, big sparks. Perfectly good. Okay, on to the big stuff.

Next to my thumb is the piece
that warps and makes it
difficult to get the tool free.

What Stinks 

The sheath. My previous comments on rigid. plastic cases still stand. They are uncomfortable on curvy women. This case is particularly bad though. The way the rubber strap attaches to the sheath warps the plastic sheath so that the tool is virtually impossible to get out. I had to pry the tool out one time after I left it in for a few days and cut my finger on the plastic. I can barely get the tool out with two hands when it isn't on my belt, let alone one-handed when it is on my belt. I can't quite get into words how much I hate this plastic sheath. It sucks. I'm looking for a new canvas one to use. Until then, the tool goes in my bag. It's a bit on the big side to be comfy in my pocket.

What is Great

The tool. Gerber makes great multi-tools, whether they have the Bear Grylls name on the side or not. I really don't care whose name is on it. I like it because it works for me. My hand is smaller than a Samsung Galaxy S5 phone. Tip of my fingers to the heel of my hand: 5.75 inches / 14.6 cm. Tiny. Most multi-tools are a little hard to hold onto. Gerber added a rubberized coating to this multi-tool to add a non-slip grip to the tool. That and they had to splash the Bear Grylls orange/gray all over the thing. It is easy to spot when you drop it.

That non-slip grip means that even if the tool is a bit too large for my hand, I can hold onto it. It makes the tool usable for people with small hands and like other Gerber multi-tools, it is very useful. I've used it around the house when I haven't wanted to get my tool box out. (Yes, I have a tool box. No, it isn't pink. Yes, it includes power tools and I know how to use them properly!) I've used it outdoors and it has done everything I asked of it thus far. I've not tried to cut down a tree or split firewood. That's not what it is for. Among other small tasks, I've snipped plants, fixed a bathroom cupboard door, and cut paracord. Like I said before, Gerber makes good multi-tools.

The Summary

If you can get past the Bear Grylls name on the side, this is a great multi-tool, especially if you an benefit from the non-slip grip. It is the only full-sized multi-tool I've handled that I don't struggle to hold onto. Toss the sheath into the trash though. It's beyond worthless. Really disappointed in Gerber for that one.  Overall, it passes the short girl usability test.

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)