Found Food

The tomatoes are just starting to ripen! The cherry tomatoes and Romas are first out of the gate, and both are delicious, although I'm partial to the little cherries. The slicing tomatoes are still green, which is frustrating for those of us tapping our feet, waiting patiently for color. Perhaps this week...

We bought two new soaker hoses to water the garden at night. It does make a difference. The corn is still growing, and the tomatoes and peppers get bigger each night. Fifty feet of hose for $8.97 at Walmart is a deal.

While our garden is slowly releasing its fruit to us through the summer, I've been fascinated by the amount of found food, I come across. Wild foraging is another term for it. I've recently found wild red raspberries growing in the yard where the dogs stay, wild blackberries along the roadside, sorrel in the side yard, some kind of berry along the garden gate, and mushrooms in the front yard. I've eaten every one of my finds, even nibbled on the mushrooms, although I couldn't exactly ascertain the type, even with all my identification books. Clearly more hands-on experience is required for the fungi.

The fruit might be free for the taking, but taking them isn't always free. The scratches and cuts on my hands, arms and legs shows what I put into my food finds, and lets Mother Nature take back something from me for my discovery.

If I actually return from my run/walk with some of the blackberries, I put them on my yogurt for breakfast. However, I don't always have that many, since there is something about eating on the sly that makes found food more delicious. I come home with my hands purple and my mouth happy.








Anyone out there know mushrooms? I think this one is edible. It seems to grow on old roots in the yard. They have all dried up and gone totally black this week, I guess because of the lack of rain. Any thoughts?




More pictures soon. See you on the farm!