The forest trail near my condo is a study in natural abundance!
Along this trail I forage for medicinal herbs and edible wild plants. I walk the trail three out of four seasons. In winter the plants are dormant and so am I...sitting by the fireplace sipping hot tea or cocoa, knitting, reading, pondering. My three season strolls give way to more of a focus on yoga.
I'll share some of the seasonal pleasures I encounter walking the forest trail.
Wild Idaho-native honeysuckle is a feast for the eyes.
Honeysuckle is also a sweet mini-sip if I pull one of the tubular flowers, raise it to my lips like the wee trumpet it is, nip off the end, and suck a drop of sweet nectar. Of course, it's favored by the hummingbirds, so I only indulge in one blossom.
In the spring bunchberries bear a single, white four-petaled blossom.
At this time of year bunchberry flowers have disappeared and the plants recede back into the general green of forest undergrowth.
In fall the bunchberry comes into predominance again with its crown of bright red berries.
Bunchberries may be eaten raw or cooked. However, they aren't particularly tempting to humans because of their pulpy texture. The flavor isn't great either. Tiny in size, a lot of these berries would have to be gathered, so I leave them to the wildlife and simply admire them visually. I think of them as more of a survival food and a harbinger of autumn.
First small white flowers, then green, hairy fruits. With anticipation I await the ripening!
All along the forest trail grow black raspberry brambles. When first I saw them years ago, I assumed they were a small blackberry. Not so!
Black raspberries have always held a particular mystique for me because I'd heard of them but never chanced upon them in the wild, in a plant nursery, in mine or in anyone else's garden! Now, they're an abundant gift of nature that I particularly enjoy.
In June they begin to ripen and I begin to harvest! There are plenty for both the critters and for me. I freeze them for smoothies, eat them fresh out of hand, and always make a quart of black raspberry brandy to sip on snowy winter nights alone or with friends.
The black ones are ready to pick!
I took the photo above only a couple of weeks ago. Within days the majority of the berries had ripened to a sooo deep a purple that they appear to be black. I harvested a bunch of them.
A jar filled with black raspberries and topped off with brandy rests for six weeks to allow berry-goodness to leach into the brandy. Some of the color has already been leached from the berries into the brandy.
On August 19th the soaking will have finished and I'll strain off the berries, possibly using them to make a galette or pie. To the brandy I'll add honey or simple syrup to sweeten to taste and pour the deep garnet liqueur into a pretty decanter. It will be served in wee cordial glasses.
White roses adorn a huge wild rose bush at one end of the trail.
On another forest trail I sometimes frequent most of the wild roses range in color from light to dark pink. All are of the same variety and delight my eyes in early to mid-June.
Now, in mid-July, the blossoms have fallen and in their place green "hips" are forming. In the late summer the hips begin to change color.
In autumn I'll gather the bright red hips.
The bright red to orange-red hips are a powerhouse of Vitamin C! I gather them to simmer them fresh in honey to make a delicious syrup to sweeten herbal tea or pour onto pancakes, crepes, or French toast. I can dry them to make rose hip tea, too.
To make rose hip syrup, rinse the hips of dust and set to drain on a clean towel. Place the hips in a saucepan and pour in just enough honey to cover them. Simmer gently until the the hips soften. Strain out the hips - don't press them you don't want the tiny interior hairs in your syrup. Store the rose hip syrup in a jar in a cupboard or pantry.
The hips are full of tiny hairs attached to tiny seeds, so I dry the hips whole for tea. A refreshing soda may be made from rose hip syrup by adding a tablespoon or two to a glass, tossing in some ice cubes and pouring on sparkling water.
Today's walk has come to a close all too soon. In the next post we'll take another stroll and see what the Forest trail has to show us!
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