Seneca Creek / Spruce Knob Backcountry - WV Winter Backpacking

This is a trip that I did with the meetup group DC Backpackers. I love hiking and backpacking with the group, as the people are easy going and fun.

I have visited the Spruce Knob area on an earlier backpacking trip in the late spring, but this was my second hardcore winter backpacking trip, and definitely the coldest.  The temps at the trailhead when we started hiking Friday was 6*.  The temp Friday night hit -3*.  Saturday was a beautiful day, with temps of 30's for a high, and 15* for a low. 

Our hike in was a fairly easy 3.5 miles, with half the miles going straight up to the ridge, and the other half going down the valley to the creek and the campsite.

This video was actually all shot with my cell phone, a Galaxy S3, because the cold killed my camera battery very quickly.  I am really surprised it turned out as well as it did.

Demeter's Rules of Foraging

Viburnum (nannyberry)

Life is full of rules.  Some rules may not make a lot of sense; like the old law about swearing while driving in Maryland. Traveling towards Ocean City on Route 50 in the summer months would prove this one ridiculous. Nonetheless, most citizens respect laws and the enforcement of said laws in order to live in harmony with their neighbors and protect their possessions and way of life.

Foraging has rules, too.  Rules in foraging are twofold: to respect and preserve natural resources, and to follow laws so that non-foragers don't develop the opinion that foragers are a bunch of law-breaking hooligans.  I'm not a 10 Commandment-kind-of rule-breaker, but I have always had a little authority problem.  And a speeding problem.  Anyway,  I do ascribe to these rules, and hope you do, too!

Paltry Persimmons

Fall has to be the best of seasons.  The leaves turn amazing colors before falling from the trees to crunch delightfully underfoot. The unrelenting heat of summer gives way to the promise of cooler weather. Farmers' fields are barren, with corn and even pumpkins harvested. Deer are on the move, greedily munching on leftover corn kernels, preparing for the approaching rut.  The days wind down, reminding us that the little sleep of winter is creeping in upon earth's children.

While Old Man Winter has some tricks in store for us this winter, Mother Nature still has a few treats for Mid-Atlantic foragers.  Recently I found a tree with Persimmons still clinging to the branches.  Initially, the trees look a little like the sweet gum maples. But the common persimmon tree, or Diospyros virginiana, is easily identified by the orange, smooth fruit.

The fruit is about 1.5-2" in diameter.  While super sweet and date-like in consistency when ripe, the little orange orbs of goodness are remarkably astringent when not at their peak of ripeness. Eat an unripe persimmon just once and you will never do it again!  I learned the hard way :-)

Harvesting persimmon fruit is easy: simply pick up the fallen fruit from under the tree.  Similar to Pawpaw, the best fruit falls to the ground when fully ripe. The skin may retain a little astringency.  I taste a small bit of skin. If I get anything like a chalky taste, but the rest of the fruit tastes good, I peel the skin off.  For a trail nibble, pop the whole fruit in your mouth and spit out the seeds.

In addition to a trail snack, persimmons can be preserved.  The ripest fruit can be mashed through a potato ricer.  The pulp can be added to ice cream, cakes, and my newest favorite way of enjoying the fruit - wine!

 The last two years the persimmon harvest has been bountiful.  Last year I harvested fruit for over a month, collecting a half gallon in about 5 minutes. This year, unfortunately, the harvest has been quite lousy.  By the time the fruit was ripe enough to eat, the trees were almost bare.  Bummer.  Thus, the  title of the post.

I was hoping for another batch or two of  persimmon wine this fall, but I will have to wait another year. I think the birds, squirrels, and other denizens of the woods know something about what is coming this winter.  Seems like a lot of berries and fruits have been stripped from the trees as soon as they appear.

Have you seen this tree in the wild on a trail or in your neck of the woods? 

Don't forget the rules of foraging, especially 100% identification!

Nannyberries, Viburnum lentago

The leaves are falling from the trees. Not a great time for foragers, but there are a few good finds this month.

On a recent walk in Tuckahoe State Park, I came across from nannyberries, I think this is Viburnum lentago, particularly due to the opposite leaves and bright reddish colored stems. Viburnums are scattered on the edge of the woods, displaying clusters of petite white flowers in the late spring.

The fruit is a dark purple to black, usually in little clusters. The fruit is a drupe, which means they have one seed surrounded by the soft fruit tissue. I find the seeds a little bitter, so I chew a handful of berries and spit out the seeds.




The taste is mildly raisin-like. Slightly sweet and with a not-unpleasant grainy texture, similar to dates.

Also fruiting is pokeweed, so be sure to identify any plant with 100% certainty.

Happy Trails!

About

About Demeter's Dish



Join me on a quest to identify as many plants as possible! Hikers, backpackers, and other sportsman who spend time roaming around can boost nutrition while on the trail. I also make wine and jelly with wild edibles, so we'll look at wild food in the kitchen, too!

We can identify plants year round. Winter will be quite paltry, but we can still do some identification. If you live East of the Rockies, north of Florida and south of New England, then you should be able to find the same plants within a week or two of when I post them.
 

Please only use this as an introductory guide. Anyone thinking of foraging for wild food must identify with absolute, 100%, certainty before trying even a nibble! Plants are food, medicine, and poison. Be sure of what you eat!! You should identify a plant with three different guides before eating.

 

About Me

 

 

 

 

I LOVE hiking and backpacking, and also finding wild edibles. Connecting with nature helps to reset my batteries. I always say there is not a problem that can't be fixed by an hour in the woods. I lead hikes and backpacking trips with a local meetup group, and love taking new backpackers into the wilderness. Life is too short to sit around, so I am determined to get out, have fun, and make memories!



Favorite Links

Here are a few links I recommend! Enjoy

DC Backpackers Meetup:  A Meetup group is a great way to connect with fellow backpackers. This group is very dynamic simply because DC is such a melting pot of different cultures and professions. The group is comprised from college kids looking for weekend fun, to young professionals new to the area wanting to meet people, to retired workers just out for a weekend in the woods.


Roaring Plains October, 2013 with DC Backpackers

Earth Connection School of Wilderness Survival:  Tim MacWelch offers a variety of classes geared toward survival and bushcrafting.  Classes are held at his property in the Fredericksburg, VA area.

Nature Wonder Wild Food Weekend:  This annual event is held at North Bend State Park in WV every September.  Sample wild foods, attend lectures and a wild food walk, and meet more of "our people" :-)

Eat the Weeds Newsletter and Forum:  Green Deane is a fabulous resource, and has a great newsletter that I highly recommend subscribing to, as well as a forum for foragers to connect.  The plants are geared more for Florida/ Southeast U.S. but I often see Mid-Atlantic plants listed.

Wild Food Adventures by Dr John Kallas: The author of a foraging book I highly recommend (and available in Digital form, Dr Kallas holds classes in Oregon.  I haven't attended his classes, but his lecture at the 2012 Nature Wonder Weekend was very informative.

Calvatia cyathaformis, purple-spored puffball.mp4

Puffball mushrooms (Calvatia species) are great for the beginner mycophile (like me!)  They grow like crazy in yards and grassy areas in the Mid-Atlantic from September to late October. When you see one, snap it up quickly, as they grow large within days and spore just as quickly.  Please make sure to cut any puffball open to make sure a "baby" mushroom is not growing inside.  That is baaad!





Calvatia giganteus on the Appalachian Trail, Harper's Ferry, WV

On a hike last year, I found a huge white puffball on the side of the Appalachian Trail near Harper's Ferry, WV.  Here is my daughter holding the Calvatia giganteus.

Make sure you have 100% positive identification first!!

Happy hiking and eating!