Urban Foraging: Edible Ornamental Callery Pears with Video

5-petaled flower of Ornamental Pear

Foraging takes some continuing education to become proficient. I am 95% self taught at this point, but have a loooong way to go to get really good. I'm not sure what quantifies "really good" as far as foragers go, but I am thinking Sam Thayer or Steve Brill good. I want to have interesting discussions with other plant nerds about the merits of cooking a wild plant this way or that. I would love to be able to really live off the land with what the mother provides her children.

How to accomplish this? On my "to do" list, I would like to take some taxonomy and botany courses, but this would mean sacrificing time from hiking, backpacking, and cleaning my often messy house. Also on the list is attending more foraging hikes offered by fellow plant enthusiasts. In the meantime, I will have to muddle through on my own.

Trail Foods: Wild Ginger or Asarum caudatum and Asarum canadense

Foragers often have a niche when it comes to their skills; some are fixated on fungi, others gaga for green and herbaceous plants, and even more are nuts for, well, nuts! I like to think I love all food-producing plants equally, although my strength is typically with identifying things green. I find it easier to recognize patterns of growth with green understory type plants. However, my skills are challenged by green shaded plants that have heart-shaped leaves and grow close to the ground. Weird, I know, but it's probably because I live in tidal wetlands so the local woods are devoid of greenery with the exception of greenbriar (Smilax rotundifolia).

Wild Ginger, or Asarum canadense leaves

Awesome One Day Deal On Freeze-Dried Chicken Dices!

Emergency Essentials is having an amazing one day deal today on freeze-dried chicken!  $24.95 for a #10 can.  I am seriously stocking up! You can click on the banner above and search for "Freeze-Dried Grill Marked Chicken Dices" (Copy and paste that text).  I get a small commission, and you get a great deal.  

Homemade Energy Gel Packets Video

I really like the ease and simplicity of those little packs of energy gel.  The only thing is that they are really expensive.  I can find them on sale for $1 each, but most of the time they are in the $1.50-$2.00 range.  For 100-ish calories that is a lot of money per calorie. 

I decided to try and make my own packets of energy gel with store bought ingredients.  The results were quite satisfying!!  Although, I must admit that sugar alone doesn't do a lot for me. I tend to get the sugar-crash thing going during my hikes, so I prefer nut butters over straight sugar gel packets.  Regardless, the idea is the same, and I love to play around in my kitchen.

Here is my video of homemade energy gel. Please comment if you have any packet-worthy recipes!

Wide Sleeping Pad Comparison Chart

Outdoor air, beautiful scenery, and sitting around the fire at night sipping some whiskey. What is not to love about backpacking? I mean, why would I want to spend my weekend at some cushy hotel when I can be schlepping a 25 pound pack up and down mountains in inclement weather?!  Choosing between relaxing in a hotel spa or splashing in a 40° waterfall is easy; I pick the waterfall :-)

My camp in March on the Black Forest Trail, 35°F

Any pending trip makes me giddy with excitement (or maybe trepidation!), but there is one area of camping that causes me distress: sleep! Most backpackers are so exhausted by their daytime wanderings that they easily fall into blissful slumber.  Nooo, not me :(  This chickie has a long standing issue with sleep, even at home in my own bed.  Deep, peaceful sleep is an oxymoron for me.  Tossing and turning is compounded when I add in strange animal noises, not to mention the snores, midnight leaf waterings, and wind breaking of my camping companions.

Where the Wild Ponies Roam; Chincoteague, VA, the jewel of the Eastern Shore and the Mid-Atlantic

The Mid-Atlantic region of the United States is a blessing for those who like to experience a great amount of diversity without having to travel very far. For example, living between Baltimore, Maryland and Norfolk, Virginia, one can be in New York City, Baltimore, Washington D.C., or Virginia Beach in a matter of hours. One of the jewels of the Mid-Atlantic is a sleepy stretch of beach-bordered barrier island in Virginia, called Chincoteague.

The Old Chincoteague Drawbridge entering the Town from the Mainland

Mexi-Cali Beef & Bean Quinoa : Instant Backpacking / Survival Food FBC

Something I love about "ethnic" foods on the trail is that the spices and herbs that make up the flavor profile allow the food to taste the same on the trail as it does at home. On a winter backpacking trip last week I tucked into this comfort food with finesse. Spork-licking good stuff.

Keep in mind that you don't have to follow the ingredients exactly. Mix and match your favorite ingredients to your taste. Don't feel like drying tomato sauce and chilis? Just dry some salsa or add packets of salsa available from McDonalds or Taco Bell. Don't have freeze-dried corn? No sweat: just skip it.

Watching your carbs? Simply reduce the amount of quinoa and add extra meat!

Dried Beef, Beans, and Quinoa with Veggies and Spices. Yum!

Keep reading for the recipe!