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[slinkyslugs]

We didn't get a good chance to look for morels this year in part because it's been busy but also because our dog decided to stab himself (his foot) on a nail and requires constant supervision so he doesn't chew himself to death 💀 As you may see, he doesn't seem to notice...

The fruit on our fruit trees is getting bigger by the day! Hopefully we've done enough to prevent brown rot from returning to our peach tree (we got literally 0 peaches last year). Let me tell you, I am never getting another peach tree... 🙄

Also flowers, of course, because it's spring! And a duck (her name is Polaris)

[slinkyslugs]

What I was taught growing up: Wild edible plants and animals were just so naturally abundant that the indigenous people of my area, namely western Washington state, didn't have to develop agriculture and could just easily forage/hunt for all their needs.

The first pebble in what would become a landslide: Native peoples practiced intentional fire, which kept the trees from growing over the camas praire.

The next: PNW native peoples intentionally planted and cultivated forest gardens, and we can still see the increase in biodiversity where these gardens were today.

The next: We have an oak prairie savanna ecosystem that was intentionally maintained via intentional fire (which they were banned from doing for like, 100 years and we're just now starting to do again), and this ecosystem is disappearing as Douglas firs spread, invasive species take over, and land is turned into European-style agricultural systems.

The Land Slide: Actually, the native peoples had a complex agricultural and food processing system that allowed them to meet all their needs throughout the year, including storing food for the long, wet, dark winter. They collected a wide variety of plant foods (along with the salmon, deer, and other animals they hunted), from seaweeds to roots to berries, and they also managed these food systems via not only burning, but pruning, weeding, planting, digging/tilling, selectively harvesting root crops so that smaller ones were left behind to grow and the biggest were left to reseed, and careful harvesting at particular times for each species that both ensured their perennial (!) crops would continue thriving and that harvest occurred at the best time for the best quality food. American settlers were willfully ignorant of the complex agricultural system, because being thus allowed them to claim the land wasn't being used. Native peoples were actively managing the ecosystem to produce their food, in a sustainable manner that increased biodiversity, thus benefiting not only themselves but other species as well.

So that's cool. If you want to read more, I suggest "Ancient Pathways, Ancestral Knowledge: Ethnobotany and Ecological Wisdom of Indigenous Peoples of Northwestern North America" by Nancy J. Turner

[slinkyslugs]

Spring! We tried making peach blossom tea after pruning the tree, but it tasted gross (not sure why)

We've also gotten some really cool ombre eggs from our Cayuga ducks!

Soon there will be gourd basket pictures. We grew big African drum gourds last year and after 6ish months they're finally ready to be cleaned and cut open. Some will be drums, others baskets.

[slinkyslugs]

I return from my winter dormancy 🫨

Enjoying the middle of the day sunshine and slight warmth! We started our King Oyster mushroom logs at the beginning of Feb, so check back in like 8 months...

Also another mushroom goblet, with a cute lil snail at the bottom. I'm also working on a snail yarn bowl that I'll try to post when it's done!

[slinkyslugs]

Just having a little fun being snowed in all week ❄️

We managed to hook le dog up to the sled and while I can't say it was a terrific idea it was certainly worth a few laughs in between the mouthfuls of snow 😅🐕‍🦺🛷

[slinkyslugs]

Winter is a slow season for me. Short days and darkness and sculptural dead garden plants.

However, it is a good time to appreciate the crispness of cold air, the snowflakes, beautiful browns and greens and grays, and the little things that are still alive.

Oyster mushrooms have been a great find down by some dead trees on our property. It really makes me appreciate letting things be, not always having to shape them to their "best." If the dead things weren't left we wouldn't have mushrooms and places for bees to hibernate and seeds for birds to eat. Sometimes people don't want to consider that their ideas of right or beauty could be hurting other living creatures.

...On a lighter note! The beard lichen should be an interesting thing to try natural dyeing with, but alas I do not have the ammonia needed at hand. Will post results when I do though!

Bonus pic of a felted polar bear gift I made 🐻‍❄️

[slinkyslugs]

Goofin' around as the weather changes. Finding lots of little footprints from a nice variety of critters down near the water in the mud (pictured is a raccoon or possum print 🐾)

The yarn ball/nut is a little wool dyed with black walnuts and very satisfyingly looks exactly like one now. (Mordanted with alum and simmered for 1 hr for natural dye nerds out there)

I spent much of fall making these fig leaf platters of various sizes, and I'm super happy with this big amber one! (Cone 6 with iron oxide and amber glaze)

We also did a little cute pumpkin photo shoot before Halloween because we love looking cute and showing off our fruity booty 🎃 ;)

🏵️🌼🌻flowers at end for fall flavor🌻🌼🏵️

[slinkyslugs]

Our olive egg chickens started laying at the beginning of October! Lots of colorful things to collect from our home that give me little serotonin boosts.

Also tried to make some natural dye with dogwood tree berries because I heard that it was blue (berries, leaves, bark) but that turns out to not be so true. The dyebath created is clearly brownish to yellow. I will attempt to mix with my iron rust solution and see what that results in but my jar is currently rusted shut :/ I suppose it could have to do with the composition of our well water, but another experiment for another day. (Details of my method are in the picture)

[slinkyslugs]

September is my favorite.

Photos:

A sample of some of our fall harvest

A mushroom/salamander pot with lid I made

Foraging invasive autumn olives

A sunflower

A mushroom man

A wheelbarrow full of goodies and a good boy

[slinkyslugs]

Me: are we there yet?

Fall: not quite

Me: ... are we there yet? Are we? I think we are.

Fall: maybe in a few weeks--

Me: IT'S HERE

(but for real though, if the pumpkins are ready, can it be anything but fall?)

[slinkyslugs]

Summer is slowly ending, and the mornings are cool again. Sunflowers are blooming, tomatoes ripe, and bright yellows, oranges, reds, and purples are everywhere.

With a bountiful harvest, there's also sometimes death, though. We woke up today to our duck Milky Way killed by a snake; the rat snake doesn't seem to understand that the duck is too big to fit inside of it, so the duck is left dead yet whole for us to find... Unfortunately we can never seem to outsmart nature every time.

[slinkyslugs]

Lately I have been obsessed with the concept of using mushrooms and lichen to dye fibers with. I came across the Mushroom Color Atlas, created by Julie Beeler and her team, which is a wonderful reference and so so beautiful. I could not have imagined the colors you could get with mushrooms, especially the blues and purples. Each color will tell you the fiber the color was achieved on, the mordant used, the weight of mushroom to fiber, the freshness of and parts of mushroom used, the temperature the dye baths were brought to, and the period of time it was on heat, and the acidity the bath was brought to, if you’re interested in the process. Or you could just look at the amazing array of dye and pigment that were created by mushrooms

[slinkyslugs]

Patience... The fruiting bodies are growing~ ✨🎃🥚🍆🍄🌽🍅

Also, look at my beautiful gourd tunnel 😍 the leaves are so soft and fuzzy it's like a car wash to go through it.

[slinkyslugs]

The beginning of the Season of Abundance (or, as Homegrown Handgathered likes to say, "dealing with the abundance")...

It seems we've planted too many cucumbers. Is there such a thing? Maybe. We're a few weeks into the harvest now and are close to reaching a hundred pounds of them. The only way to avoid drowning and/or sleeping in a bed of them is to spread the love to friends and family.

Besides cucumbers, there's blueberries for pie, squash for roasting, cabbage for sour kraut, and much more. Gourds and okra and tomatoes and squash and eggplants... Hopefully it will never end 🤞💚

[slinkyslugs]

Summer's the season for growing! Everything is Bloom Bloom BLOOM! We've added onto our flock of chickens a few ducks named Milky Way, Andromeda, and Polaris (the fourth passed away from a snake attack)

There's still plenty of turtles roaming about, but here's a little baby Eastern Common Box Turtle 🐢

Blackberries are only a few weeks away~ 🫐🍓

[slinkyslugs]

The plants got going and life ran away from me...

But here we are, with pictures from early summer. A little corn husk dye experiment 🌽 and an impeccable carrot outfit 🥕

[slinkyslugs]

A wet spring week means all the turtles are coming out. Hello, eastern box turtles!

Morels are popping up along the ridge as well, and our hike haul was delicious 😋