New Law Would Ban Foraging

Maine lawmakers are considering passage of a new law which would effectively ban foraging. Commercial harvesting of wild mushrooms and ostrich fern fiddleheads has created an atmosphere of chaos. Commercial harvesters often violate their privilege of harvesting on private land. When this all began, I feared that the actions of a few bad apples might unjustly reflect upon all of us who do no harm. The sad truth is, most of us don’t cause any harm whatsoever. In addition, ostrich fern fiddleheads are only one in a long list of wild edibles. We who pick stinging nettles, dock, wintercress, fireweed shoots, common cattails and any number of items that few people are even acquainted with are doomed to suffer because of the harmful actions of a few. But when any wild product (the bill is aimed at mushrooms and fiddleheads, but because it is so poorly worded, it by necessity covers all edible wild plants) becomes the target of a commercial industry, problems are sure to follow. In years past I used to go to the sea and with a long-handled net, harvest sea urchins for my own personal use. Do that now and wind up in jail. Ditto for baby eels. And the list goes on. But we who are honest should not have to pay for the harm imposed by commercial interests. I have included, below, the text of the proposed new regulations. They are Draconian to a fault. Hopefully, we foragers can come together and convince lawmakers to refine the language of their new law so that it only deals with mushrooms and fiddleheads. Again, hardly anyone except for we few foragers care about or are even familiar with the great body of wildlings that we enjoy harvesting and eating. Here’s hoping that we can act in time to avert this needless disaster. An Act To Prohibit Foraging on Private Land without Permission Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §8842-A, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2015, c. 55, §1, is further amended to read: 1. Cutting prohibited. A person may not: A. Cut or harvest Christmas trees or, evergreen boughs or edible wild food on land of another without securing written permission or a bill of sale from the owner or the owner's authorized agents and having a copy of this written permission or bill of sale in immediate possession. Violation of this paragraph is a Class E crime; or B. Violate paragraph A when: (1) The value of the trees or, boughs or edible wild food is more than $10,000. Violation of this subparagraph is a Class B crime; (2) The person is armed with a dangerous weapon at the time of the offense. Violation of this subparagraph is a Class B crime; (3) The value of the trees or, boughs or edible wild food is more than $2,000 but not more than $10,000. Violation of this subparagraph is a Class C crime; (4) The value of the trees or, boughs or edible wild food is more than $1,000 but not more than $2,000. Violation of this subparagraph is a Class D crime; or (5) The person has 2 prior Maine convictions for any combination of the following: theft; any violation of Title 17-A, section 401 in which the crime intended to be committed inside the structure is theft; any violation of Title 17-A, section 651; any violation of Title 17-A, section 702, 703 or 708; or attempts thereat. Title 17-A, section 9-A governs the use of prior convictions when determining a sentence. Violation of this subparagraph is a Class C crime. Sec. 2. 12 MRSA §8842-A, sub-§§2 and 3, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 452, Pt. F, §40 and affected by Pt. X, §2, are amended to read: 2. Transport prohibited. A person may not: A. Transport Christmas trees or, evergreen boughs or edible wild food without written permission or a bill of sale from the owner of the land where the trees or, evergreen boughs or edible wild food were harvested or that owner's authorized agents. Violation of this paragraph is a Class E crime; or B. Violate paragraph A when: (1) The value of the trees or, boughs or edible wild food is more than $10,000. Violation of this subparagraph is a Class B crime; (2) The person is armed with a dangerous weapon at the time of the offense. Violation of this subparagraph is a Class B crime; (3) The value of the trees or, boughs or edible wild food is more than $2,000 but not more than $10,000. Violation of this subparagraph is a Class C crime; (4) The value of the trees or, boughs or edible wild food is more than $1,000 but not more than $2,000. Violation of this subparagraph is a Class D crime; or (5) The person has 2 prior Maine convictions for any combination of the following: theft; any violation of Title 17-A, section 401 in which the crime intended to be committed inside the structure is theft; any violation of Title 17-A, section 651; any violation of Title 17-A, section 702, 703 or 708; or attempts thereat. Title 17-A, section 9-A governs the use of prior convictions when determining a sentence. Violation of this subparagraph is a Class C crime. 3. Inspections and investigations. An officer authorized to make inspections and investigations under this article may require of any person, firm or corporation engaged in cutting, harvesting or transporting Christmas trees or,evergreen boughs or edible wild food to show: A. If engaged in cutting or harvesting trees or, boughs or edible wild food belonging to another, a current written permit or bill of sale issued pursuant to subsection 1, paragraph A; and B. If engaged in transportation, a current written permit, bill of sale, port of entry statement or other written proof of ownership when transporting for commercial purposes trees, loose or in bundles, or boughs, loose or baled, or edible wild food. A driver shall carry this permit on the driver's person or in the vehicle. Sec. 3. 12 MRSA §8844, as repealed and replaced by PL 1983, c. 507, §2, is amended to read: § 8844.Seizure or attachment Any officer authorized to make inspections, investigations or arrests under this Article may seize and hold Christmas trees or, evergreen boughs or edible wild food until proof of ownership has been established. If no proof of ownership has been established, the officer shall try to determine where those trees or, boughs or edible wild food were cut or harvested and notify the landowner. If the owner does not want the trees or, boughs,or edible wild food or ownership cannot be determined, the State may dispose of them and any money derived from the disposition of the trees and,boughs shallor edible wild food must be paid to the landowner, if histhe landowner's identity can be established and, otherwise, to the Treasurer of State to be credited to the General Fund. Sec. 4. 12 MRSA §8847, as repealed and replaced by PL 1983, c. 507, §4, is amended to read: § 8847.Enforcement agencies State police, county sheriffs, municipal law enforcement officers, state forest rangers and game wardens are authorized to make inspections, investigations, arrests and disposals of trees and, boughs or edible wild food under thisArticlearticle. Sec. 5. 22 MRSA §2175, sub-§3, as amended by PL 2013, c. 533, §21, is further amended to read: 3. Refusal to certify; revocation of certification. The Department of Health and Human Services may decline to certify any person adjudged to have violated Title 12, chapter 805, subchapter 3, article 2 with regard to harvesting or transporting wild mushrooms or determined to lack the appropriate training to safely harvest, broker or sell wild mushrooms, in accordance with rules adopted by the Department of Health and Human Services pursuant to this section. The Department of Health and Human Services may revoke, in accordance with the Maine Administrative Procedure Act, the certification of any person in accordance with rules adopted by the Department of Health and Human Services pursuant to this section or any person adjudged to have violated Title 12, chapter 805, subchapter 3, article 2 with regard to harvesting or transporting wild mushrooms. Sec. 6. Maine Revised Statutes headnote amended; revision clause. In the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 12, chapter 805, subchapter 3, article 2, in the article headnote, the words "transportation or cutting of christmas trees" are amended to read "transportation, cutting or harvesting of christmas trees, evergreen boughs and edible wild food" and the Revisor of Statutes shall implement this revision when updating, publishing or republishing the statutes. SUMMARY This bill requires anyone harvesting edible wild food to have written permission or a bill of sale from the landowner before harvesting or transporting. The permission requirements and enforcement provisions of this bill are the same as currently exist in Maine law for commercial harvesting of Christmas trees and boughs for wreaths. The bill also authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to decline to certify or to revoke the certification under the Maine Wild Mushroom Harvesting Certification Program of any person found in violation of the prohibition.

Second Blooms

Back about 10 years ago or so I bought a grafted weeping pussy willow at the Bangor Flower show, when it was still primarily a flower show. The pussy willow was of the sprawling, “weeping” type, similar to those grafted cherry trees we plant for their form and foliage. My weeping willow came in a 4-inch pot, so you can easily see that it was just a little plant.

After planting in front of my house it didn’t take long for the pussy willow to grow. Each year it just got bigger and bigger, making a nice contrast against the white snow. But one of the reasons for planting any pussy willow is to admire the silvery-white catkins. My pussy willow, though, never had more than two or three catkins at most. This was maddening, especially when I would drive around and view other, similar plants and see that they were aglow with shiny catkins.

However, every so often in fall, my pussy willow sets on a few catkins. And it did that this year. Perhaps the plant thinks it’s spring, I’m not quite sure. One thing I do know is it isn’t terribly unusual for some flowering plants to host a limited, second bloom in fall.

Forsythia, for instance, often sets blossoms in fall. These are never a big, thick blush of blossoms, but all the same they come on in enough numbers to put on an attractive display.

Then we have witch hazel, with its wiry yellow petals. However, witch hazel is a fall bloomer rather than a springtime bloomer, so that sets it apart from pussy willows and forsythia.

At this moment, with temps outside in the mid-40s, it appears that my February daphne, an early-spring flowering plant may soon have a few open blossoms.

And though I’ve never seen this, I believe my neighbor when he told me that he found ostrich fern fiddleheads ready to pick in November.

Were we to have an old-fashioned fall such as the kind we endured in the 1960s through the early 1990s, I wouldn’t be talking about late-blooming plants. But things are different now and warmer falls and winters have become the norm. That’s not to say that any day now we won’t be plunged into the freezer, but it hardly seems likely.

At the very least, it’s fun to go out and look at flowering plants to see if any of them have put on a second bloom. Good luck with that.

As a postscript, I have a confession to make. While I make my living as a writer and use a computer for that, computers are not my friends…by that, they confuse me. I began my writing career on a typewriter, so that should give some history of my relationship with these new-fangled computers.

Anyway, within a few days of posting a new blog I’ll look and see if there were any comments. And usually there aren’t. But once in a great while I’ll go into the guts of the program, a dangerous practice for me, and see to my great amazement that people have responded. In fact I just read a whole string of helpful comments and questions.

So for my next blog I plan on answering those unanswered comments. And from now on, I shall get in the program and take a closer look.

I apologize for not answering some of reader’s excellent questions. From now on I’ll do my best to get with the program and be more attentive. I’m sorry and I promise to do better.

Tom

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Dandelions Sweet as Sugar

No matter where in the State of Maine you live, it’s likely that your area has suffered a killing frost. For those who cling to their perennial and annual flower beds, that is bad news. But for dandelion lovers, read on.

Springtime and dandelions, almost synonymous to many people, mark a fairly short-lived window of opportunity for dandelion addicts. Spring sees us digging fat, sprawling dandelions. But after true warm weather arrives and dandelions go to flower, the leaves and even the crowns become bitter. And so we wait for the following spring for more of our cherished greens.

But wait. That’s not the end of the story. Did you know that after a killing frost, dandelions lose all trace of bitterness? Yes, that is so. Who knew?

Well, until a few years ago I didn’t. But my good friend Marion Hunnicutt did and Marion enlightened me regarding other uses of dandelions than just spring-dug plants.

First, Marion mentioned that dandelion blossoms, in my mind only useful for making dandelion wine, were ambrosial when fried in a Tempura batter. I tried it this spring and sure enough, Marion had struck a home run. The blossoms were a true delicacy when prepared this way.

But back to fall-dug dandelions. Sure, the plants lack the bulk of spring-dug plants because in spring, dandelions are putting on mass preparatory to blooming. And until the blossoms open they are yummy. After blooming, though, dandelions become bitter to the point of having to pucker when tasting even a tiny portion.

Fall-dug dandelions don’t have the mass or bulk of the springtime variety. They more closely resemble those sparse dandelions we dig as soon as snow melts and we can find a few plants from last year. Well, those early spring dandelions are the same ones we find now in fall, after a few, good freezes.

So dandelion lovers unite! Go forth, digger in hand and harvest this late-season bounty. If I’m any kind of judge of horseflesh, you’ll be glad you did.

Maine Suffers Severe Drought – No Relief In Sight

We all remember dry summers and even a few dry falls. But the current drought has brought conditions far worse than most of us can recall.

In my case, things have gone from bad to worse. First, my trout pond began getting lower by the day. Than a 12-foot-deep pond on a hilltop behind the house has dropped down to about two feet of water.

My well, which sits about halfway between the two ponds has not escaped the drought and a visual check yesterday revealed about three feet of water in the 12 X 4-foot well. So now I only dare draw water for drinking. No more doing laundry, no more relaxing showers. From now on it’s the laundromat and sponge baths, the worst of which for me is the laundromat. I just hate those places.

Today, like many other Mainers, I’m headed out after church to buy some Jerry jugs for hauling water. It’s hard to conceive, but this may become a way of life for an indeterminate period of time.

The reason is the little piddling rains we have had are barely sufficient to wet the top layer of soil. We need days and days of driving, soaking rain. And according to the weather forecasters, we aren’t going to get it any time soon.

It was thought, for a little while, that Hurricane Matthew would swing close enough to Maine to give us the water we need. But now it looks as if the hurricane will not move any further north than the Carolinas.

So without much-needed rain, wells, streams, rivers, lakes and ponds will continue to lose water through evaporation. Low levels in streams have already led to a loss of many native brook trout. The fish need cool, well-oxygenated water to survive and the few pools of water that remain are neither well-oxygenated nor cool.

Here’s the worst part of this. People who are on city water or who have reliable, drilled wells, don’t believe they need to conserve water. But they do. The water table is low and any water drained from it only suffices to lower it further.

But out-of-sight, out-of-mind remains in control. If the governor declares a state of emergency, then water rationing, at least for those on public water supply, will ensue. But for those with wells that remain functional, no rationing can apply. No one can tell anyone else how to use or not use their own water.

Rationing may help to conserve remaining water supplies. But what we really need is lots of rain. And until that happens, we will remain locked in what I suggest is the worst drought of our lifetimes.

Upcoming Events

Wild Plants And Wooly Bears

Upcoming Seminar in Moosehead Lake Region

My trips to Holbrook Island in Brooksville were met with great success. Both times we experienced excellent turnout. And even better, participants were each and every one very keen on learning more about the useful wild plants that grow all around us.

Park Supervisor Charles Cannon says that he might like for me to do another field trip in September. I'll keep readers posted as (and if) this unfolds. 

I do have several upcoming field trips, but these are for a private business. However, I just firmed up a two-day event in Greenville for Northern Resource Education Center. Friday, September 16^th I’ll present a Digital presentation on edible wild plants and a short presentation on some common mushrooms.

Then on Saturday, September 17, I’ll lead the group on a field trip around the Greenville area. The exact details are still in the making, but interested persons may contact Mildred Kennedy-Stirling at mooseheadlake@me.com for more information.

So if you live in that region or simply would like to experience the Moosehead Region, here’s a chance to see it up-close and personal.

I’ve had loads of fun lately with people sending me plant photos so that I can identify the plant for them. This is kind of a botanical version of Click ‘N Clack’s “Stump the Chump.” Thus far, I’ve been successful. Most of that, however, stems from the excellent photographs people sent.

If you have a mystery plant to identify, feel free to send me a digital image. Remember, though, these images need to be crisp and clear, with good detail. It also helps to send several images shot at different angles.

So try your hand at “stump the plant chump” and I’ll do my best to ID the plant.

Until next time…

Tom

Field Trip to Holbrook Island Wildlife Sanctuary/State Park

Wild Plants And Wooly Bears

I’ll lead two wild plant walks at Holbrook Island Wildlife Sanctuary and State Park in Brooksville on Sunday, July 3. The first of two walks will begin at 1 p.m. and the second starts at 3 p.m.

Holbrook is a mostly undeveloped state park with inland sections, including a small mountain and a considerable amount of seashore. Hiking trails abound. Park roads, while unpaved, are immaculately maintained.

The walk will begin at the Backshore Trail trailhead on the sanctuary’s main road, Indian Bar Road. From there we walk down a gentle, wooded slope and end at an old hayfield. Then we’ll walk back to the trailhead and drive the short distance to the parking lot at park headquarters.

From there, we’ll walk a short path down to a secluded beach where we’ll find all sorts of seaside goodies. Most every one of my favorite seaside plants live here.

Folks who have never visited Holbrook will find it a relaxed, scenic spot, an undiscovered jewel of wild land on Maine’s rocky coast. Even the drive to Holbrook has its charms, the winding roads offering spectacular views of Penobscot Bay, its mountains and islands.

To see Holbrook Island Sanctuary on a map, look at Map 15, B-2 of the DeLorme Atlas and Gazetteer.

I hope to see a few readers there. There is no fee for the plant walk and no sign-up list either. Just come, learn some new plants and enjoy this special piece of Maine. 

Spring is Here

The calendar said it was spring back in late March. Than came April and with it, renewed cold. But still, lots of things in nature tell us that despite cold and even late snow, spring is here.

Turkey vultures soar overhead, peering down at the ground to try to sight a meal of some dead carcass. And shoots of daylilies grow a slight amount with each passing day. And crocus brighten our days as they unfold their blooms in the warm, April sun. But one special event must occur before I can feel easy about spring having arrived in earnest. And that event is the arrival of the local phoebe.

Phoebes love it around my place and I love having them. These little olive-drab birds are flycatchers and as such, have great success in picking flying insects from out of the air. And for every insect that a phoebe catches, that’s just one more insect that won’t bite or annoy me.

I keep a journal of nature events and one thing I always make note of is the day the phoebe arrives. Phoebes typically arrive at my place any time between April 10 and April 18. Never has one arrived earlier or later, which I find very interesting.

While for me, the phoebe is the true harbinger of spring, there are two more events that help to welcome spring. First, a mourning cloak butterfly skipped and fluttered over my dirt driveway a few days ago. These are one of the earliest butterflies to emerge in spring. The other early one is angel wing butterflies.

The second true sign of spring happened yesterday, April 9. Wood frogs are loudly calling from a wetland along my driveway. These are the earliest frogs to begin their courting rituals. Spring peepers, a better-known and more popular spring frog needs a bit warmer weather and at least here in Waldo, Maine, we probably won’t hear any peepers for another week or more.

But again, the phoebe has returned. Spring is here. Glory be!

St. Paddy's Day Trout

        The news came out the night before St. Patrick’s Day. It hit me like a ton of bricks. The commissioner of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife had opened the fishing season two weeks early because of an early ice-out, coupled with low-water conditions on streams and brooks.

I was at my publisher’s house in Topsham and would not be able to take advantage of this unexpected season opener until later the next day. And somehow I knew it wouldn’t be the same as what I had hoped for.

 April 1, the traditional opening of trout season, was always something of an unofficial holiday for me and so it was this year. I had made plans with fishing buddy Tony Wieman to spend the day fishing small brooks and streams around Waldo County.

This is something we both look forward to each year with great anticipation. We meet just after daybreak, fish our favorite and often most productive pool and then go out to Just Barb’s Restaurant in Stockton Springs. From there, fortified with heavy, greasy breakfast fare, we head out to any number of streams. By day’s end we are usually tuckered out from pushing through near-impenetrable stands of alders and climbing banks so steep and slippery that we have to grab roots and saplings to keep from slipping backwards. We usually have at least a few trout to show for out efforts, too.

But this year was different. Had we known of the early opening, we would have altered our plans. As it stood, I was free but Tony had to work. So after getting home on St. Pat’s Day, changing clothes and grabbing my gear, I headed out to the favorite opening day pool. But the road where I live is so bumpy with countless, cavernous potholes that as a practical matter, speeds cannot exceed 10 miles per hour. That cost me precious minutes and I arrived at the pool just in time to see someone else, rod in hand, walking down to the water.

It is rude to horn in on someone else’s fishing, so I was compelled to skip the preferred place and go on to the next stream. Some people don’t think anything of walking up to someone already fishing and then fishing right next to them. But that kind of boorish behavior is not in my repertoire.

Fishing was made difficult by all the bent-down alders, victims of a heavy, wet snowstorm back in November, 2014. Some pools were so cluttered with brush that they were impossible to fish. But here and there, an opening afforded me the opportunity to drop my hook in and hopefully, tempt a trout.

I caught many trout that day, most of them of a sub-legal size. But I managed to take four that were a bit above the minimum length limit. At day’s end, I was a bit tired, but pleased with my meager catch.

And it being St. Patrick’s Day, I got out my Uilleann (Irish) bagpipes and played some jigs and reels. It was then that I decided to capture the moment and arranged a photo, with the pipes spread out on the ground, with the trout next to them.

And as far as my opening-day trip with fishing buddy Tony, we have decided to go for it anyway, just as if the season hadn’t opened early. After all, it will still be April 1, trout season or not. Some things are too special, even carved-in-stone to mess with. And opening day of trout season is one of them.

Wild Edible Plant Seminar at Eagle Hill Institute

Up until last year I had never heard of Eagle Hill Institute, this despite being familiar with much of the local area. This small, natural history school sits in an out-of-the-way location surrounded by a typical Downeast forest of fir and spruce, moss and lichen.

Then last spring I got an email from Eagle Hill asking if I would like to put on a wild plant weekend and being free from other obligations at the time, I agreed. It was a good decision. The institute has everything needed to put on classes and my digital presentations in the morning, followed by an afternoon field trip, worked out well.

Even better, the people who participated in the class were keen on learning and that is what every instructor hopes for. The class went well and I even managed to keep in touch with some of the participants well after the class was over.

Eagle Institute has a great chef, too, and suppers are a special event. Also, people who cannot eat certain foods or have any kind of food allergies, can arrange in advance to have their meals prepared according to what they can and cannot eat.

Anyway, I’m on Eagle Hill’s list of instructors again this year. My weekend class will run from June 10 through June 12. People interested in attending this year’s session can contact Eagle Hill Institute at Eagle Hill Institute, 59 Eagle Hill Road, P.O. Box 9, Stuben, ME 04680. The phone number is 207-546-2821. On the net, go to http://eaglehill.us or office@eaglehill,us. For more on class descriptions and author bios, visit http://eaglehill.us/seminars. 

Wildflowers in February a Sure Sign of Early Spring

Here it is only February and wildflowers are blooming. And yes, I’m talking about here in Maine, not some tropical paradise.

I’m always fascinated by any early-blooming or even early-showing plants. For instance, I revel in my chive bed, because this season’s chives are already trying to grow through snow and ice. Very soon, I’ll nibble on the first garden vegetable of the year, a single stalk of chive.

Daylilies, too, send up the tips of little green leaves. These are usually well up by mid-March and this year should see them coming around even earlier. By the way, these daylily leaf tips make a good green vegetable when boiled or steamed. They represent one of the first wild (or semi-wild) foods of the season.

But today I’m wound up about seeing flowers blooming on a stark, roadside bank. The flowers, I’m sure some of you have guessed, are Coltsfoot and they are the earliest wildflower to bloom, at least to my knowledge.

The roadside bank is so steep that grass can’t be planted there. But coltsfoot seeds, like dandelion seeds, get transported by a little, feathery “parachute.” And when these little parachutes land on anything, they stick to it. When the seeds become wet, they stick even harder and this allows them to germinate on a nearly vertical surface.

What’s more, the embankment is only feet away from the salt water, which means slightly warmer overall temperatures as opposed to inland conditions.

Finally, the bank is south-facing and even now, in February, the soil warms up nicely on a sunny, late-winter day.

So be of good cheer. Spring is surely coming and it looks like it is coming early. 

Spring

Was it my imagination or do the branches and twigs on the weeping willow along my driveway have a little more color? Sometimes in late winter trees give us low-key clues that spring is on the way. Maples show red at twig tips and willows, such as the one along my driveway, show a brighter shade of yellow.

Astronomical spring arrives on March 20. But as much as one month prior to that, nature shows us signs of the changing seasons.

For instances, those who spend time in the woods and those who feed wild songbirds, probably have noticed that along about now black-capped chickadees change their song. It becomes just a little more raspy.

And by looking closely at little pools of water formed by melting snow, we might notice a coating of some kind of dust on the water’s surface. More than likely it isn’t dust at all. Snow fleas, a.k.a. springtails, thousands of them, jump around on the snow around the base of trees. In fact, rivulets of snowmelt can channel umpteen snow fleas to a larger pool and likely millions of the tiny creatures can entirely cover the surface.

Then we have the less tangible signs of spring such as the way the earth smells where snow has melted and sunlight thaws the top layer. This is evident in towns, too. On a warm day in late winter, all the smells, scents and odors that were there last summer and fall are suddenly unlocked. Some of these scents are quite attractive and in our minds we can imagine that they are of distant flowers, or perhaps of someone baking bread.

In a little over one month we’ll have the real deal to embrace. But for now, these silent, often-unnoticed signs of spring are sufficient to buoy hope in winter-weary mortals. 

                                        Spring Slated for Mid-March Arrival

A forecaster from National Weather Service has come out with word that by mid-March, the northeast will see a warming trend. The last few years have seen late-arriving springs, partly due to lingering arctic air. But this year, there will be no arctic air and a strengthening March sun will work wonders toward warming us up.

For me, this comes as the best possible news. Wild edible plants will become available earlier and trout fishing in streams and rivers will crank up into high gear by early April.

Today is February 8 and until just a few days ago, I was able to go out back on the hillside by my house and pick fresh wintergreen leaves to chew on. That’s because what little snow we had melted, leaving wide swaths of bare ground on south-facing hillsides.

Before that, though, three resident deer had pawed through the snow to get at the wintergreen. This surprised me. I didn’t know that deer liked wintergreen. I knew that partridge liked it, because many lf the birds that fell to my shotgun in fall had crops filled with wintergreen leaves.

Today, though, temperatures are in the low teens and a major snowstorm is on the way. But it’s only early February and we must expect such things. So let it freeze, let it snow and do whatever it wants. With news of a big warmup in March, we can handle about anything that nature gives us. 

Wild Medicines of Winter

          I regularly put up medicinal herbs for the winter. This is an annual ritual, since most of the plants lose their potency within one year or less. Besides plants that we harvest just before cold weather sets in, there are a number of plant medicines available year-round.

          For instance, willows contain salicylic acid. If that sounds familiar it’s because aspirin is manmade acetylsalicylic acid. Willow is a natural form and it is a powerful medicine. I sometimes use the fresh bark, perhaps a half teaspoonful of chopped, inner bark, steeped in a tea. The only drawback is that the wild product is not buffered and can cause stomach upsets.

          Maine has numbers of different kinds of willows, and these tend to hybridize, making exact identification difficult. But since all willows, Salix species, contain some amount of salicylic acid, foragers needn’t worry about which willow is which.

          Balsam fir, Abies balsamea, another tree with medicinal properties, is common throughout Maine. Balsam gum has healing properties and can be used on cuts and other wounds. It’s easy to gather the gum (oleoresin) by cutting or simply popping the blisters, or bubbles on the bark. The leaves (needles) make a tea that is taken for coughs and colds.

          I’ve said many times before that I prefer taking my medicine in the form of food. To that end, I favor watercress. Yes, you can buy watercress in the market but it grows wild, too. A stream behind my house has lots of watercress, and it grows year-round. It’s kind of cold work, reaching in the frigid water to pick watercress. But it’s worth it. Watercress is a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals, among which are Vitamins A, B, C, B2, copper, iron, calcium and magnesium. Its iron content is higher that that found in spinach. Watercress is low in carbohydrates.

          I offer these as an example of what we can gather from the wild, even in mid-winter. There are plenty other plant medicines out there. 

Seminar Schedule and June Report

It’s been a busy and exciting foraging season for me thus far. I’ve visited many different parts of Maine and have met many interesting and friendly people. As of now, my only remaining previously-planned seminars are a plant walk for Islesboro Land Trust at Islesboro on July 11, a medicinal plant weekend course at Eagle Hill Institute in Stuben from September 11 through 13 and finally, a DVD presentation followed by a plant walk at Waldoboro School for SAD 40 from 10 – 2:30 on September 25.

Persons wishing to participate in any of these may contact me and I can forward sign-up info.

Also, I am open to events and private sessions at any time. Just call me at (207) 338-9746 or email me at tomgseymour@gmail.com.

Participants in my seminars have shared some fun, new thoughts regarding wild plants. First, I learned that the inner pith from the base of new growth (twigs) of staghorn sumac makes a tasty trail nibble. To use, just break off the end of the twig from the larger branch and peel the bark from the end nearest the break. This exposes a white core which, when removed, can be eaten raw. These have a somewhat unique flavor which is difficult to describe. All I can say is that it is a pleasant taste. This product is best in spring and very early summer.

Next, while discussing bunchberries, a lady asked why flowering plants exhibited 6 leaves, while non-flowering plants had only 4 leaves. I’d never noticed this distinction before, which goes to show how any of us can be in near-constant contact with a plant (it grows profusely close to my house) and not notice small, distinguishing features.

As per my own personal foraging, one of my all-time favorite wild greens, lamb’s quarters, is ready for the picking on a pile of “composted” cow manure I got from a nearby dairy. The stuff looked so good when first delivered, and the farmer told me that he had taken pains to make sure it was fully composted. Well it wasn’t and now it is thick with lamb’s quarters. This couldn't have pleased me more. 

I planted my winter squash on this pile and the lamb’s quarters are at the stage now where they need harvesting because they are crowding out and overshadowing the young squash plants. As soon as it stops raining and things dry out, I plan to tackle this job. There is sufficient lamb’s quarters to allow for lots of fresh eating as well as freezing a quantity for winter.

Next, regarding the perennial wild spinach, Good King Henry that I used in a trial last season, it didn’t produce enough to justify it taking up garden space. So last fall I transplanted the plants to a bed inside my small greenhouse. This was usually reserved for lettuce, but lettuce never did well there.

Anyway, this spring it appeared that the Good King Henry plants had perished over the winter. Somehow, though, I thought it prudent to forbear to pull them out right away, so they remained in place until sometime in mid-April. And then I was surprised to see that the crowns had survived and were sending up new growth. I’ve had numerous meals of this delightful wild green and by the looks, there is more to come.

Now a question. Is this abundant and quick growth because the plants were transplanted and like their new home, or might it simply be because the plants are now a year older and thus stronger and more productive? I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter much. Good King Henry has earned a permanent home at my place.

Because of the lingering cold, wet spring, many plants are far behind where they should be for this time of year. Cattails ought to be putting out those sausage-shaped seedheads (the actual “cattail” part), but in my part of Midcoast Maine, that has yet to happen. Whenever the seed heads do develop and ripen, I'm ready to go out and harvest a bunch. When trimmed of stems and boiled, they can be eaten like corn-on-the-cob. While they don't taste like corn, they do have a pleasant, nutty flavor. 

Many other plants are late. Even cultivated plants in my garden are far smaller than they ought to be for late June. The predicted extra-hot summer has not yet become reality and the long-term Accu Weather forecast indicates only moderate heat for July.

This next topic aggravates me. I’m really tired of hearing people say we need more rain. Maine was not and is not in a drought. In early spring, the ground dried to a point that forest fire danger was high, but that didn’t mean that the water table was low, because it wasn’t. Springs, natural ponds, the kind not regulated by dams and streams are all up to very reasonable levels. Wetlands and swamps are full and in fact, some places that ought to have dried out by now are still very wet.

Sure, certain areas of the country are experiencing drought conditions, but Maine isn’t one of them. We have more water than we know what to do with. And that's a good thing. 

Springtime Edibles On Sale Now

Okay, the wild edible plants aren't really on sale. But now that I have your attention, let me announce that all of the early spring wild edibles are ready now in most of Maine.

Lingering cold throughout April, followed by unusually-warm conditions in early May have served to make emerging plants grow like rockets. Also, the timetable for many plants has gone askew. For instance, all plants follow an emergence pattern, as in one comes out, followed by another and so on, in a regular sequence. But not this year.

For the first time that I can remember, everything has come around at once. Coltsfoot, dandelions, purple trillium, ostrich fern fiddleheads, stinging nettles, blunt-leaved dock and false Solomon’s seal are all up and ready now. And while I haven’t looked for it, I’m certain that wintercress is up as well.

What does this all mean? Well, it’s good that we get to take our pick of favorite wild plants, but it’s kind of too bad that emergence dates are not spread out. It’s akin to giving children their Christmas presents two weeks early. Anticipation, the great magnet that draws us afield, is nowhere to be seen.

However, there are ample wild edibles that haven’t come out yet, plants that are likely to follow their predictable emergence tables. So all is not lost.

For those who put up wild plants by canning of freezing, the next week or two will certainly be a busy time. And if the task seems a bit overwhelming, just harken back to those bleak days of winter, when a package of fiddleheads or a canning jar of dandelions helped to dispel winter blues. So yes, it’s all worth it. Persevere, I say.

Here’s something positive, at least for those living in the Midcoast area. While I have spent much time in the woods and fields this spring, much of it in prime whitetail deer habitat, I haven’t noticed one deer tick. Usually by May, I have found at least two or three ticks crawling or already attached to me.

This is no excuse to forgo nightly tick inspections. Sure, it’s a nuisance to inspect every inch of skin before going to bed. Sometimes I’ll forget and have to get up and go in the bathroom and do my check with sleepy eyes. But I do it. And so should you.

In the end, it’s far better to conduct nightly tick searches and find no tick, than to not do the searches and find a tick already embedded and fully engorged.

Happy foraging season, my friends. It’s going to be a busy one.

Next 2015 Presentation - Old Bristol Garden Club

Tom looks at cattails.

Come enjoy a presentation of spring edibles for the Old Bristol Garden Club on April 9. Meetings are held at the 2nd Congregational Church at 51 Main Street in Newcastle.
The meeting begins at 1:30PM and the presentation runs from 1:50PM to 2:30PM. The public is invited to all meetings and there is no fee.
Pick up your own copy of Wild Plants of Maine after the presentation.

Tom's 2015 Seminar Schedule

With bi-weekly snowstorms and nighttime temperatures hovering around zero, it’s difficult to imagine that the foraging season is nearly upon us. But people who organize season schedules for organizations already have most of their slots filled. Accordingly, I am slated to give presentations at several different locations around the state.

Here, below, is my schedule of events as it stands now, March 4, 2015. I do have a few other events scheduled, but these are mostly for private groups and participant lists are already filled. What you see here are all open to the public and if you would like to attend, just contact the organizations listed.

I’ll update and revise the list as the season progresses. Here, then, is my 2015 schedule thus far:

Presentation for Old Bristol Garden Club at the 2nd Congregational Church in Newcastle on April 9. Meeting begins at 1:30PM and the presentation runs from 1:50PM to 2:30PM. The public is invited to all meetings and there is no fee.

Merryspring Nature Center, Camden, lecture and walk, April 16, 10 – 12 a.m.

MSAD 20 Adult Ed class held at Union Elementary School, May 9, 10 a.m.

 

Eagle Hill Institute, 59 Eagle Hill Road, P.O. Box 9, Stuben, ME 04680. (207) 546-2821, office@eaglehill.us. Participants welcome. Visit website or call. My seminar is for Saturday and Sunday, May 30 and 31, with a get-acquainted time on Friday night. This is a stay-over session. Eagle Hill has lodging, food, etc. The topic is springtime foraging for wild edibles.

Deer Isle Hostel, begin 9:30 a.m., June 20. More info to follow. Indoor presentation followed by field trip.

Islesboro Land Trust Plant Walk, July 11. More info to follow.

Eagle Hill Institute, same contact info as above. September 12 and 13, course title: Making Medicine from Wild Plants.

        

Harbor Pollock Centerpiece of Foraged Meals in Winter

Wild Plants And Wooly Bears

       

Cold, windy and snowy. That’s the way things look from now on. And yet, foraging continues, in a way. While foraging for wild plants is pretty much out, I have contented myself with catching and eating harbor pollock and when the opportunity presents itself, brook trout and brown trout.

While trout fishing opportunities are limited now, given that only a few streams are open this time of year, pollock fishing is permitted anytime, anywhere. There is one rule, though, and that’s a daily bag limit of 12 fish. And truthfully, I wouldn’t want to clean more than 12 pollock.

These plentiful fish are available around piers, floats and breakwaters for most of the fall and into winter. Really, the only thing that stops me from catching them in midwinter is the extreme cold.

It aggravates me to have to buy fish when there are so many underutilized species out there that few people bother with. Which explains my fascination for pollock and other less-than-glamorous species.

I like to skin and fillet my pollock. These fish have been running about 12 inches and weighing close to one pound, so each fish gives two, hefty fillets.

Sometimes I’ll use my fresh pollock fillets in conjunction with preserved, wild edible plants to make a wholly-foraged meal. Home-canned goosetongue and frozen dandelions go well with ocean fish. Other times I’ll mix and match homegrown vegetables such as carrots and squash to make not a foraged meal, but a combination of foraged and homegrown.

So even during the gray, cold days of early winter, we can still enjoy our foraged foods. It just takes a bit more work. But it’s worth it. 

Tom Digs Dandelions Ahead of Season's First Nor'easter

It’s November 1, opening day of firearms season on deer and I’m sitting inside by the woodstove. But a stiff north wind blows, carrying a cold rain, and my tolerance for such adverse conditions declines with each passing year.

Besides that, I have plenty food even without a deer. With the summer bounty of homegrown and foraged foods, my pantry bulges at the seams. Even so, it was hard to resist the young dandelions growing in my garden beds and so I went out this morning and dug a mess.

We’ve had several hard frosts here in Waldo and dandelions lose their bitterness after undergoing several good freezes. So if readers have an interest in some late-season foraging, now is the time to go out and do it. Snow is predicted for this weekend and even after it melts, which it must, more snow will certainly follow in the not-too-distant future.

In addition to dandelions, I still have kale, good-king-Henry and even eggplant growing in my unheated greenhouse. The eggplant can’t last much longer, but as long as it continues to grow, I’ll continue to water and nurture it.

Sitting here writing and watching the smoke from my chimney sweeping down toward the ground as a result of the low-pressure system moving in, I think back to years past and how the season’s first Nor'easter always seems a bittersweet event. Bitter, because it signals an unofficial start to winter. Sweet, because it feels so cozy and comfortable to sit in a warm house and watch the fir trees sweep around, buffeted by the wind.

There’s nothing we can do about bad weather, so we may as well sit back and enjoy it to whatever extent we can. It’s all part of nature, after all. 

Foraging Season Draws To An End

After two heavy frosts, most of the plants that we foragers seek have withered and died. The season, sadly, draws to an end. But a few plants continue to offer their bounty, particularly those plants near or right on the coast.

One plant, an old familiar one that grows nearly everywhere is the dandelion, Taraxacum officinalis. But aren’t dandelions too bitter now for eating? Well, they became bitter immediately upon flowering and remained so until right now. But after a heavy frost, dandelions lose their bitterness. And in Waldo where I live, dandelions have since become palatable once again.

So if you yearn for some wild foods before they go by for the year, and you live in a region that has had a frost or two, try digging some dandelions. It’s a fall bonus that all dandelion lovers ought to take advantage of.

Another tenacious wild plant, curled dock, Rumex crispus, has the determination of a Timex watch; it keeps ticking when the others begin quitting. Specifically, curled dock pretty much dies back in mid-to late summer, but then in the cool of fall, starts putting out new growth. This it does until constant freezing temperatures put an end to new vegetative growth.

Tree nuts are a perennial fall favorite, but nut-bearing trees are widely scattered and therefore, not a dependable food source, at least here in Maine. If you have access to shagbark hickory, American chestnut or butternut trees, be thankful for your good fortune. Beechnuts, a common mast crop in Maine and liked by animals as well as people, are notoriously coquettish and for the last several years, I have not found any beechnuts to harvest.

A number of wild plants remain, plants that, like curled dock, experience a second shot of growth. What you find and where you find it depends upon serendipity and a bit of luck. But since we have so little time left before a hard freeze and even snow puts a finality to our foraging days afield, I suggest you get out now and have a season’s-end fling. It’s a long winter and the shorter you can make it the better.