Foraging for wild edibles has been one of my favorite activities since childhood.  My mother hunted (and continues to hunt) for wild puff ball mushrooms, morels, wild ramps and fiddlehead ferns.  We tapped maple trees in our yard and enjoyed the spoils of our relative’s hunting and fishing outings.  I’ve eaten cattail, wild sorrel, various wild berries,  fire weed, spruce tips, and many others.  We’ve even made salves, teas and balms with foraged plants and herbs.

What is that black spot on that birch?! is it a nest? a burl? It’s chaga!

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It’s spring break season for students of all ages—from little preschoolers to non-trad college students.  For many, this means trips to warm southern climes:  Mexico, Florida, Arizona, Hawaii, bikinis, tropical cocktails, suntans and sandy scalps.  For others, it might be a good time to pick up extra shifts at work and make some spending money.  Then, there are the folks who don’t have a designated spring break, because they work 9-5 jobs.  We are a little bit of all of these.  Evan works a “real” job, but his “weekend” is Tuesday and Wednesday.  He’s also a student who happens to be on spring break.  I have been nannying for a family who is also on spring break this week, so I have the week off.  It turns out, Evan and I had our first two days off together since mid-January.  We decided to celebrate with a spring break trip!

Spring Break, Alaska Style. Ava doesn’t look impressed!

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