No work for me today so the kids and I spent some time outdoors. We took a little walk to the sawmill. Little Mister wanted to go help Dad at work. So we leashed up Panda and went for a walk. Once there, Lil Mister went to work shoveling sawdust while Panda explored these new surroundings.
Doggie supervisor, note ear protection in Lil Mister’s ears. Safety First!
Then Lil Bit and I went berry picking for more lingonberries. And a botany lesson for good measure.
The start of our berry harvest and an unusual uprooted tree stump.
Just a regular day.
Making a solar print.
We got about one cup of berries this time, they are slowing down. Might get out once more for a few more. We’ll freeze these for making cranberry nut bread for Thanksgiving dinner.
Wildcrafting. Verb. The practice of harvesting plants from their natural, or ‘wild’ habitat, primarily for food or medicinal purposes. Also called foraging.
Wild crafting has been a way of life for me but since moving to Alaska it has gained significance. Foraging is a cultural practice here as Native Alaskans have been doing for eons. Plus there are simply so many edible things here in the wild. From spruce needles to mushrooms (multiple edible species), flowers and teas and berries. Oh the berries.
It’s autumn here and that means lingonberries, or as the locals refer to them, low bush cranberries are ready.
Britannica.com says this about theLingonberry, (Vaccinium vitis-idaea), also called cowberry, foxberry, or rock cranberry, small creeping plant of the heath family (Ericaceae), related to the blueberry and cranberry. And they are delicious.
I’ve been checking them since moose hunting to see if they were ready and finally they are. We’ve had a few good hard frosts and that always makes them sweeter!
A cluster of cranberries.
My berry buddy, Lil Mister, came along and we went exploring. He’s a good berry picker and with his lower-to-the-ground perspective, finds many that I miss!
Little hands picking little berries.
My favorite parts of berry picking are the conversations which span the entirety of the 6 year old imagination, and that little hand slipping into mine and strolling hand in hand with my littlest one. It just melts my heart.
With this batch we’re going to try our first attempt at cranberry cordial. I’m using this recipe as my guide, but I reduced the sugar by half.
Yesterday we were preparing for our Rosh Hashanah service, and having all these fresh local apples, we decided to make some apple prints!
Painted apples
It was chaotic, messy fun. In other words, normal arts and crafts time around here.
All the things.
Each kiddo, and me too of course, printed two cards. We had fun being creative. And it’s always fun to see how each of the kids has a different interpretation on the assignment.
One masterpiece.
For my student taking botany (Lil Bit) this is her instruction on how to do specimen prints (with ink instead). I’m sure she’ll have an entire notebook filled with leaf prints by the end of the school year.
We went on to create some delicious salads to share at our service. I made this one because I love quinoa salads and this salad with kale instead of spinach (because that’s what I had!). Both were delicious and will be added to our regular menu.
Our service was lovely, adorned with beautiful sunflower bouquets! And delicious food of course. And we begin another year! L’Shana Tova!
We drove up to Cooper Landing this evening for a Recycled Fashion Show (more on that in another post) and along the way stopped to enjoy Nature’s beauty. The Chugach National Forest and the Kenai lake are here. It is a beautiful wide spot in the road. Enjoy some of the pictures we took.
Across the river, Chugach National Forest
Some fall foliage starting to turn.
A pretty little spot with fall foliage and a spawning salmon, can you see it?
Here it is!
Not the best for clarity but you can definitely see the salmon now!
Some exposed roots and a couple of small animal burrows. Neat stuff along the trails.
Dogwood
Wild rose hips.
All this and so much more. You have to see it to believe it and really appreciate the beauty that is our home. ❤ Alaska.
Lil Mister was in charge of Panda Bear. She has a sweater because she gets cold.
Eating the fruits of her labor.
Alaska on my mind... 