Spoiler alert: It's not really a strawberry.
Read more#WildEdibleWednesday 4/4 - Purple Dead Nettle
Although it sounds like an alt-metalcore band name (at least to me), purple dead nettle is another common “lawn weed” that you’ve probably walked by every day without knowing what it was.
Read moreSARCRAFT News March 2018
Want to know what's been going on at SARCRAFT this past month? Read on!
Read more#WildEdibleWednesday 3/28 - Wild Mustard
During the oppressive, impoverished years of Reconstruction in the South, mustard greens made up a large part of the diet of most poor farmers in rural areas, like my ancestors in the west end of Pickens County.
Read more#WildEdibleWednesday 3/21 - Common Blue Violet
Violets have a long association with the coming of spring in various cultures throughout the world, which is not surprising as they’re one of the first flowers to brave the cold and bloom out in late winter.
Read more#WildEdibleWednesday 3/14 - White Clover
"The shamrock became a symbol of rebellion, worn proudly by Irish freedom fighters attempting to throw off the oppressive English rule... a three-leaved middle finger to the British Crown for the whole world to see."
Read moreWhy We Cut Dick's Off
"At SARCRAFT, we try to stay fairly apolitical. However, we also cannot in good conscience violate our own deeply held beliefs regarding life and liberty...."
Read more#WildEdibleWednesday 3/7 - Eastern Redbud
"Many tribes also had a tradition of decorating their dwellings with redbud wreaths and twigs, to help “drive out the spirit of winter” and bring on planting time."
Read more#WildEdibleWednesday 2/28 - Chickweed
"Chickweed is just another example of how the most valuable plants in your yard are probably the ones you’ve been trying to kill. Along with plantain, oxalis, lamb’s ear, burdock, dandelion, and many more, there’s a whole salad bar and pharmacy right outside your front door."
Read moreSARCRAFT News February 2018
Want to know what's been going on at SARCRAFT this past month? Read on!
Read more#WildEdibleWednesday 2/21 - Yucca
"Yucca has several survival and bushcraft uses, and they’re all really, really cool. Three particular ones stand out, however."
Read more#WildEdibleWednesday 2/14 - Wild Onion
"One of the most effective traditional uses of the plant is to crush up the leaves and rub down your whole body with them – it’s a surefire way to repel ticks, mosquitoes, biting flies, fleas, and other humans."
Read more#WildEdibleWednesday 2/7 - River Cane
"Where river cane really shines is in bushcrafting. The uses of river cane for projects big and small is limited only by your imagination. While not big enough to make cups, bowls, spar poles, and improvised iPhone speakers (if you know, you know) like bamboo, river cane is still a highly useful resource."
Read moreA New Course, and a Personal Note From Alex
"This course will be one of the most personally meaningful things I’ve done with SARCRAFT to date, and that’s saying a lot. As most of you know, I attempted to thru-hike the AT in 2016. And it was a massive, epic, unadulterated failure."
Read more#WildEdibleWednesday 1/31 - Creeping Cedar
"The first fossil records we have of this species are from the Carboniferous period, about 400 million years ago. Remains of this exact plant are being burned as coal this very day."
Read moreSARCRAFT News January 2018
What’s been going on at SARCRAFT over the past month? Read on!
Read more#WildEdibleWednesday 1/24 - Wild Horseradish
"There is a compound called allyl isothiocyanate present in horseradish that is toxic to most bacteria, meaning that questionable or even outright spoiled meat could be cooked with horseradish and be considered reasonably safe to eat, and the pungent flavor would mask the taste."
Read more#WildEdibleWednesday 1/17 - Black Walnut
"Poachers will sneak onto a property in the middle of the night, cut down a walnut tree, and steal it... So if you have some of these trees on your property, our advice to you is to keep a good hold on your walnuts. Don’t want nobody touchin’ your walnuts without permission."
Read more#WildEdibleWednesday 1/10 - American Beech
Their bark is totally smooth – the only large tree in our area that doesn’t have textured bark when mature. This bark is a perfect canvas – look hard at any mature beech and you’ll probably see names, dates, hearts, and initials carved into the bark.
Read more#WildEdibleWednesday 1/3 - American Holly
Holly is NOT edible. The beautiful bright red (or slightly orange, depending on the soil) berries are one of the classic examples of “just because the birds are eating it, doesn’t mean you can eat it.”
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