Maritime early risers

I often show orpine here on the blog, it is one of the first edibles available in my area and seems very common around fresh water streams, fields and thickets.

 

Lots of snow and rain this year made for some flooding and in fact the road I travelled here on is washed out a mile south and closed for repair for several weeks now. Here we see why Orpine is aka Live Forever as the soil usually around its tubers is completely gone, yet the green growth on these plants looks as good as the ones in soil, the tubers are softening and drying out though.

This seems like a good opportunity to reach down and pick up a few more young Orpine plants to bring home to my garden as it is a great salad plant and I would like to try Orpine tubers in the fall and winter in a few different ways this year, this collection will help me recall the tubers later on. Orpine is a survivor and will grow a new plant even from a small piece of stem placed in soil and this is the usual way I move these plants to new areas, today the tubers were presented to me in a way I most generously accept.

 

Here below the blackberry canes we see one of our first spring wild flowering plants the Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum), I haven’t eaten this plant very often over the decades due mainly to my believe I maybe harming the population by digging the well buried bulbs which is considered by many to be the best edible part.

Trout Lily is also very common along streams and in some hard wood areas. This year I’ve decided like most other years to leave the bulbs and leaves be, though I will gather some of the flower buds, flowers with stems to eat raw, cooked and also try fermented. Click on the photo to noticed patterns on the leaves which do resemble a trout’s sides.

Lastly, here is a little Maritime beaver art for you, another resemblance this freshly chomped piece looks somewhat similar to the large conifer burl not far away, nicely done beaver. ciao for now

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Favorite green, Live-forever

Since the late 70s (Sedum telephium) Live-forever leaves have gone into more of my spring and summer salads then any other green. In those days the only place I found Live-forever was where ostrich fern fiddleheads also grew near my local river.

On the land surrounding the Tantramar marsh Live-forever is much more common in damp old fields, thickets, forest and even tall grass as we kind of see today if we look closely. (click on for better view)

Live-forever in some soils produce bitter leaves, though in the Tantramar area I haven’t found any as bitter as the commonly used romaine lettuce, plus Live-forever can be stir-fried as well.

That’s enough green only,  here are some Aronia shrubs in blossom with a little more green and why not some blue too. ciao

Live forever, Orpine in a puppy cup

I placed a few bare Orpine stems in a cup with some water back in May just to investigate what would happen and tonight I was encouraged by other house members to plant the results from the cup outside, which worked out fine with rain expected.

Some european superstitions from a few hundred years ago I find fun and will share with you tonight concerning Orpine (Sedum telephium) are (1) Leaving a plant in your home to keep folks healthy. (2) Place Orpine plant on your thatch roof to prevent a lightning strike. (3) Placing Orpine stems on your roofs to see if they will wilt and twine together to predict relationship compatibility. I’m sure there were plenty more superstitions surrounding a plant of this nature, though for me I admire Orpine’s ability to live green and its great tasting leaves and tubers.

In  dark shady forest even this late in the summer, Orpine  will often look like the photo above though there will be more distance between the sets of leaves and these forest Orpines will not reach the flowering stage often for many decades unless the surrounding trees are cut. ciao

Orpine Live-forever

Here are a couple of photos of a plant I frequently use in spring and summer salads, Orpine (Sedum telephium). This plant is full of life and the smallest piece placed in soil will often grow into a health plant. This plant by our patio grew from a few bare stems I placed there after removing the leaves for a salad a few years ago. I usually gather my leaves for eating in dark forest where the plants do not flower and the season starts around May and good leaves can still be collected in some area into September. These plants mostly have a nice fresh taste, but some soils produce bitter leaves as I found out when I brought some plants that tasted great where they grew on the river floodplain but once moved to my parents place in the early 1980s and placed  under their lilac hedge they in future years were not tasty at all, even in the early spring . The area I live in now produces tasty leaves before flowering, so I’ve been placing pieces in the most shady areas in our yard. I will take a few more photos in September and give some more info on this plant including some on its edible tubers and also info on its close relative Roseroot. If you can’t wait till then check out————–www.youtube.com/watch?v=AL2lxc-Vdm8 ——for White Wolf’s cool video and info on Orpine. ciao

The yard will never be the same

The yard, always in transition though not one atom ever separated from true nature. All in one.

wild rose,  vitamin C rich rose hips, ripe seeds, rested roots will soon spring new growth on these stems.

Live forever or Orpine, this plant’s leaves are a good salad green from May through August when growing in shady river intervals, these ones are tiny once you notice the maple seed in this photo, these resemble miniature cabbage, they are located near our patio.

Stinging Nettle, covered by some silver maple leaves in my indicator garden, nettles seem to make every one around them a little healthier.

Caraway, is a very self sufficient character around here, it is our rabbits favorite treat next to raisins.

Sweet cicely, also does very well. I’m adding 2 photos to my (image page) tonight, if you like colorful mushrooms check them out they are called Blewit (Lepista nuda) and I’ve introduced them to my indicator garden last fall, so they may appear here next Oct.

You all come back now you here.