When Hiking Pick It Up!
Before hiking The Bird Rookery Swamp Trail in Southwest Florida I stopped to pick up a pile of garbage. Always pack out more than you pack in!
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Month: February 2021
Hiking The Bird Rookery Swamp Trail
Twelve mile Florida hike and forage along the Bird Rookery Swamp Trail. This beautiful southwest Florida hiking and mountain biking trail is home to a wide variety of wildlife and allows you to get away from the noise and crowds of the city.
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Foraged Oyster Mushrooms, Soup Recipe
Foraged oyster mushrooms are one of my favorite wild mushrooms. The frequently produce big beautiful flushes of soft sweet smelling wild mushrooms that quickly fill up a bag or foraging basket. These versatile wild edible mushrooms are a culinary delight for the very beginner foragers to even the seasoned mushroom hunter. Easy to prepare fresh they meld well into a variety of wild food dishes like stir fry, soups, or sit elegantly along side steak, pork, or any seafood. Add them to pasta with your favorite sauce and they are a stand alone delicious treat. For a hunter gatherer like me these are a staple for the pantry. Another feature of these wild edible mushrooms is that they are easily[…]
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Foraging Florida, Sea Purslane
When foraging Florida or any other coastal community in the southern regions there are many wondrous plans and animals to harvest. From sand crabs, clams, fish, to sea grapes, and sea purslane the abundance for Florida foraging never ceases to amaze me. Sea purslane is a perennial herb commonly found along coastal dunes in the southeastern United States, as well as Hawaii, the Caribbean, and many other coastal regions of the world. Sea Purslane is a an important sand stabilizer in the pioneer zone of beach dunes and can tolerate occasional flooding by sea water. With deep pink stems and leaves ranging from pink to green, Sea Purslane can be found growing along beach dunes and brackish coastal areas in[…]
Read moreLearning to Breath
It is nearly sunset on my little southwest Florida island. The boat traffic of peak season has died down to only an occasional craft heading back after a day of vacationing. The sun sets low in the horizon behind me and the horizon in front of my hammock is beginning to glow a pinkish orange. Across the channel from me on a sandbar that has not yet come out of the water from the outgoing tide sits two osprey. They just finished their evening bath and seem to be enjoying the sunset as well. A deep breath, exhale, relax, let the stress of the times be washed away by the waves lapping at my feet. I will sleep well in[…]
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