Boreal gardeners and foragers update

[yukongertie1 (gertie)]

need some reminders today - coldest place in Canada expect -45 celsius …- that there are times we leave the cabin and live outside…GREEN

Boreal gardeners …and foraging in our kind of " food forest " , we have been and are experimenting with growing nutrient dense food in this climate…no soil to start with, this year 60 days without frost only…no water close by…lots of wildlife visiting…
trying all kind of perennials that might make it…from mallows to walking onions…wild chives…
the fun part after 3 years is that the perennial part now allows us to actually gather
…herbs and flowers, wide variety of berries…some fruit…a very different way of " harvesting "

1500 pine seeds are stratifying in the rootcellar…zero pear and crabapple hopefully survive the 1st year in outside nursery…ready to get planted in 2 years all around the place…creating small guilds that hopefully in 10-15 years will be a nice surprise to the HG wandering our area :)

[feralculture (Feralculture Robot)]

Cool post. Thank you! We have queued this up for feature on the Facebook Page tomorrow.

[joan (joan underhill)]

i feel for you! we’re wintering in ketchikan, alaska this year, and it’s the mildest winter we’ve experienced in many years. last year we were in the alaskan interior and saw a low of -60f, with the middle few months of winter hovering between -20 and -40f. at least all the spruce trees stay green, though even they seem to take on a grayer hue during the deepest cold. here are some photos from our summer in the interior to cheer you up

currants hid under their droopy leaves, so we had to keep a sharp eye out for them

young bluebell leaves were tasty in salads, & so pretty to look at

in our part of the interior, wild roses were the dominant plant in the shrub-layer, so at times our paths were literally carpeted with their petals <3

the smell of labrador tea brings me back to summer… we dried leaves to use for tea (& uplifting smell-therapy). i loved squelching through the muskegs and experiencing their scent billowing up around me.

classic feel-good photo for me: forest canopy <3

and the gorgeous view through sun-lit birch forest

late spring harvest of wild rhubarb, for that tangy crunch that so fits the season

a handsome moose lady, whom we got to watch almost daily in a nearby lake.

the pinnacle of summer food: wild blueberries, harvested into a hastily made birch basket

and a treat while working at the sawmill - some wild raspberries (which i climbed through Especially swampy muskeg to get) harvested into my safety glasses.

hang in there the sun is slowly making its way back.

[yukongertie1 (gertie)]

Thanks Joan
Beautiful pictures…just the kind of memories and warmth I needed to remember and make it through the extreme cold.it is warming up to -20 today…balmy…so nice…we can use all 2 rooms of cabin again…walk barefoot inside and by tomorrow we will be out having fun making firewood…
I enjoyed for a while now following your blog…
Nice to connect a bit
Agnes