Sunday, June 15, 2008

Grocery Store Wars

Hey Everyone,
Ok, I had to devote a post to just this youtube video. A friend of mine came across it when we were doing some research for our presentation on GMOs. The video carries an important message while still maintaining a sense of humor. And in case you cannot guess, the video is a parody of Star Wars. Enjoy:


Sunday, June 8, 2008

Serviceberries and the coming of the Mulberries

Black Locusts:
So , it's been a while since my last posting, and since that time I have enjoyed many things in nature. One of them was the blooming of the Black Locust flowers which bloom in late May. Care should be taken when gathering the flowers of this tree, because of its numerous thorns.
When I was on one of my numerous walks in the woods, I was completely enthralled by a magical smell. The smell was sweeter than any other smell that I have experienced in the woods. I looked around, and the forest ground was covered with the white flowers of the Black Locust. That day, my brother and I gathered its flowers and took them home. At home, we made a Black Locust flower essence water. To make an essence water, all you have to do is will a jar 1/2 way full with the flowers. Then you fill the jar with purified water and allow it to sit overnight. Then ENJOY the water.
The essence water that we made had a slightly strong first taste, however, the aftertaste of the water was a very delicious floral taste.

Serviceberries:
This time of early June is the time that serviceberries are becoming ripe! Serviceberries are often times planted around buildings as decorative bushes such as libraries and churches. All the bushes that I have found tend to be about 3 meters tall. On their branches are little clusters of fruit that resemble blueberries. The fruit goes from a red to a deep purple, and their taste can be either slightly bitter to very sweet (depending on the bush).
I wish I could have taken some pictures of the bush to show you, but I was not expecting to write a post about it. If you find a serviceberry bush that produces sweet fruit, you have found a treasure. Most of the berries that I have tried are slightly bitter, but there is one tree that I know of that produces the most delicious serviceberries I have ever tasted. The birds too know of its delectable fruit for its fruit is the first in the season to be gone.

Mulberries:
Finally, I would like to talk about mulberries. The ones in my area already have fruit on them and should be ripe here in the next few days.

Enjoy this delicious season of fresh and wild fruit!

Cheers,
Jonathan