Jewel Juice

On the very first foraging tour that I ever took with Wildman Steve Brill, I discovered a wonderful plant called jewelweed.  I had heard about this miraculous gem in various field guides, but I had never identified it growing wild before.  On the Wildman’s tour of Inwood Hill Park at the northern-most tip of Manhattan, however, we saw a beautiful stand of it growing lushly along the path.  Though I’d found it hard to get a mental picture of the plant from the various field guides, once I met it in person, I could never miss it again.  I recommend checking out the REWILD.info Field Guide entry for jewelweed, and learning how to identify this plant.

Left: Jewelweed plant parts: (left to right) leaf, flower, seed pods, stem; Middle: Jewelweed flower; Right: Jewelweed flower

Now, what do you do with jewelweed?  Well, as the Wildman points out, you can use it as “a virtual panacea for skin irritation.”  Jewelweed probably gets the most recognition, however, for its amazing ability to prevent and treat the rash you can get from poison ivy (and its relatives poison oak and poison sumac.)  This dermatitis occurs when your skin comes in contact with urushiol — an oil secreted by these plants.

The Morningsider (installment # 7)

Read the latest installment to The Morningsider series:

Issue 2 – Act 3
Flirting with Danger

Note: You can always navigate through the series using the “The Morningsider” link up in the header.

Taking a knap

I attended the JOMO knap-in yesterday and had an amazing time. The flintknapping skill of the people there (as well as their friendliness and willingness to help a newcomer) really impressed me.

When I got there I met Diana Benson, who runs the Missouri Trading Company. She set me up with some tools and materials to use: a billet, a pressure flaker, some leather, and a chunk of stone. Then she introduced me to Gary who took time from working on a beautiful point he had in his hands to help me figure out how to chip the stone.

End of the World = All the Rage

Wouldn’t you know it?!  NYC waits until after I leave to make post apocalypticism into a fashion trend.  Where were the adoring fans when I stalked the city parks with a collapsible shovel strapped to my hip, digging up sassafras roots and munching on mulberries?

Well, at least they took a moment to reflect on the hippest hipsters that feralism has ever known: The Scouts.  Check out Penny Scout walking the tracks of Portland, gathering some vibrantly colored edibles in the men.style.com write up which also pays tribute to Urban Scout and the Rewild Camp they just had in Portland, OR. 

Note: click over to page 12 in this slideshow to see the aforementioned picture of Penny.  Or visit the photographer’s website to see another pic from the photo shoot – 2nd thumbnail from the top right (the all-white one.)

The Morningsider (installment # 6)

Read the latest installment to The Morningsider series:

Coding and Decoding

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Note: You can always navigate through the series using the “The Morningsider” link up in the header.

Meet the flint stones

Scouring the internet for primitive skills happenings in my local area has finally paid off.  I discovered a group of flint knappers up in Missouri, less than an hour’s drive from Fayetteville.  They call themselves the JOMO flint knappers, and they meet roughly once a month to chip stones on the banks of Sugar Creek in Pineville, MO.

JOMO is just a group of people who love flint knapping and sharing their skills. Beginners are MOST welcome to come and watch and try their hand at chipping if they would like. Several of the regulars are excellent bowyers and atlatl makers/throwers so if you are interested in those things, come on!

[...] ANYONE is welcome, including children. Bows & atlatls are welcome along with any other primitive skills you’d like to share or learn. No cost. [...] Bring your own chair and something to add to the picnic table.

I plan to head up there for their next knap-in on August 26th (a week from yesterday).  Anyone in the Fayetteville area interested in joining me can ride up with me.  They recommend brining your own lawn chair and some safety goggles, but they will offer glass for chipping to beginners.  The knappers get together between 10 AM and 6 PM.  I will likely leave Fayetteville around 1 PM.  Leave a reply below or send me an email [wilderix (at) gmail (dot) com] if you want to carpool.