Foraging Notes - Rural Arts and Cultural Summit
Rural Iowa is dominated by production agriculture even though relatively few people are actually engaged directly in cultivating the land. However, foraging commits us to attune ourselves to the uniqueness of place and the many layers of knowledge that is within even the most inconspicuous thing. The Westbrook Artists’ Site (WAS) is sponsoring spring/summer foraging excursions with people from agriculture, architecture, art, extension services and other disciplines. Using these excursions Foraging Notes will present ways in which we might challenge ingrained notions and experiences that have been driven by the industrialization of agriculture. We will share how these foraging experiences could shape values and ethical choices regarding our stewardship of the land. We will discuss multiple ways of knowing the world through synthesizing knowledge from art, science and culture into creative work and further acts of discovery. Multiple methods of creative inquiry including writing, video recording, photography, and culinary arts will be presented.
Foraging Notes Presented at the Rural Arts and Cultural Summit, Morris, MN 06/07/17
Kathranne Knight, Elizabeth Walden, and Kevin Lair presented Foraging Notes in a well attended workshop. Due to unforeseen logistical issues Adam Wilke was unable to attend.
Forage Exchange Notes Published by Kathranne Knight
Taking cues from scientific field notes, documentary traditions, diaries, correspondence, mail art and collaboration, a project was designed to extend, not only person-to-person connections between rural communities and cities, but to explore the concept of foraging and its implications. How is it possible to collapse the distance felt between farm land, farm production, the people who cultivate and the people who consume? How does the action of foraging change the habits, opinions and actions of people? Through a daily mandate to forage, where you pick small amounts of things, (wisdom, attention, wild onion, or morel) savor, (notice or take in) and remember locations in order to return, (digest) the resulting correspondence project addressed and experimented with some of these questions.
For one week, (May 15 - May 21) a group of six people from diverse backgrounds agreed to keep a digital “field note” of things foraged. This group included a city council woman, artist, architect, retired farmer/geographer, arts administrator, and student of conservation. They wrote a small description of what they had found or sought, the date, time, location, weather, and included some form of visual documentation. They were required to email this information to the group every day. Though foraging for edibles around town, in local parks, woods or fields was encouraged, we were also interested in the spirit of foraging and how it requires you to move through the day with a sweeping and wide search for what sustains you. The result is a collection of individual, perceptive interpretations of this task; a document not only of what was observed that particular day, in that particular place, but also of the differing attitudes and modes of recording. As a participant, the digital tether to one another’s observations and the responsibility of having to communicate one’s own experience to the group, created a sense of simultaneity and mutual consciousness, not to be overlooked or undervalued. Using the action of foraging to frame one’s environment and engagement with it, it slowed perception and brightened our connection to these things. It was oddly intimate, and fostered an open exchange of values and knowledge that, going forward, will inform each participant’s place within the ecosystem and culture. The structure of the project is such that it can be easily replicated in the future with groups of people from various disciplines and localities, continuing the lively exchange and documentation of the experiences of our environment. - Kathranne Knight
Foraging excursion at WAS 4/29
We picked some fresh lamb's quarters already. The sign is not going up since not very weather friendly for but if you can't find us please text at 3157083395.
The weather is hard to predict but we are going out foraging again on 4/29 regardless. We have Adam coming from Colorado with not just his extensive knowledge but squirrel, venison and more for the evening feast. We will also have our large WAS sign out at the gates next to the Holliwell Bridge so please look for us... if you just go to Holliwell Bridge you are bound to find us.
Foraging excursion at WAS 4/15
UPDATE - A great day!
The day (4/15) is starting off sunny and delightful. Again light rain may still find us in afternoon but should not deter from good time in woods today (shelter in WAS barn.) Looking forward to it.
The weather may include some light rain. This will not deter us from foraging on Saturday. It makes sense though to be well prepared for the conditions so it not to impinge on the fun. There are a few insects emerging so consider bringing repellent. Zip lock bags, light backpacks, water proof footwear (lots of foraging around creeks) gloves, scissors, hats, change of socks all good for going out in woods. People make art from fungi spores, charged prairie, and plant dyes so the creative components are just about anything goes.
For the Feast (sampling) aspect, we have electricity in the barn and crib. A small hot plate, small hot water pot, small food processor, running water but no sink, cutting mats, chairs, work areas, napkins, paper plates, plastic cups, etc ... however, it is always good to have back-up bowls, large spoons, and really anything that makes you happy when you engage in culinary arts and communal experiences.. We have dry wood for fire pit near by... if you want to use the fire for anything it is there.
We have a dog RUSTY that is very friendly and loves to run around the woods... he lives to run around in the woods. Rusty will be out and about.
1:30pm to 4:30pm (harvest)
Foraging Notes includes all kinds of foraging. Edible plants are only one thing we can foraged. Collection bags, notebooks, cameras, audio tools, are all more than welcome. We will gather at the barn (entrance east end of Holliwell Covered Bridge) for departure into trails at 1:30.
5:30pm to 7:30pm (feast)
We will return to barn for sampling w/supplemental food and beverage. Please feel to bring your own as well as what we will have to share. Or just hang out at the fire pit.
Site maps will be provided (GPS apps are recommended) and experienced guides will be leading excursions. Please wear gear appropriate for hiking. We request people share their experiences for inclusion in Foraging Notes (see below.) If you are interested in foraging but cannot make the 4/15 excursion we still would like to hear from you. [email protected]
Foraging Notes Presented at the Rural Arts and Cultural Summit, Morris, MN 06/07/17
Kathranne Knight, Elizabeth Walden, and Kevin Lair presented Foraging Notes in a well attended workshop. Due to unforeseen logistical issues Adam Wilke was unable to attend.
Forage Exchange Notes Published by Kathranne Knight
Taking cues from scientific field notes, documentary traditions, diaries, correspondence, mail art and collaboration, a project was designed to extend, not only person-to-person connections between rural communities and cities, but to explore the concept of foraging and its implications. How is it possible to collapse the distance felt between farm land, farm production, the people who cultivate and the people who consume? How does the action of foraging change the habits, opinions and actions of people? Through a daily mandate to forage, where you pick small amounts of things, (wisdom, attention, wild onion, or morel) savor, (notice or take in) and remember locations in order to return, (digest) the resulting correspondence project addressed and experimented with some of these questions.
For one week, (May 15 - May 21) a group of six people from diverse backgrounds agreed to keep a digital “field note” of things foraged. This group included a city council woman, artist, architect, retired farmer/geographer, arts administrator, and student of conservation. They wrote a small description of what they had found or sought, the date, time, location, weather, and included some form of visual documentation. They were required to email this information to the group every day. Though foraging for edibles around town, in local parks, woods or fields was encouraged, we were also interested in the spirit of foraging and how it requires you to move through the day with a sweeping and wide search for what sustains you. The result is a collection of individual, perceptive interpretations of this task; a document not only of what was observed that particular day, in that particular place, but also of the differing attitudes and modes of recording. As a participant, the digital tether to one another’s observations and the responsibility of having to communicate one’s own experience to the group, created a sense of simultaneity and mutual consciousness, not to be overlooked or undervalued. Using the action of foraging to frame one’s environment and engagement with it, it slowed perception and brightened our connection to these things. It was oddly intimate, and fostered an open exchange of values and knowledge that, going forward, will inform each participant’s place within the ecosystem and culture. The structure of the project is such that it can be easily replicated in the future with groups of people from various disciplines and localities, continuing the lively exchange and documentation of the experiences of our environment. - Kathranne Knight
Foraging excursion at WAS 4/29
We picked some fresh lamb's quarters already. The sign is not going up since not very weather friendly for but if you can't find us please text at 3157083395.
The weather is hard to predict but we are going out foraging again on 4/29 regardless. We have Adam coming from Colorado with not just his extensive knowledge but squirrel, venison and more for the evening feast. We will also have our large WAS sign out at the gates next to the Holliwell Bridge so please look for us... if you just go to Holliwell Bridge you are bound to find us.
Foraging excursion at WAS 4/15
UPDATE - A great day!
The day (4/15) is starting off sunny and delightful. Again light rain may still find us in afternoon but should not deter from good time in woods today (shelter in WAS barn.) Looking forward to it.
The weather may include some light rain. This will not deter us from foraging on Saturday. It makes sense though to be well prepared for the conditions so it not to impinge on the fun. There are a few insects emerging so consider bringing repellent. Zip lock bags, light backpacks, water proof footwear (lots of foraging around creeks) gloves, scissors, hats, change of socks all good for going out in woods. People make art from fungi spores, charged prairie, and plant dyes so the creative components are just about anything goes.
For the Feast (sampling) aspect, we have electricity in the barn and crib. A small hot plate, small hot water pot, small food processor, running water but no sink, cutting mats, chairs, work areas, napkins, paper plates, plastic cups, etc ... however, it is always good to have back-up bowls, large spoons, and really anything that makes you happy when you engage in culinary arts and communal experiences.. We have dry wood for fire pit near by... if you want to use the fire for anything it is there.
We have a dog RUSTY that is very friendly and loves to run around the woods... he lives to run around in the woods. Rusty will be out and about.
1:30pm to 4:30pm (harvest)
Foraging Notes includes all kinds of foraging. Edible plants are only one thing we can foraged. Collection bags, notebooks, cameras, audio tools, are all more than welcome. We will gather at the barn (entrance east end of Holliwell Covered Bridge) for departure into trails at 1:30.
5:30pm to 7:30pm (feast)
We will return to barn for sampling w/supplemental food and beverage. Please feel to bring your own as well as what we will have to share. Or just hang out at the fire pit.
Site maps will be provided (GPS apps are recommended) and experienced guides will be leading excursions. Please wear gear appropriate for hiking. We request people share their experiences for inclusion in Foraging Notes (see below.) If you are interested in foraging but cannot make the 4/15 excursion we still would like to hear from you. [email protected]
Forage Notes Exchange - Image by Veronica O'Hern, 2017.
Foraging Notes Rural Arts and Cultural Summit Workshop - Experiential foraged rock drawings. Workshop guests were invited to do short drawings based on the non visual, touch only sensory input of the rocks. (row 1) Ashley Aukes, Ally Wagstrom, Don Sherman, (row 2) Elizabeth Fundell, Heidi Bacon, Jasmine Sanchez (row 3) JenniferNicklay, Kathryn, Lance Brisbois, (row 4) Maureen Gunderson, Michelle Wade, Sal M., (row 5) Sal M., Sarah Ecker
Foraging Notes Rural Arts and Cultural Summit Workshop - Experiential foraged rock drawing note by Tammy J Robinson, Red Wing, MN. Finlayson is a rural community pop. 315. north of Minneapolis.
Foraging is a profound way of knowing ourselves within a place. It is a craft that grows out of the connection we forge with the land and its inhabitants. The skill we possess in knowing the land and crafting our own food and products in a sustainable manner is a “useful art.” Matthew Crawford’s makes a provocative case for the useful arts in his book, Shop Class as Soulcraft. He quotes Alexander Kojeve;
The man who works recognizes his own product in the World that has actually been transformed by his work: he recognizes himself in it, he sees in it his own human reality. In it he discovers and reveals to others the objective reality of his humanity, of the originally abstract and purely subjective idea he has of himself.
The quote resonates for many of us foraging practices often start with a realization of how dimly we see ourselves in the land. Through foraging, we can recognize ourselves as part of the land. However, foraging is a craft that avoids transformation of the world around human ideas but tries to find a way to work alongside world as it is. It is about finding oneself within the details of the land and its hidden character.
Foraging is a profound way of knowing ourselves within a place. It is a craft that grows out of the connection we forge with the land and its inhabitants. The skill we possess in knowing the land and crafting our own food and products in a sustainable manner is a “useful art.” Matthew Crawford’s makes a provocative case for the useful arts in his book, Shop Class as Soulcraft. He quotes Alexander Kojeve;
The man who works recognizes his own product in the World that has actually been transformed by his work: he recognizes himself in it, he sees in it his own human reality. In it he discovers and reveals to others the objective reality of his humanity, of the originally abstract and purely subjective idea he has of himself.
The quote resonates for many of us foraging practices often start with a realization of how dimly we see ourselves in the land. Through foraging, we can recognize ourselves as part of the land. However, foraging is a craft that avoids transformation of the world around human ideas but tries to find a way to work alongside world as it is. It is about finding oneself within the details of the land and its hidden character.
5/6/17 - Unknown, Jack in the Pulpit, and May Apple. We have plenty of May Apple we could have a fest of some kind. The JP is first I have noticed this year. (A preparation of the root was reported to have been used by Native Americans as a treatment for sore eyes. Preparations were also made to treat rheumatism, bronchitis, and snakebites, as well as to induce sterility. from Wiki) Hard to believe one might whip up JP into a snake bite medicine.
Foraging Notes 4/30/17
Foraging Notes 4/30/17 - Adam reels in the catch of the day. The small lunch was a foraged "surf and turf" of Sunfish and Venison loin courtesy of all Adam's handy work.
Foraging Notes 4/29 - Consistent rain and wind all day but still great foraging with Adam, Rusty, Heidi and Bryan on the move through the woods.
Foraging Notes - 4/15
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Molly and Erin with the very large Pheasant Back Mushroom or Dryad's Saddle. Erin provided the mushroom expertise and prepared the excellent mushroom. It seemed to some of us that it was like eating a nice fish filet. One would not expect such a large individual would be good but the conditions where just right and it was very tender. The Pheasant Back was not on anyone's list as we entered the woods so all the more satisfying discovery. Foraging Notes 4/15/17.
Common Yellow Violet Viola pubescens eriocarpa (4/13/17) and nearby a Common Blue Violet
Viola sororia sororia in unexpected gaps between stones on path. We have a large violet patch in full sun down by the river and a few spread just about everywhere including this dry upland spot.
Viola sororia sororia in unexpected gaps between stones on path. We have a large violet patch in full sun down by the river and a few spread just about everywhere including this dry upland spot.
Trout Lilly (edible and desirable but very limited) just emerging (4/11), Devil's Urn (inedible) and American Bullfrog (edible)
Leafy Jelly Fungi (apparently edible, but not really), (personal favorite) Violets which are very fun and tasty in salads, and unidentified mushroom.
Kristen tracking 4/2/17
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Luka and Clark exploring the creek near waterfall 4/2/17
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Clark and Kristen did first pass on the land towed by Luka (Ridgeback, Husky, German Shepard, Grey Wolf and sprinkle of others mixed in.) The trek was through mostly drizzle rain and mapped out below on BackCountry Navigator.
Nest 3/28/16
Deer bones emerging from ground, Garlic Mustard and a Hackberry berry from last year still on the branch. Nettles are starting to get stingers ... time stopping picking and eating on trail (3/29/17)
(K.Lair, Foraging during Burn, 2017)
The prairie burns are opportunities for birds of prey. At least, seven hawks and eagles were overhead looking for food during the burn.
Middle river along WAS
Exploring along water edges (3/26.) Recent rain has replenished the flow after a dry period and low water. Since 1930 and entire field has disappeared from the river's edge.
Early Spring
Full Sun: Open Fields, Disturbed Open Spaces, Edges of the Woods
amaranth leaves, asparagus shoots, basswood leaves, chickweed stems, leaves, flowers, chicory leaves, roots, dandelion leaves, flowers, roots, dock seeds, leaves, roots, Japanese knotweed shoots, juniper needles, berries, kudzu shoots, leaves, tubers, lamb's quarters leaves, mallow leaves, stems, root, ox-eye daisy leaves, peppermint leaves, stems, plantain leaves, raspberry leaves, redbud leaves, flowers, salsify leaves, shoots, wild lettuce leaves (Rose, L. 2015)
No matter how expert the author or good the book there is a lot that just depends on every unique situation. Everyone has there own idea about what is easy or difficult to find and prepare with few exceptions. There is universal appreciation for nettles. The list above has plants in bold that we have experience with and are found at WAS. This not to say others are not there it just is what we have worked with so far. Lamb's quarters is one that produced very good leaves for salad. We want to give credit to the Weedeater as our favorite forager ... take workshop if you can.
Wetlands, Riverbeds, Lakeside
Wetlands, Riverbeds, Lakeside
angelica root, leaves cattail shoots, rhizome nettle leaves , watercress leaves, stems
Watercress is great for salads and nettles beats spinach hands down (sauteed)
Woodlands and Partial Shade
Woodlands and Partial Shade
aspen bark, beech leaves, black cherry bark, flowers, chaga fruiting body, cleavers leaves, stems,
flowers, daylily tubers, shoots, field garlic bulb, stems, leaves, garlic mustard roots, leaves,
flowers, greenbrier shoots, rhizomes, ostrich fern fiddleheads, Solomon's seal shoots, roots
spicebush twigs, spring beauty leaves, flowers, spruce needles, tips, sugar maple sap, trout lily leaves, white lettuce leaves, white pine needles, tips, wild ginger roots, wild leek leaves, wild onion bulb, leaves, wild sarsaparilla root, wintergreen leaves, wood sorrel leaves, yellow birch bark, sap
flowers, daylily tubers, shoots, field garlic bulb, stems, leaves, garlic mustard roots, leaves,
flowers, greenbrier shoots, rhizomes, ostrich fern fiddleheads, Solomon's seal shoots, roots
spicebush twigs, spring beauty leaves, flowers, spruce needles, tips, sugar maple sap, trout lily leaves, white lettuce leaves, white pine needles, tips, wild ginger roots, wild leek leaves, wild onion bulb, leaves, wild sarsaparilla root, wintergreen leaves, wood sorrel leaves, yellow birch bark, sap
Wood sorrel is a particular favorite for fresh greens.
Watercress in small stream (3/16)
Exploring (why forage?)
Foraging notes is a spin of "field notes" or the idea of going out into the world to gain study and gain insight. Part of the idea of foraging is simply going and collecting what you find. Good foraging is a combination knowledge, discipline, independence, focus and curiosity. But really curiosity.
The other element is foraging can be transformative. It is a creative endeavor by as it changes the way we see the world. If you can speak the language then things start to open up to you. Plants reveal all kinds of information and they pull you into the rest of the ecology around you. In the context, of the rural Midwest that foraging is something of an antidote to the agricultural perspective. It might be an opening to explore our rural/urban relationship in different ways. Our foraging notes is an opening to explore.
The other element is foraging can be transformative. It is a creative endeavor by as it changes the way we see the world. If you can speak the language then things start to open up to you. Plants reveal all kinds of information and they pull you into the rest of the ecology around you. In the context, of the rural Midwest that foraging is something of an antidote to the agricultural perspective. It might be an opening to explore our rural/urban relationship in different ways. Our foraging notes is an opening to explore.
Things starting emerging around the creeks now. The nettles are early birds and spring nettles before they have stingers are easily consumed... and not "stemmy." Hemlock (poisonous) starting to pop up now too.
3/18 Creek (woodchuck?)
Catnip, watercress (or wild/bittercress) and cleavers from 3/21/16. We have a lot of catnip (mint family) and cats so that works well.
Heavy snow 3/21/17
Unidentified - 3/21/16
Freshly plucked spring have are tender and often have a bitter flavor at the end. The bitterness is a lost flavor worth cultivating.