Being a Hunter-Gatherer -- Lesson 1

I like food.

I like free food even better.  Lately, I've been learning a lot about free (or cheap) food.  I'm becoming a hunter-gatherer -- okay, minus the "hunter" part. I've been learning about wild edible plants and mushrooms, making wine out of weeds, taking things a step further by growing my own garden, and "homesteading" it by making my own bread and pizza dough.

To be a successful hunter-gatherer, you have to know what's safe to eat. My first step in learning about this was joining a wild edible plants walk led by "Wildman" Steve Brill.  He showed the tour all kinds of weedy looking plants that are actually edible! In fact, many plants we commonly consider weeds are edible.  On his tour, I learned to identify garlic mustard, wild carrots, evening primrose, and more. Did you know that daylilies are edible?! He also showed the tour poisonous plants to avoid, like wild hemlock which looks very similar to wild carrot. It was a really fun time!

A daylily -- it tastes like snap peas!

On the hunt for wild carrots in a pasture

After the tour, I began to view my weed-filled yard with a new -- and hungry-- eye. Wild field garlic and onion everywhere, wild carrots galore, and more garlic mustard than I could use.  I'm keeping tabs on the wild strawberries and grape vines, hoping that the birds will save me some fruit.

Even the stray cat that's adopted me is being resourceful:

Eww, Stumpers got a mouse!

Winter Fun... It's Almost Done!

Oops! I haven’t written anything in a while. Did you miss me?

Back in the fall, I was determined that the cold and snow and gray skies of the winter would NOT keep me from enjoying the outdoors.  For having never lived in a snowy climate before, I think I succeeded! 

As soon as there was enough snow on the ground, I strapped on my new snowshoes and hit the trails!

Okay, so that picture was taken in the front yard, but you get the idea. Walking with snowshoes is akin to what I imagine walking with clown shoes to be like. A bit cumbersome, but they get you where you’re going.  They really do keep you from sinking deep into the snow. 

I tried cross-country skiing, too! I’ve only been skiing once, and that was a long time ago, so I was a bit nervous about sliding around all over the place.  To alleviate those fears, I took a lesson. It was great! I rented the gear for the day, and after the lesson hit the center’s (easy) trails for a bit.

I fell down a lot, and avoided any steep hills, but had a lot of fun.  The center even had a ski lodge with hot cocoa and a roaring fire to relax beside.  The next day, I discovered so many sore muscles I never even knew I had!  I only managed to go that once, but definitely will try cross-country skiing again sometime.

I was 23 years old the first time I went sledding. I was visiting a friend in Maryland, and the sky opened up and dumped snow like there was no tomorrow. As we were walking to get coffee, we passed a steep hill crawling with kids sledding on it. Upon confession of my sledding-virginity, my friend quickly acquired a borrowed sled, and down the slippery slope I went!  It was fast, a bit scary, and I got snow down my pants. This winter, I was convinced to try it again.

Here’s me, getting ready to go:

I think slow-speed sports are more my thing.

One afternoon after a heavy snowfall, I decided to try my hand at building a quinzhee in the backyard.  A quinzhee is a winter shelter made by piling snow up into a hill and then digging out a cave.  It was a lot of work!

Do you think I spent the night in it?

Now that the snow has melted and Spring is trying to show up, I’m on to more adventures! My GIS class went well, and the next one starts soon.  A pair of bluebirds is eyeing the birdhouse closely, so hopefully there’ll be baby bluebirds soon!  I’m planning a garden: spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, beans, peppers, carrots, and herbs!  Yum!

What's in store for 2011?

Hi everyone! How were your winter holidays? My December was busy! I spent New Year's Eve in New York City, but skipped the Times Square crowd. Ate WAY too much good food! The best? A cappuccino and eclair in Little Italy. Second best? Spanish tapas and sangria!

As the new year has started, so have several new/re-newed projects for Steady:

1) Homebrewing: This is something I've done a little bit before, but I'm hoping to really get into it now. Currently, I have a Mr. Beer kit, which uses a simple process. First batch should be ready in about a week! Plans are in the works to go bigger.

2) Project FeederWatch: My birding hobby! Basically, I watch the birds at my feeder and report it. That data gets compiled and used on a National level. More about this later.

3) Ethnic-Cooking Month: This month my roommate and I are cooking Indian food as much as possible. So far we've made dal, stuffed peppers, a vegetable curry, and parathas. We'll also have a Mexican month and possibly a Thai month.

4) Snowshoeing: I've got the snowshoes, now I'm just waiting for the snow. It's falling as I type!

5) Education: I'm gettin' me some! I'm starting an online certificate program in GIS. Need a map?


I haven't made any resolutions this year, but I do have some goals (in addition to the projects above).  Here they are:

1) go backpacking
2) hike a portion of the Appalachian Trail ( perhaps I can check off 1 and 2 at the same time!)
3) post more and more often on this blog
4) make pickles and can other vegetables and fruits, too (this will have to wait a few months)
5) see at least 100 bird species this year
6) go to at least three "festivals" in the area
7) visit at least five National Parks that I've never been to before

Well, I better get busy! Happy 2011 everyone!

Birding 101 With Steady

In my last post, I raved about my newly-awakened interest in birds. I said I'd pass along what I learned, so here we go!

Three Essentials for a Beginning Birder

I've quickly learned that three things are essential to a beginning birder:

1) A good guide book
Every birder has his or her favorite guide book--- of which there are quite a few. They range from the highly local (say, your county) to world-wide coverage. The one I'm using is the Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America, and I really enjoy it.  Some other popular books include Sibley's, Peterson's Field Guide, and National Geographic's Field Guide.  In addition, many birding organizations publish local and regional checklists, which tell you what birds to expect in an area. 
There are also online identification aids, and even apps for your iPhone!

2) A pair of binoculars

While you can see a lot of birds without them, binoculars are a big help when trying to spy on that feathered friend up in the tree.  They're also useful for making out field markings that distinguish similar birds from each other.
There's a wide variety of binoculars out there, ranging in size, magnification distance, and price.  Even an inexpensive pair can really help out, especially if you're just starting birding.  I got a pair of compact field binoculars from Target for less than $30, and they're great for spying on birds in the backyard.

3) Patience
Learning to identify even your basic backyard birds can take a little bit of effort.  When you get discouraged because all those little brown birds look the same, don't give up!  The more you watch them, the easier it gets to notice small differences.  I've found that keeping a list of the birds I see and writing down their page numbers in my guide book for a quick reference really helps me remember a new friend.

The Life List

I don't think I've known a serious birder until recently.  Thus, I was unaware of many aspects of the hobby (obsession?).  As a compulsive list-maker and crosser-offer, the birder's life list is quite an appealing part of the hobby.  Did you know that people keep track of every bird species they've ever seen? That's a life list.  Some enthusiasts go so far as to travel around the world in search of exotic flyers, or that next number on their list. My life list, to date, covers 79 bird species. It's surprising to sit down and count the number of different birds you already know. Go ahead, try it! Here's a checklist of North American birds to use: American Birding Association's North American Birds Checklist. You can download a .pdf checklist from the "Don't Miss" box on the right side of the page.

How many did you get? Leave me a comment and let me know!  Doing this for the first time also showed me how many birds I didn't know.  For instance, the name mockingbird was familiar, but I had no idea what they actually looked like!

Counting Birds and Checking Them Off

When researching my new hobby of birding, I quickly noticed that in addition to keeping life lists, birders seem to like to have an excuse to go out and count birds, and often have large numbers of birders counting birds at the same time in different locations. Of course, they have quite good reasons behind the counts --- they provide scientists with data about populations, migrations, and the like --- and are opportunities to meet and socialize with other birders.  As I said, there are lots of different organized counts. Coming soon is the Christmas Bird Count.  This one has been going on for over one hundred years! There's also the Great Backyard Bird Count in February.

I haven't signed up for any of these yet, but I'm keeping my eye on them with regards to my winter schedule. I have joined a different program, but you'll have to stay tuned to find out about that adventure!

In the Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Room....

On the beach everyday from pre-sunrise to near-sunset, I became familiar with the routines of the wildlife on my little stretch of beach.  Part of my job was to be on the lookout for endangered species and oiled or injured animals. When you spend so much time on the beach, you begin to realized that there are a LOT of shorebirds. At first, they all looked the same to me --- they were either gulls, terns, herons, brown pelicans, or something else.  Slowly, I began to see the small differences among them, and began learning their names. I found it mildly entertaining; it was something to do during down time. 

Then, one day, the birding bug bit me by surprise. I was driving down the beach one evening, on my way to the work area, when I saw the STRANGEST bird! I slowed to a crawl as I edged up on it. What WAS it??? A huge beak. Was this some kind of arctic flyer, stopping for a break? A toucan? In Florida? I turned off my vehicle and watched in wonder. It sat on the shoreline, with the company of a few small terns. Then, off it flew, down the beach.  Later, I found out that it was a black skimmer.

Black skimmers have these huge beaks that they use to skim food out of the water. They aren't uncommon birds, although I only saw the one during my two-months down there.

The sense of wonderment and awe at seeing such a totally foreign and unexpected creature on the beach, the place I had spent everyday and all day, was inspiring.  I bought a bird book, and started seriously trying to learn the different birds around me.  I picked up this book: The Smithsonian Field Guide to Birds of North America, and I love it! The pictures are crisp, the text is concise and packed with helpful info, and it's got a stiff (not hard, not soft) cover, which makes it nice for the field. It comes with a DVD of birdsongs, and has a species checklist in the back. I love to make lists and cross them off, so being able to keep track of what birds I've seen is great!


Now that I'm home, I've got a whole new set of birds to learn. I set up two bird feeders outside my windows so that I can drink my morning coffee while spying on the blue jays, mockingbirds, warblers, and others.  I don't know whether this new hobby will be just a hobby, or become an obsession --- I think it's just a hobby. Still, it's fun to know what that bird is singing in the tree nearby.  As I learn more about birding, I expect to pass on the info!

Crazy Feet

For my job on the beach, I wore Keen sandals.  That's right, two months of suntanning with weird shoes on. The result? Only a picture can explain:

Anyone want to guess how long I'll have those tan lines?

Steady's Back in Action!

Hi there!

Wow! It's been a while. Although I was originally going to be down on the Gulf for 21 days, I extended my detail and stayed for a whopping 60 days on the beach.  It was an amazing and exhausting experience. My job, in a nutshell, was to make sure that while the oil was being cleaned up off of the beach the natural and cultural resources weren't destroyed. I worked the night shift for a couple of weeks, but the rest of the time worked during the day.  How do I summarize two months of working on a beach in "Lower Alabama" (the western edge of Florida, near Pensacola)? I'm not sure I can. I've thought a lot about how I could write this post, and haven't come up with any great solution.  I'll break down the "highlights" from my two months on the beach:

1) Seeing a sea turtle nest hatch, and getting to help get the little guys out to sea.

2) Watching dolphins frolicking and feeding almost everyday just off the beach. I tried to take cool pictures of this, but it didn't happen.

3) Watching the shorebirds everyday. I never thought that I would take an interest in birding until this job. But, I think I'm hooked now!

4) Seeing Portuguese Man O' Wars washed up after a stormy night.

5) Meeting and working with people from all over the country. This was by far the best part!

6) Observing and being a part of the crazy amount of logistics it takes to run such a humongous operation. The amount of equipment and the number of people coming and going, and the need to be able to track everything --- the controlling of chaos--- really, I was amazed by it all.

7) Going to a free Bon Jovi concert... on the beach... in Alabama. Ha! I never expected to do that!

8) Seeing a zydeco concert. More interestingly, seeing a zydeco band cover Jimi Hendrix's "Hey Joe." Who knew accordion solos could sound so cool?!

9) Going to the National Naval Aviation Museum. Lots of planes!

10) Watching the Blue Angels practice right over my head.

11) Seeing the sun rise --- and set --- every day.

12) Getting a really awesome sun tan that everyone in New York should be jealous of!

13) Being able to help out with the clean-up effort!

14) Seeing this out of my "office window" everyday: