Enjoy Fall & Get Healthy: Go Foraging!

Sumac berries, Blackberries, and Rose hips from a recent forage

Ah, Fall... a time when colors change, and everything seems to be dressed in varying shades of red, orange, brown, and gold: the leaves, the garden bounty... nature itself. As beach days and barbeques give way to school days and soup dinners, it is nice to be able to make use of these lingering longer days by gathering treasures of nature to pleasure the senses.

On a leisurely walk to the lake over the past weekend, I was delighted to find a few last blackberries, some rose hips, and sumac berries. Foraging this time of year awards a number of satisfactions of both sight and taste, as we wish to savor the season by bringing the outdoors in:

Decor: The following gems of the season all lend a lovely autumn flair to centerpieces, fireplace mantles, window sills, office desk, or anyplace that needs to be "spiced up'" with some fall decor:  

Sumac berries

Acorns
Pressed leaves
Pinecones
Crab apples
Rose hips
Small stones

The addition of locally-made beeswax candles adds a soft amber glow to such an arrangement, when lighted.

A Nature-inspired Centerpiece on our Dining Room Table

Culinary Delights: Some of the nature's offerings to the culinary scene include:

Blackberries (the last of the season)

Steep about five leaves in a cup of boiling water for a light tea.


Sumac berries
Sumac-ade: Pick about half a dozen clusters, place them in a pitcher, pour cold water over them, and bruise them a bit with your hand. Let steep in a cold place for a while, until the water turns a light pink. Sweeten with stevia, honey, maple syrup, or unprocessed sugar (Sucanat or Rapadura), or enjoy plain.


Apples (Perhaps a sweeter variety in your own yard!)

Rose hips

Rose hip tea: Cover 3-4 chopped fresh rose hips with a cup of boiling water and steep for 3-5 minutes. Sweeten with stevia, or as desired.


Dandelion roots (By this time of year, the leaves are pretty bitter)
Dandelion root "coffee"



Apple picking from the tree of very generous neighbors

Don't forget your cultivated corner of nature: Your Garden! (or a Farmer's Market). Make use of the fresh herbs while you have them available. Turn basil and parsley into pesto, and see which herbs you can easily nurture on a window sill or in a sun room over the fall and winter.

Blackberries!

 

It's September 1st! I suppose that means the end of summer... but I'm not quite ready to give up on warm sunny days and maybe even some swimming in the lake just yet. Not having to head "Back 2 School" as they say, I'm still thinking about things like foraging for wild berries. :) The last few weeks, I've made almost daily trips to a couple spots not far from our house to pick wild blackberries. Somehow, it's just thrilling to be able to go outside and come back with a container full of free (organically and locally grown!) food.

There's always a lot of talk in the health world about what they call "Superfoods": goji berries, acai, cacao... The question is: why are these superfoods always from other countries? It's great that the blueberries are gettings some credit, but what about blackberries?

Some of the Health Benefits of Blackberries include:

• A high level of anti-oxidants which protect against cancer and chronic disease
• Reduction of inflammation
• Anti-Bacterial activity
• A good source of Vitamin K, which aids in blood clotting and in the absorption of Calcium

Besides... they're DELICIOUS!
If you don't have access to wild blackberries near you, they are often available at Farmer's Markets and of course in the supermarket.
Some of the ways I recommend using them are:

• Smooshing them into a sort of "jam." Spread some sourdough toast with nut butter, top with blackberries, and finish with a drizzle of honey over the top (a good way to avoid sugar)
• As a topping for plain yogurt with a drizzle of honey
• In a fruit salad with other berries (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, even cherries)
• As a topping for homemade frozen yogurt or ice cream
• In a smoothie with coconut milk or yogurt, sweetened with maple syrup
• As a sauce for pancakes (either blended raw with a squeeze of lemon juice or cooked on the stove)
• Blended into a sauce for a fruit salad of peaches, cherries, and plums.

What a wonderful way to end a summer!