Wild Wanderings Blog – August 30, 2012 

Hello once again my fellow farm dreamers. Many apologies for my long hiatus:) I sincerely hope that all of you are experiencing a state of heightened prosperity. After all...it has been an interesting year indeed. Our global political and financial Ponzi scheme continues to reveal itself, to the masses, as the hot stinking turd it simply is. Yes, yes, I know... I usually don't discuss such…

Wild Wanderings Blog – August 2, 2012  



Summer is a time for family picnics and various outdoor adventures and pursuits. Not much can rival cooling off in a cold mountain stream or lake on a hot, muggy Summer day. Camping is a favorite of many this time of year. Sleeping under the stars is one of the many things I enjoy, though I admit...mosquitos aren't among my favorites. Oh, and did I mention yellow jackets? Yeah, they're pretty…

Wild Wanderings Blog – July 26, 2012   

Children are perhaps our greatest gifts and teachers in life. And, as adults, present one of our greatest challenges. It's so easy to get caught up in ourselves and the hustle and bustle of our daily routine that spending quality time with our children often goes by the wayside. …

Wild Wanderings Blog – July 19, 2012

When people think of trout fishing in Western NC, rivers like the Davidson, Mills and Tuckasegee come to mind. Spring Creek isn’t even a remote thought for most. The state of…

Wild Wanderings Blog – July 5, 2012

This past week has been quite eventful as most of the Country has experienced a heat wave and subsequently, several major storms. My heart goes out to those who…

Wild Wanderings Blog – June 28, 2012 

Happy Thursday everyone! It’s been wonderful being back in Western NC these past few days. I spent last week in the woods of Western TN and although the terrain…

Wild Wanderings Blog – June 21, 2012   

The beginning of Summer is here and I'm excited about the possibilities and promise it has to offer! After an early, but breathtaking Spring I welcome the grandeur of our maturing plants and wildlife. Young rabbits are everywhere on the farm, it seems,…

Wild Wanderings Blog – June 21, 2012

The beginning of Summer is here and I'm excited about the possibilities and promise it has to offer! After an early, but breathtaking Spring I welcome the grandeur of our maturing plants and wildlife. Young rabbits are everywhere on…

Wild Wanderings Blog – June 14, 2012 

Hello once again my fellow farm-dreamers! I sincerely hope all of you are experiencing much Love and prosperity in your lives. Summer is right around the corner and aside from the numerous wild edibles (A.K.A. weeds) I’ve been eating…I am eagerly awaiting berry season! Yay!! Wineberries, blueberries, raspberries, elderberries and blackberries…

Wild Wanderings Blog – June 7, 2012

Hello ya’ll! Warm greetings from the great Smoky Mountains:)) The greenery and biodiversity here is almost beyond words. Western North Carolina is a great place to be indeed. Aside from my busy teaching schedule, I’ve been collecting and creating a vast photo library of wild plants, many of which (featured in my blogs…past, present and future) I hope…

Wild Wanderings Blog – May 31, 2012

Last week I covered one of many nutritious wild plants, the dandelion. There are so many edibles currently available that it’s hard to choose with one to cover next!…

Wild Wanderings Blog – May 24, 2012

Hello my fellow farm-dreamers:) Many apologies for last week’s absence. I’m still without internet at home and communication is hindered to say the least. Funny…I teach primitive skills and I’m somewhat paralyzed without modern technology…go figure:))

In my last Blog, I stated that I’d…

Wild Wanderings Blog – May 10, 2012

Hello again my earthy and earthly friends! Life on the farm has been quite wet again this week. Numerous, almost daily storms have saturated the soil to its carrying capacity. A huge very fast moving storm on Sunday has crippled my internet access, making communications and running a school a bit challenging. The plants of…

Wild Wanderings Blog – May 3, 2012

Hello fellow “Farm Dreamers” and all like-minded souls of course:)) The farm, where I currently reside, is teeming with life. Baby lambs, goats and calves have blessed this beautiful Spring as well as numerous baby chicks! I’m really enjoying the marriage and wisdom in joining the domestic and wild (survival skills). Self-reliance is all…

Wild Wanderings Blog – April 26, 2012

Hello everyone! It’s been an incredibly wet week down here in the Smoky Mountains and throughout much of the East in general. The plants, wild and domestic are going crazy. We’re easily three weeks ahead of schedule with most plants. I’m not much of a grass cutter, but I’ve been forced to succumb and have officially fired up the weed-whacker. I eat my share of weeds, but even I can’t keep up with them without the fear of getting…

Wild Wanderings Blog – April 19, 2012

Hello everyone, I hope you’ve all had a wonderful week enjoying this beautiful Spring! Wild plants are still popping up everywhere here in the mountains. I found Solomon’s seal and Jack in the pulpit the other day. Blue cohosh is emerging as well as numerous other rich cove plants. The Smoky Mountains are truly a botanists dream!

Last week I finished up with the amazing cattail plant. It’s a wonderful plant with many uses…

Wild Wanderings Blog – April 12, 2012

Thanks my friends for all the feedback and newsletter sign-ups this past week…much appreciated! Oaks, being the main topic of my last post, are one of my favorite trees indeed. And, while it’s clearly not acorn season, I hope you are thus motivated and inspired to collect and utilize this amazing resource this coming Fall.

Wild edibles rock! I’m amazed and humbled by the variety and wild abundance that Nature provides…

Wild Wanderings Blog – April 5, 2012

Happy April everyone! Spring is definitely in full swing here in western North Carolina, in fact it’s about 3 weeks early. I taught a Wild Edible plant workshop last Sunday, April1st…a class I had originally scheduled for April 28th! We identified and collected an entire meal from the landscape. Our salad consisted of chickweed, violet (leaves and flowers), dandelion (leaves and flowers), field garlic, wild leeks, field…

Wild Wanderings Blog – March 29, 2012

This week and my next several articles will focus on the acquisition of food in the wilds. Remember food is last on our list of Survival priorities, but with a little bit of knowledge there is no reason for anyone to go hungry…EVER!! Let’s focus on plants first…shall we? For the second straight year the local paper has run a front page story, stating that western North Carolina is experiencing a food crisis. People simply…

Wild Wanderings Blog – March 22, 2012

Happy Spring everyone!!! Last week I covered fire in more detail and challenged all of you to attempt a “one match fire” using only natural materials. How did you do? Did you try it? I look forward to your responses (successes and failures welcomed). It’s all about learning…right? Starting a fire is never a sure thing and I can tell you, without hesitation, that I’ve learned more from my failures than my successes.…