La Vida Locavore is the blog for anyone whose crazy life includes planting, growing, weeding, fertilizing, raising, picking, harvesting, processing, cooking, baking, making, serving, buying, selling, distributing, transporting, composting, organizing around, lobbying about, writing about, thinking about, talking about, playing with, and eating food!
Agriculture
Chair: Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)
- Max Baucus (D-MT)
- Michael Bennet (D-CO)
- Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
- Bob Casey (D-PA)
- Kent Conrad (D-ND)
- Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
- Tom Harkin (D-IA)
- Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
- Pat Leahy (D-VT)
- Ben Nelson (D-NE)
- Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
- Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
- Thad Cochran (R-MS)
- John Cornyn (R-TX)
- Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
- Mike Johanns (R-NE)
- Dick Lugar (R-IN)
- Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
- Pat Roberts (R-KS)
- John R. Thune (R-SD)
Appropriations
Chair: Daniel Inouye (D-HI) Ag Sub-Committee
Chair: Herb Kohl (D-WI)
- Byron Dorgan (D-ND)
- Dick Durbin (D-IL)
- Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
- Tom Harkin (D-IA)
- Tim Johnson (D-SD)
- Ben Nelson (D-NE)
- Jack Reed (D-RI)
- Robert Bennett (R-UT)
- Christopher Bond (R-MO)
- Sam Brownback (R-KS)
- Thad Cochran (R-MS)
- Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
- Arlen Specter (R-PA)
Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions
- Chris Dodd (D-CT)
Agriculture
Chair: B Collin Peterson (D-MN)
V. Chair: B Tim Holden (D-PA)
B Joe Baca (D-CA)
- John Boccieri (D-OH)
B* Leonard Boswell (D-IA)
- Bobby Bright (D-AL)
B* Dennis Cardoza (D-CA)
- Travis Childers (D-MS)
B Jim Costa (D-CA)
- Henry Cuellar (D-TX)
- Kathy Dahlkemper (D-PA)
B Brad Ellsworth (D-IN)
- Debbie Halvorson (D-IL)
B Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD)
- Steve Kagen (D-WI)
- Larry Kissell (D-NC)
B Frank Kratovil (D-MD)
- Betsy Markey (D-CO)
B Jim Marshall (D-GA)
P Eric Massa (D-NY)
B Mike McIntyre (D-NC)
- Walt Minnick (D-ID)
B Earl Pomeroy (D-ND)
- Mark Schauer (D-MI)
- Kurt Schrader (D-OR)
B David Scott (D-GA)
B Zachary Space (D-OH)
- Timothy Walz (D-MN)
- Frank Lucas (R-OK)
- Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
- K. Michael Conaway (R-TX)
- Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE)
- Virginia Foxx (R-NC)
- Bob Goodlatte (R-VA)
- Sam Graves (R-MO)
- Timothy Johnson (R-IL)
- Steve King (R-IA)
- Robert Latta (R-OH)
- Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO)
- Cynthia Lummis (R-WY)
- Jerry Moran (R-KS)
- Randy Neugebauer (R-TX)
- Phil Roe (R-TN)
- Mike Rogers (R-AL)
- Jean Schmidt (R-OH)
- Adrian Smith (R-NE)
- Glenn Thompson (R-PA) *=House Organic Caucus member B=Blue Dog Democrat
Appropriations
Chair: Dave Obey (D-WI) Ag Sub-Committee
Chair: P Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)
- Sanford Bishop (D-GA)
* Allen Boyd (D-FL)
- Lincoln Davis (D-TN)
*P Sam Farr (D-CA)
*P Maurice D. Hinchey (D-NY)
P Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (D-IL)
P Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)
- Jack Kingston (R-GA)
- Rodney Alexander (R-LA)
- Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO)
* Tom Latham (R-IA) *=House Organic Caucus member
P=Congressional Progressive Caucus
Education and Labor
P Chair: George Miller (D-CA)
- Jason Altmire (D-PA)
- Robert Andrews (D-NJ)
- Timothy Bishop (D-NY)
P Yvette Clarke (D-NY)
- Joe Courtney (D-CT)
- Susan Davis (D-CA)
P Marcia Fudge (D-OH)
P Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)
P Phil Hare (D-IL)
- Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX)
P Mazie Hirono (D-HI)
- Rush Holt (D-NJ)
- Dale Kildee (D-MI)
P Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)
P Dave Loebsack (D-IA)
- Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY)
P Donald Payne (D-NJ)
- Jared Polis (D-CO)
- Robert Scott (D-VA)
- Joe Sestak (D-PA)
- Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH)
P John Tierney (D-MA)
- Dina Titus (D-NV)
- Paul Tonko (D-NY)
P Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)
- David Wu (D-OR)
- Buck McKeon (R-CA)
- Judy Biggert (R-IL)
- Rob Bishop (R-UT)
- Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
- Michael Castle (R-DE)
- Vernon Ehlers (R-MI)
- Luis F Fortuno (R-PR)
- Brett Guthrie (R-KY)
- Peter Hoekstra (R-MI)
- Duncan D. Hunter (R-CA)
- John Kline (R-MN)
- Kenny Marchant (R-TX)
- Tom McClintock (R-CA)
- Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA)
- Thomas Petri (R-WI)
- Phil Roe (R-TN)
- Todd Russell Platts (R-PA)
- Tom Price (R-GA)
- Mark Souder (R-IN)
- GT Thompson (R-PA)
- Joe Wilson (R-SC) P=Congressional Progressive Caucus
When you think about foraging, what comes to mind? For some, the first thought is of selfish, uncaring harvesters of plants and fungi, the kind of people who:
1. harvest plants on private property without permission; or
2. rake up virgin forest duff in order to get every last mushroom; or
3. imperil the general area through their gathering methods; or
4. severely endanger native populations of plants like wild ginseng.
From my perspective, anyone who commits such acts is not deserving of the name 'forager'; such a person is merely a thief or irresponsible profiteer. (Right: Mossy Path by wide eyed lib)
Foraging implies a responsible stewardship of the land. While it's sometimes necessary to kill plants, this isn't done lightly. Foragers keep in mind that their harvesting impacts far more than the target plant itself.
Saturday's forage was my most productive to date. Here's the complete list of what I gathered, some of which I've covered in prior installments of the FFF series and some of which I'll cover today or in the coming weeks:
It was like coming home with a CSA box. Only free.
In other news, the baby robins have hatched! They're well camouflaged, but 4 of them are huddled above (photo by wide eyed lib). Their exposed nest was worrisome, so seeing them alive and well was a relief.
In honor of Memorial Day last week, this diary is dedicated to my paternal grandfather who was stationed in Hawaii with the Navy during WWII. I was young when he died, but I'll never forget the Naval uniforms, the notes of Taps or the tidily folded flag handed to my Dad.
In a comment on Daily Kos, RonV mentioned Linda Runyon, a foraging legend. I knew of Linda mainly through Steve Brill, who sells a deck of wild cards designed by Linda that I'd considering buying. (Right: NYC Sunset by wide eyed lib)
So I took the plunge. I emailed a question from the website link and had a lovely chat with Linda about, among other things, stinging nettle. Even before I began foraging, I looked closely at interesting plants, and I would often roll a leaf between my fingers and sniff. I learn better when all my senses are engaged, and many plants have tell-tale scents. (Before doing this, make sure you can identify plants like poison ivy.)
Rather than chiding me for getting stung by nettle, Linda heartily approved.
Happy Earth Day! My ongoing quest for free food continues. Last Saturday was a clear, crisp Spring day, perfect for being outdoors but also very, very windy.
Another week has gone by without my being able to find common or yellow wood sorrel. It should certainly be up by now in my local park, but maybe it heard I was coming. There another park nearby where I've found it in the past and hopefully I'll be able to get there sometime this week to collect and photograph it for next week. In the meantime, I have some other wonderful edibles to discuss. (Left: Natural Rock Well by Peter Coughlin)
Before you actually do any foraging, please review the first diary in the FFF series (if you haven't done so already), then lean forward in your best impression of a mime walking into the wind as we cross the barrier.
Covered: sheep sorrel, blue violet, mugwort & plantain
I normally go foraging on Saturdays, but last Saturday was cold and dreary here in New York, so I bundled up with a book of crossword puzzles instead. Sunday, however, was beautiful, but I'm sorry to say that my foraging was cut short by an upset stomach. That, plus some laziness earlier in the week, accounts for this week's diary being not quite as detailed as usual. My apologies and hopefully I'll be back to normal for my next diary. (Right: Mourning Cloak Butterfly by wide eyed lib)
As always, please review the first diary in the series for some foraging dos and don'ts, and step carefully over "There's More" hurdle so that we don't jostle my tummy too much.
Covered: chickweed, wild lettuce, wallpepper & spicebush
As a survival tactic, a way to stretch food money, or just a good excuse to get some fresh air and exercise, foraging is fun and easy if you pay attention and keep in mind a few caveats.
I am far from a foraging expert and I don't have a Botany degree. I say this as fair warning, and also because this means that you, too, can forage; you need only some simple equipment and a willingness to learn. I hope to go foraging on most weekends from now until the end of November and share my discoveries here. (Right: hollow tree by Peter Coughlin)
Before we leap the orange hurdle, a warning: you should NEVER eat anything that you have not identified with 100% certainty, and it's very unlikely that my descriptions are enough. Get yourself a good guide book, befriend a local forager or botanist and/or contact your local library or Cooperative Extension Office. Feel free to post photos in the comments, and I'll help where I can.
Covered: poison ivy, jewelweed, garlic mustard & field garlic
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