Birds sing a rain song
Clouds swell over unfurled birch leaves
The earth greens over night
Thunderheads are rising in the distance. Across the pond looms a dark patch of sky that spreads like a bruise. Earlier this afternoon we got our first quenching rain – the type that surprises you with its arrival and drenches within seconds. Fortunately I was sitting in the Forestry Cabin, learning about soft tissue wounds from Doug, our SOLO Wilderness First Responder instructor. Water funneled off the roof in torrents and we leaned forward as it drowned out his voice.
Every year, WFR teaches would-be rescuers at Paul Smith’s College how to respond in the wilderness during an emergency. It’s ideal training, because part of the Osgood Pond Semester is backcountry expeditions and adventure. The first time I took a WFR course was five years ago when I was beginning my career as a wilderness therapy instructor. Lots of people ask me: what’s wilderness therapy? My short answer to that is: nature doing what nature’s good at — teaching us stubborn mortals lessons.
One principle to live by is here and now. In other words, focus on the moment. That’s why I love wilderness and weather. Both realign us when our minds wander – whether that’s delving into the past or guessing about an unforeseeable future.
I’ve learned my greatest lessons in a classroom without walls: on a foam pad, hunkered down in lightening position; at the mercy of the storm, watching and counting; in a garden, planting tomatoes alongside my grandmother.
So here I sit, waiting for the storm to descend or pass over Osgood Pond.
While I wait, I cook.
On my way home, I noticed a patch of fiddle heads. It’s a perfect time of year to get them before they unfurl. In the meadow and along the trail, I plucked some dandelions and added their leaves to the mix. The earth is greening and there are many delicious elements to that!
Rules to eating wild edibles
- Don’t eat what you don’t know.
- Take a field guide book – or better yet, take a field guide human who has harvested the plant before. My grandmother taught me the basics.
- Guessing’s not good enough.
- Avoid overharvesting the plant. Take a few and move on — there’s likely another plant nearby.
Dandelion and fiddlehead pasta stir fry
Perfect for a rainy, stormy spring night in the Adirondacks
Ingredients
10 fiddleheads
2 handfuls of dandelion (or more to your tasting)
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped pepper
2 Tablespoons cooking oil
2 cups pasta sauce
1 box whole wheat pasta
Seasonings to taste and preference (Suggestions: Oregano, salt and pepper)
Kitchen Gear
1 large frying pan
1 large cooking pot
Stirring spoon
Strainer
Directions
- Fill large cooking pot ½ way with water. Add a pinch of salt, set burner to high and bring water to a boil.
- Coat frying pan with cooking oil. Set burner to medium. Sauté chopped peppers and onions for 5 minutes or until tender, then add fiddleheads and dandelions. Once tender, add pasta sauce and set burner to low.
- Add pasta to boiling water; cook until pasta is al dente.
- Remove pasta from heat; drain the water and rinse pasta under cool water.
- Add oil to the rinsed pasta.
- Cover in sauce and serve.
- Enjoy!
