Berries

The wild raspberries are ripening.  They have such wonderful flavor for such a small berry! 

I picked these on our walk last night.  The wind was blowing so the skeeters were tolerable.  It is great to pick our own fruit…nothing has been sprayed on it… so they must be organic!  I shared with Far Guy and offered one to Chance…I could tell he wanted Ice Cream with his berries.  NO we just eat them plain…silly dog!

We ran across this blue berry.

This is the fruit of the Wild Sarsaparilla plant.

This is what the flower of Wild Sarsaparilla or Aralia nudicaulis looks like.

I wouldn’t eat this berry…in fact I wouldn’t eat any old blue colored berry in Minnesota except for our REAL Blueberry.

I believe it is the root of the plant that is used. ( I found one reference that says the root can be used as a substitute for sarsaparilla in root beer.)

I wonder about the sarsaparilla that they used to serve in the bars of the old westerns on TV?   Was it this root soaked in water?

NOPE that sarsaparilla was made from Birch Oil and the dried root bark of the Sassafras tree.  Go figure… why did they call it sarsaparilla and not sassafras?

Learn something new every day! 

I ordered a book all about the Wild Berries found in Minnesota…this seems to be a great year for berries.  Not sure why?  The snowless cold winter and dry spring with a rainy June must make for good berries.

Nature Hike

The Nature Hike went well, the weather was not cooperative..it was mostly a misty rain. We took an umbrella, just in case someone wanted to use it. I am not sweet enough to melt in a little rain. We had six people who didn't mind a little rain along with their hike. Friendly very nice people from North Dakota. They asked some great questions, no I could not answer them all..I am not well versed on ALL of the underbrush that grows here in Minnesota. Some of it I know well..like Poison Ivy and Wild grapes. If I didn't know, I just said I am sorry I have no idea.. they all seemed okay with that. At first they were focused on trees and walking very fast..hiking! You have to slow down a little to see and appreciate the Wildflowers. You have to meander a little..they did enjoy the circular clearing that had some sunshine, enough to give some Rudbeckia, Milkweed, and Bell flowers a chance to bloom. .. we finished up on the boardwalk where you can look down into the plants. Not much is blooming there, but some berries were showing off.

Rose Twisted Stalk or Streptopus roseus which has very pale pink flowers in the early spring but has a very pretty red berry now..non edible..it won't kill ya..but you may spend the rest of the day reading on the throne.

Bluebead Lily or Clintonia borealis has tiny yellow lily like flowers in spring which give rise to beautiful blue berries..which are poisonous. Not all blue berries are safe to eat.

One very pretty little flower they have over there is Heal all or Self heal or Prunella vulgaris. It's lower spent petals form a landing lip for insects. This plant blooms all summer. I took these photos last week when the sun was shining!

In their more formal gardens, Ligularia or The Rockets are in bloom as is Hydrangea 'Annabelle'. I took time out for a few photos after we were finished with our hike. We were graciously thanked and given two tickets to their Chuck Wagon Dinner on Saturday Nights. We will have to use them before Labor Day. That should be an interesting experience..I will take my camera. I rarely eat a meal that costs 19.95 If I want to spend that much on a meal, I will go to the grocery store and buy some really great steaks. This Chuck Wagon Dinner is supposed to be an experience ..it is a touristy thing..but hey we get to go free!! :)