Wild Food – Ramps. What’s a Ramp?

~ jeannemeeks ~ 3 Comments

In early April the woods behind my house look dead and hopeless. I wait for the day when a patch of brave lime-green leaves poke through the damp forest floor to signal life amid the ugliness. I thought perhaps they were a non-flowering variety of lily-of-the-valley until a fellow hiker on Manitou Island pointed out … Continue reading Wild Food – Ramps. What’s a Ramp?

Wild Food – Morel Mushrooms

~ jeannemeeks ~ Leave a comment

I’ve detested mushrooms all my life and cringe at the memory of the slimy buttons in chop suey. That is until two years ago when I fell in love with morels. On a backpacking trip to Deem Wilderness in southern Indiana, Doc, a fellow hiker spotted a few of the honeycombed fungi at the base … Continue reading Wild Food – Morel Mushrooms

Getting Wild with Asparagus

~ jeannemeeks ~ 2 Comments

I love that Mother Nature provides us with food: ripe, fresh, and free. On my walk  today I spotted a stalk of asparagus in an open field. Usually, I go asparagus hunting just after Mother's Day here in Illinois, but I didn't get it done this year. I was thrilled that I wasn't too late. … Continue reading Getting Wild with Asparagus

Earning my Stripes

~ jeannemeeks ~ 1 Comment

Stephen King says that great writers are born, not made. He adds, however, that good writers can become better writers. That's my goal. Since beginning a serious run at becoming an author, I've discovered that writing is a craft that can be studied, researched, practiced, and improved. In the past four years I've attended five … Continue reading Earning my Stripes

Animal Kingdom

~ jeannemeeks ~ Leave a comment

After a long winter, we went to the lake cottage to open it up for the summer season. The wildlife had taken over. Vultures had splatted white droppings over all the outside  railings and most of the deck. I scrubbed with soapy water and a powerful hose, but the stuff sticks like paint. A robin … Continue reading Animal Kingdom