Judson Carroll

M Ljin wrote:Thanks for sharing!

Some people cut ramp bulbs in half, eat the top, and then replant the bottoms too. I have been thinking that picking bulbs and then replanting 1/3 of what you pick in a regenerating or denuded woodland seems like a good solution for the sustainability. Some patches are very dense and something called "ramp kill" apparently happens, where the ramps at the center slowly die out from overcrowding, like what will happen to all alliums if you don't harvest, thin, or plant out now and then. But clearly ramps are much more slow growing.

Fortunately in my region, ramps are still all over the forests, especially up in the mountains where the land hasn't been cleared for agriculture or pasture. There are some regions in the mountains where ramps stretch as far as the eye can see. They are getting less common due to people not being thoughtful about harvesting, and clearing/logging without paying attention, but still amazing to see. I even saw a four leafed ginseng in one of those logged areas... logging which happened to coincide perfectly with a favorite black morel patch!

And THAT, is why we LOVE foraging!  I would rather go to the woods to harvest food than do anything else. I had a very pretty girlfriend once who asked me to be normal.... I chose the woods.

From the Spring Foraging Cookbook: Ramps (Allium tricoccum)

Ramps are one of the first wild edibles that grow in my region in early spring. Ramps are also my favorite of all wild vegetables! Unfortunately, not only is the Ramp season short, but they grow only in specific conditions. The time to harvest Ramps here, is around Easter.

Read more:
https://judsoncarroll.substack.com/p/from-the-spring-foraging-cookbook-96f

Anytime on guitar

I show you how to play a thumb style version of "Anytime" - this is truly one of my absolute favorite songs!  You may know it as an Eddy Arnold song, but it was first done by Emmett Miller.  Emmett Miller was a blackface comedian from Georgia, who was a big star in the 1920s. He was the first singer to truly combine blues, country and jazz into the form that would shape American popular music to this day.  His band included Eddie Lang, Scatman Crothers, Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey and Glenn Miller at various times! He is one of the most important figures in American music, and the one history has tried hardest to erase.

https://youtu.be/4JY94v4Q_Vw

I hate AI videos, but this channel is the exception. I (yes, even I... wink implied) have learned a lot from it! https://youtu.be/bdQpYWY4_WQ?si=GogXzhWm9NV1yb2s

From the Spring Foraging Cookbook: Prickly Pear Cactus

The Prickly Pear and its related, Indian Fig, Cactus is one of my favorite wild foods. I collect the fruit in late summer through winter, so that is a topic for another brook. But, while the fruit varies in flavor and quality, it can be much like kiwi. With the spines removed and peeled, the fruit is excellent eaten fresh, turned into a sherbet or similar frozen dessert, or used to make wine. The cactus pads are not sweet like the fruit. But, they are very popular in Mexican cooking, often called nopales or tunas. The spines should be burned off and the cactus pads peeled. Then, they can be eaten like okra or grilled and added to tacos, etc. Honestly, I think prickly pear is fantastic!

Read more:
https://judsoncarroll.substack.com/p/from-the-spring-foraging-cookbook-d77

This week, we discuss the medicinal and edible uses of the Smilax and Aralia families. These are among the most ubiquitous and confusing of all herbs. Very little research has been done to differentiate between them, but most seem to be used interchangeably to varying extents. Wha that means, is the green briar you keep trying to eradicate in your back yard may be as medicinal and valuable as sarsaparilla, spikenard and ginseng.... and is almost certainly edible and quite good!

https://judsoncarroll.substack.com/p/show-276-smilax

Stock Time on guitar

I show you how to play Mississippi John Hurt's "Stock Time" on guitar.  This is a basic buck dance tune.  This genre goes back to at least the 1850s, but is just as enjoyable today.  These tunes were made for dancing, so we discuss the importance of playing for dancers. Music dies when people stop dancing to it. Then, I discuss my Larivee guitar.... I consider it to be the absolute perfect guitar. It fits me, it is my other voice... I wouldn't sell it or trade it for an instrument ten times its value. To quote my old friend, Guy Clark, "Stuff that works, stuff that holds up, the kind of stuff you don't hang on the wall, stuff that's real, stuff you feel, the kind of thing you cling to when you fall"... there is no better guitar for me.

https://youtu.be/QiPHnYu0c_g

John F Dean wrote:I just tossed a pair of Wrangler blue jeans.   It had many holes, been repaired numerous times, and was generally falling apart all over.   It was at least 15 years old. Of course, that leads to my question.  Now for my mitigating factors, around 2000 I started wearing Alaskan Hard Gear bought through Duluth as my go to.   But, to flip things the other direction, I still wore the jeans in situations that were likely to result in damage.  Anyway, what has been your experience?

Jeans don't last anymore, by design.  The old selvedge or self-edged ones did. Keep an eye out in thrift shops and such for pre- 80/90s denim.  It will last longer than most of us!  A good old boot cut pair of wranglers you can probably get used for $5 is worth more than several hundred modern pair.