Fireweed shoots

A peppery veg

For a couple of years, I’ve had my eye on this one.  Only now, I’ve started using it, the young shoot of the beautiful fireweed.  As with all things new and unknown, there is the need for testing, tuning and fine-tuning the handling of fireweed, to suit ones own preferences.  Fireweed has a powerful flavour, peppery and … Read the rest

SymPractic - Self-sufficiency Chronicles

Chaga

Miracle coffee of the north

Chaga may be an awesome medicinal fungus and great for catching a spark (tinder fungus), but it is also a culinary gem, a wild coffee of the north. Unlike the coffee bean, that has to go through a ton of processing before it ends up in a cup, you just knock it off the tree … Read the rest

SymPractic - Self-sufficiency Chronicles

Wild food, early spring delight

Early spring foraging symposium

Every now and then, I meet with friends to pick up new things and share what I’ve learned since last.  This weekend I was out rummaging the forest with my friends Yngve and Christian and that resulted in a wonderful two course meal, an über-green soup and a full bodied salad, rounded off nicely with a … Read the rest

SymPractic - Self-sufficiency Chronicles

Rock tripe with spring ramsons

And a sprinkling of hail from the heavens above

It’s hard to believe some of the things that can sustain a human being.  I had always looked in amazement at this weird and alien life form that can grow on a rock.  It was just so puzzling to me.  That such an oddity could be fit for human consumption I … Read the rest

SymPractic - Self-sufficiency Chronicles

Pine bark gourmet shavings

Wood served on a wooden platter

Ever eaten a pine tree before?  Well, I recommend it.  When fresh, the inner bark of the pine tree is like chewing gum almost.  You just never seem to be able to grind those fibers down, but if you fry it up until it’s all crisp and dry, the fibers are somehow quite easy … Read the rest

SymPractic - Self-sufficiency Chronicles

The salty seas

Making your own gourmet sea salt

Sea salt is most commonly made in large, shallow pools dug somewhere close to the sea, in warm and dry places, letting the sun do all the evaporating.  As we move up or down to cooler and wetter areas, this is a luxury that escapes us, especially in the winter time.  But If you … Read the rest

SymPractic - Self-sufficiency Chronicles

Exclusively bitter sweet toffee

Juniper and the art of evaporation

There’s a traditional toffee, that was made in Norway in the old days. It was called “Treak” and made by collecting a ton of juniper berries (Juneiperus communis), boiling them in water for three hours to make an extract, three times over – that’s nine hours of boiling – before the filtered extract was … Read the rest

SymPractic - Self-sufficiency Chronicles

Juniper Extract

Some mad shampoo genius

You wouldn’t expect shampoo to be a very complicated thing to make.  You know, three or four ingredients, five at most.  After all, it’s basically just liquid soap and liquid soap is the simplest form of soap, just oil and alkali + something for the scent, I guess.  The process of making soap is a bit … Read the rest

SymPractic - Self-sufficiency Chronicles

St. John’s Wort

Chasing the Devil

There’s magic in St. John’s wort. The flowers are yellow, the buds are yellow and the leaves are green – but if you rub a bud between your fingers they turn deep red, or purple. This strong colour is seen as small black dots on the flowers and especially on the buds. Folklore in christian times will … Read the rest

SymPractic - Self-sufficiency Chronicles

Actually, it’s just a chemical imbalance

The scientific point of view, is held in high regard. Many like to think of themselves as men and women of science and I’ve heard people say things like: I’m feeling depressed, but actually it’s just a chemical imbalance… As if there is an ultimate, in this case chemical, reality more real than other realities. I guess it’s easy to … Read the rest

SymPractic - Self-sufficiency Chronicles