Ian Rae "The man known for lechery is up for treachery" Words that make you laugh. Such a beautiful pairing.
Sometimes there is good news. Just seen a woman skating down a busy road, somewhere in America, probably New York. She holds a banner 'Abolish ICE' behind her two ICE men are in hot pursuit. But everyone is cheering her on. Small sparks igniting people.
How can all this mess that America has found itself in happen? Apparently Winston Churchill said of democracy.
"It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried"
I quite like the quote about if there is a knock on your door early in the morning, it is probably the milkman. That is the sort of country we live in now of course, we are not fearful.
Whether you believe any of the stuff written at the moment, the thought that democracy is under threat is scary. That it's removal is being deliberately engineered by those in power and those who are rich but hopefully it becomes manageable by the people who vote them in or out.
Rebecca Solnit has written one of her long essays The Democracy Vs Oligarchy Show. She seems to be in Japan out of harms way at this important time of voting but they are still protesting there.
On a lighter note, The Green Witcher's are holding a meeting tonight, it will be about foraging. A nice easy foray into things to eat from the countryside. Debby in America will no doubt be foraging for deer:) but here in England we just forage for the 'greens' found in nature. All I can think of is blackberries (season now over) bilberries and even wild raspberries. There are the mushrooms of course but this can be a dangerous game. I have always fancied trying the Amethyst Deceiver a pretty blue mushroom, we had been on a couple of mushroom foraging with an expert but I have never had the courage to try one.
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| Laccaria Amethystina. Taken from Wikipedia The other thing I love is crab apple jelly, it's golden translucent in the jar reflecting an amber/gold colour. An over abundant crab apple tree |
But on the whole, unless you resort to killing wild animals the British flora is rather scarce for eating purposes.
This quote seems especially relevant to the US, that is by Audrey Forbes Hamilton when she said, 'Democracy is all very well, but why give it to the people?'.
ReplyDeleteYes the word democracy has made me think quite a bit Andrew, especially when so many people voted for an out and out rogue in America.
DeleteAmethyst Deceiver is a good one. There are usual hundreds under beeches - and you need them. Very small.
ReplyDeleteThere was a beech wood up by Langridge I think Tom by the side of the golf course but never saw any there.
DeleteThe amethyst deceiver is so pretty, but a name like that is a fair indication that it should be treated with care, though I gather the 'deceiver' refers to the fading of the colour, rather than the arsenic it can absorb from the soil. (just looked it up!!)
ReplyDeleteI did look it up Janice and noted that arsenic might be present. But.... if arsenic is in the soil is it only the mushrooms that pick it up? Must check. I suppose I should give a warning, never eat mushrooms from the wild but of course mushrooms have been gathered since time immemorial.
DeleteOh, I would be too afraid to eat any wild mushrooms. I'm pretty much a grocery store girl and don't even have a garden anymore to grow veggies. I'm hoping we can save my country with the election coming up.
ReplyDeleteWell it seems that there is an understanding that the Democrats will get in, hopefully they will make a brighter future for America but the damage done is terrible.
DeleteJust wondering, since slugs are basically snails without shells could they be eaten? That would solve many a gardener's problems. I've eaten snails in France but I don't think I'd try slugs.
ReplyDeleteI have never tried snails Ruta though they were eaten in our household when I was a child. Think they came in tins. If I had to eat insects it would be the ones that are baked to taste crispy like crickets. But slugs are slimy ugh.
DeleteThere's always wild garlic, I suppose. I wonder why the Amethyst Deceiver is a "deceiver"? In what way? (Oh -- I just looked at the Wikipedia link. It's because the color fades over time and makes it hard to identify, as you may know.)
ReplyDeleteDon't ask me to explain politics and the reasons people vote the way they do. I am flummoxed.
Well you can always make pesto with it Steve but we don't have many carbs out there in the wild, it would have to be animal protein I suppose. No wonder farming took precedence over hunting in prehistory.
DeleteYOur photo of the Amethyst Deceiver reminds me of dog walks I used to do when still in Southampton, and I'd walk them along the old Roman Road at Thornhill. AD's always there each autumn, and so pretty.
ReplyDeleteWhen I used to walk Moss over the racecourse Jennie, I would always find mushrooms kicked over and destroyed by some idiot, who obviously thought they were dangerous. They might have been but commonsense normally prevails in most people.
DeleteI agree that mushroom foraging is a risky business. The difference between edible mushrooms and their poisonous cousins can be very slight. Once I went on a morning's mushroom foraging with an expert mycologist and he admitted that there are very few wild mushrooms he would pick with total confidence. His name was Patrick Harding. Sadly, he died in 2021.
ReplyDeleteSo many are similar and once they age you can hardly tell the difference. I was once quite tempted by puffballs but never tried them.
ReplyDeleteI myself am not foraging for deer. Tim is, but he has had no luck. But we have gotten the old house in town sided and it looks very nice. Right now, I find myself on tenterhooks about this midterm stuff. Although it looks promising, i can't bring myself to write those words, yet NOT talking about it is impossible, so i have taken a short break from blogging. In the interim, I have just about finished Christmas shopping for my family. Best to keep my anxious thoughts focused on the holidays.
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