Category Archives: The Cabin

I was making some Hawthorn Tea and decided to do a quick post.
Here is what you will find by the hypersensitives on the internet.
First, most of them are more worried about amygdalin, a chemical similar in structure to cyanide, but which is not cyanide. (actually it is a cyanogenic glycoside)
It is found in the hawthorn berry seeds.
JUST LIKE MANY FRUITS SEEDS. LIKE APPLES. AND MANY MORE.
I ask myself (because as a hermit I often talk to myself and my dog) how many people have I known that have died from eating apple cores. I have known personally several people who have crunched the whole apple all their lives. And they are very healthy. And I have done it too.
Not to mention Hawthorn berries that myself and millions others have consumed for thousands of years.
So here is my warning.
If you are concerned about a minute amount of amygdalin, or most anything else in wild edible foods, or you panic when a product you buy on Amazon says something about the state of California’s opinion, then maybe you should stay away from all wild foods.
Nature is weird. It combines many things in the foods it provides for living creatures. It is not made up of isolated chemicals in a factory like other processed food. Bits and pieces of many chemicals are in every natural thing you eat. If you saw a chemical analysis of every plant you consume (like the ingredients on processed food)you would never touch the stuff. Well, if you are easily panicked.
A hawthorn berry contains MANY other chemicals that do marvelous things for people. Including (quick search because I don’t want to get in too deep):
“angina, high blood pressure, hardening of the arteries, cholesterol, irregular heart beat and even congestive heart failure and it is an anti-inflammatory”
So that is my soapbox speech. I do know that most of the people on the internet warning about amygdalin in Hawthorn aren’t really worried about it themselves. They are worried about lawyers and lawsuit happy idiots who are out to steal money from people and not take responsibility for themselves.
On to my tea.
I had noticed that most people online who talk about hawthorn tea seem to have never really made it. Their descriptions are not very accurate. Even for as simple as it is. They say get the berries (not when) and make the tea and enjoy. (that ‘enjoy’ thing must be from some TV cooking show I’ve never seen.  Because people online feel the need to put it at the end of every post. Just like ‘yummy’)  So people get berries and make the tea and it is not wonderful as described.
You can make the tea from the leaves or the berries.
The leaves are healthy but not great as a tea by themselves. Much better mixed with dried flowers.  And even the berries are not that great tasting by if you include the whole berry.  The ripe ‘meaty’ part is best and a bit sweet.
But leaves mixed with flowers do have a hint of rose hip tea and can be quite good.
I use mostly the berries when they are available.  
You can dry them. But they do not dry like other teas you are used to. They dry like the sugar containing fruit that they are. They never really dry completely. They shrivel, get ugly and are still squishy. Like raisins and other …

A short introduction and walk on the North Country Trail in the Allegheny National Forest near Kellettville, PA.

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I will soon begin an updated version of 30 Days Living off the Land. I first did this in 2010. At that time I was still living in the house in town. Now I will be actually staying in the woods. In addition I will be filming parts of it.
For those who never heard of the original, here is a quick summary. For 30 days I will live only on what I gather from the woods around me. Wild plants. Fish. Animals.

Originally I went from April 15th to May 15th. Since winter seems to be holding on longer than it did 11 years, and to include some late bloomers, I am starting a week or so later than I did in 2010. And based on snow in the forecast May 1st, Beltane, might be a good official starting point.

However, I will be gathering some early items and posting “an early start” here.

THE ORIGINAL 30 DAYS CAN BE READ IN PDF FORMAT BY CLICKING HERE.

Most of this will be done from my cabin. But I will also take several short backpacking trips too.…

Today my mother passed away. She was ready to go be with her husband. But once again I was not ready for her to go. I should have been prepared but I know I will miss her forever. If ever there was a person who deserved the title “Saint” it was her. Her entire life was helping people. She and my father were a perfect match.…

My old generator isn’t running good and it is under-powered. So I got a new one with electric start and dual fuel, gas and propane. I have setup a protective box with insulation and venting to reduce noise. It is working well and the remote start is nice. I can now have a pump regulator for indoor plumbing.