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Wild tea! I love it. Bring that goodness you find in the wild home. Use some fresh and dry the rest. Some of my favorites: Mint (mild pain-killer, safe for children), chamomile (grows wild here), pineapple weed (similar to chamomile, but tastes even better), ponderosa pine needles (any pine works), ...

Here's a recipe for watercress soup that looks good, though I'd double or triple the watercress part and cook it only one or two minutes instead of three. I'd probably omit the cream if freezing, and then add cream after re-heating, just before serving, so it tastes nice and fresh. http://www.saveur...

Nice haul! Preserving watercress might be tricky. I'd try blanching them very briefly in nearly boiling water, then packing them in an ice-cube tray, covering with the water from blanching and freezing. The rationale behind blanching is to both reduce the bacterial load and deactivate some enzymes t...

Do you have to take your wool to market or does someone make the rounds and pick up at your ranch? There's nobody picking up wool around here, and wool from navajo churro isn't as commercially desirable as other breeds. Fortunately theres a robust local market for churro wool owing to lots of "fibe...

The shearer did not retire (missed putt right at the end), and turned out to be one of the nicest, most generous guys I have ever worked with. He undercharged me dramatically, I felt, so I tipped him well. abd he agreed to come back twice a year to shear my flock. That means I'll finally have market...

Did your son treat you well for fathers day? :D Yes, he did, though it turned out to be a long workday for me. I got a call from the neighbors that I double up with for sheep shearing saying that they had a shearer coming between 9 and 10, so I better gather my sheep and get them up there. I got th...

Use the cattails to build a daub and wattle hut like this guy made with saplings: nCKkHqlx9dE All that work in 11 minutes and 13 seconds :o I would love to hire that guy to make me a new lambing shed and a little hunting cabin. Maybe I could pay him in bug spray? Wouldn't take him more than an afte...

I've been gather and using the fruits of common mallow or "cheeseplant" for several years now. Here's a link that gives a decent description: http://www.foragingtexas.com/2008/08/mallow.html The fruits, around here and in Santa Fe, at least, are small but plentiful, and enjoy a fairly long season. I...

I have a foodsaver but have neglected it for years. Time to get it back into service. I have oodles of bags, now out to get some of that watercress :D Thanks for sharing the convenience foods with deserving neighbors. ;) Are cattail shoots available only in the spring? I like the idea of a pinch of...

I'm jealous of your secret watercress spot, Zelph. I keep imagining a little hidden spot I know, though I bet they look pretty different. Nothing fancy today, I just heated some pulled pork, toasted some buns and made a salad from some nice greens a neighbor gave me (thinning her lettuce beds). It o...