Monthly Archives: September 2023

Full Harvest Moon

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SOURCE: https://www.farmersalmanac.com/septembers-full-harvest-moon-17769

This year, the full Harvest Moon will appear just after sunset on Friday, September 29. The full Moon that happens nearest to the autumnal equinox (which occurred last week) always takes on the name “Harvest Moon.” In most years, the Harvest Moon occurs in September, but about every four or five years it occurs in October, which will be the case in 2025.

The full Harvest Moon will reach peak illumination just before 6am on Saturday morning, then drift below the horizon shortly thereafter. Sunrise that morning is at 6:50am.

(Click on each to view larger image.)

Night sky above Albany looking due west toward full moon at 6am on 9.30.2023.
SOURCE: https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/night/usa/albany-ny
Night sky above Albany looking due east toward Mercury (low) and Venus (high) at 6am on 9.30.2023.
SOURCE: https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/night/usa/albany-ny

Unlike other full Moons, this full Moon rises at nearly the same time—around sunset—for several evenings in a row, giving farmers several extra evenings of moonlight and allowing them to finish their harvests before the frosts of fall arrive. North American Indians knew that corn, pumpkins, squash, beans, and wild rice  —  their chief staples — were ready for gathering at this time.

For me, the full moon of each September serves as a reminder that it is nearly time for the annual harvest of hickory nuts.  Those are typically ready in early October.

Locally, we have two species of native hickories that I routinely come across at area nature preserves, parks and trails.  Those include –

Photo Credit: http://jeffpippen.com/plants/carya.htm
Photo Credit:  http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/10/foraged-flavor-wild-hickory-nuts.html

For a helpful overview of how to forage for and process hickory nuts, please visit the Foraging for Wild Edibles webpage and then view or download my Foraging for Wild Edibles:  Hickory Nuts presentation.

Shagbark Hickory nuts

Should your efforts yield a sufficient quantity of these tasty nuts to motivate you to create something from them, I offer these recipes for your culinary consideration:

Bon appetit!

Welcome to Autumn!

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Crimson Tide...of Purple Loosestrife

Crimson Tide…of Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)

Based on the astronomical definition of seasons, the autumnal equinox marks the first day of fall in the Northern Hemisphere; that occurred earlier this morning.  However, according to the meteorological definition of seasons, which is based on temperature cycles and the Gregorian calendar, the first day of fall was on September 1.

Crisp autumn air and a backdrop of fall colors is a great time to get outdoors.  Observe nature at a local preserve.  Go birdwatching.  Take a tour of any of the area bike trails.

Wood Strawberry

Read about the fall color exhibited by the leaves of New York trees. Read about when and where to go to see fall colors in New York. Read about the science of fall colors.

When will fall colors begin and when will they peak? View The Fall Foliage Prediction Map.

Track the progress of developing fall colors across New York here.

Forage for some wild edibles.  Autumn marks the annual ripening of the fruits and seeds of many plants.  The satisfying reward of harvesting hickory nuts is part of my annual autumn foraging.  If you’d like to learn more about foraging for these tasty nuts, please view the Foraging for Wild Edibles webpage of this blog.

These didn't float. Today's harvest of Shagbark Hickory nuts.

Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata) nuts.

Consider the following autumn activities as part of your enjoyment of the cooler temperatures during the progression of fall colors:

Consider trying a new autumnal cocktail while admiring the fall colors or perhaps while watching any of the upcoming meteor showers.

Happy trails!

What Native Forb Seeds are Ready for Harvesting at This Time? (Late September)

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At this time, the seeds of Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) are likely ready for harvest.

Boneset emerges from the ground, flowers, sets seed and disperses its seed by late September into October. It is a native clump-forming perennial flower that commonly grows in wet soils of woods, prairies, and meadows. Consider using it in a rain garden or a woodland garden setting where the soil is constantly on the wet side. Boneset tolerates partial shade, but it will flower better if you give it full sun. While it will reseed readily if populations are large enough, Boneset mostly spreads via underground rhizomes. So do not plant it in a flower bed that will share space with other plants.

Photo Credit: https://www.pleasantprairienursery.com/product-page/common-boneset

Seed Collection:

Photo Credit: https://wcbotanicalclub.org/eupatorium-perfoliatum-boneset-ashmore-3/

Fruits are single seeds about one-tenth inch long, each with a tuft of white bristles.

Collect them by carefully cupping your hand around the ripe seedhead (to minimize them blowing away) and cutting the plant stem with garden scissors.

Processing of Harvested Seed and Storage:

Photo Credit: https://awaytogarden.com/the-season-for-saving-seed-with-ken-druse/

Place the seedheads in a closed paper bag (to ensure that they won’t blow away) and leave them for a week or two.  Then thresh the seedheads by simply shaking the closed paper bag to separate the seeds from the husk. Winnow or sieve to remove chaff.

It is okay if the fluff remains attached to each seed, as it will not affect germination.  Accordingly, it is probably best not to attempt to remove the fluff from the seeds as it may be difficult to do so and you also increase the likelihood of spilling your seeds in that process.

Photo Credit: (c) G.D. Bebeau, https://www.friendsofeloisebutler.org/pages/plants/boneset.html

Boneset seeds can be stored and should remain viable for up to a couple of years in a paper envelope.

Seed requires one to two months of cold/moist stratification prior to germination.

Photo Credit: https://theherbalacademy.com/cold-stratification-herb-gardening/

If you intend to grow seedlings for later transplant, place moistened peat or paper towels into a labeled ziplock bag (plant name and date) and then carefully empty the seeds from the paper bag into the ziplock bag.  Leave in the refrigerator for 30-60 days before germinating.

Propagation by Seed:

It is probably best to simply sow your harvested seeds on the surface of a prepared seed bed (seeds need light to germinate) in late fall so that the seed overwinters and germinates naturally in spring.

Peat cells are biodegradable and easy to use.
Photo Credit: valkyrieh116 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/valkyrieh116/4360193931/)

Alternatively, you may begin plants indoors after cold/moist stratification of your harvested seeds.  To do so, place seed on top of your slightly moistened potting mix (seed needs light to germinate). Keep the soil of each container moist until germination occurs. They should not be allowed to dry out. Germination takes 7-14 days.  Then transplant the contents of each container into the spots you’ve selected to establish these plants.

Seed-started plants will flower two to three years after sowing.

Happy harvesting!

What Native Forb Seeds are Ready for Harvesting at This Time? (September)

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At this time, the seeds of Mad-dog Skullcap(Scutellaria lateriflora var. grohii) are likely ready for harvest.

Mad-dog Skullcap blooms for approximately 1.5-2 months (beginning in week 1 of July), sets fruit and then its seeds become ripened in September. This herbaceous perennial can be found in moist meadows, openings in floodplain woodlands, soggy thickets, swamps, bogs, seeps and springs, and edges of vernal pools and ponds. It can be used in a woodland garden with a sunny edge and dappled shade and for moist to wet low spots such as stream or pond margins and marshy areas. Once established, it spreads by both seed and rhizomes, often creating small colonies.

Seed Collection:

Photo credit: https://greenfarmacy.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/003.jpg

Each flower is replaced by an oddly-shaped seed capsule that contains 4 nutlets. This capsule consists of 2 lobes that are joined at the base,but spread slightly apart from each other at their tips; these lobes are somewhat flattened and round along their margins.

Collect them by carefully cutting the plant stem containing the ripe capsules with garden scissors while attempting to avoid shaking them.  When fully ripened, the capsules are likely to split open at the top and spill their tiny brown seeds.

Processing of Harvested Seed and Storage:

Photo Credit: https://awaytogarden.com/the-season-for-saving-seed-with-ken-druse/

Place the seedheads in a closed paper bag and leave them for a week or so.

Photo Credit: https://annapolisseeds.com/pages/growing-and-seed-saving-threshing-and-winnowing

When fully dry, whack the seedheads in a bucket, allowing the ripest seed to fall. Sift through strainers to remove the largest chaff, and then winnow off the lighter chaff with your breath, a fan, or the wind.

Mad-dog Skullcap seeds can be stored and should remain viable for 1-2 years in a paper envelope.

Photo credit: Tracey Slotta, hosted by the USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

Seed requires six to eight weeks of cold/moist stratification prior to germination.

Photo Credit: https://theherbalacademy.com/cold-stratification-herb-gardening/

If you intend to grow seedlings for later transplant, place moistened peat or paper towels into a labeled ziplock bag (plant name and date) and then carefully empty the seeds from the paper bag into the ziplock bag.  Leave in the refrigerator for 1.5-2 months before germinating.

Propagation by Seed:

It is probably best to simply sow your harvested seeds on the surface of a prepared seed bed (seeds need light to germinate) in late fall so that the seed overwinters and germinates naturally in spring.

Peat cells are biodegradable and easy to use.
Photo Credit: valkyrieh116 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/valkyrieh116/4360193931/)

Alternatively, you may begin plants indoors after cold/moist stratification of your harvested seeds.  To do so, plant each seed no deeper than 1/4 inch into your potting mix. Keep the soil of each container moist until germination occurs. They should not be allowed to dry out. Germination takes about two weeks.  Then transplant the contents of each container into the spots you’ve selected to establish these plants.

Seed-started plants will flower two to three years after sowing.

Happy harvesting!

What Native Forb Seeds are Ready for Harvesting at This Time? (September)

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At this time, the seeds of Enchanter’s Nightshade (Circaea canadensis) are likely ready for harvest.

Enchanter’s Nightshade blooms for approximately one month (beginning in week 4 of June), sets fruit and then its seeds become ripened by September. This herbaceous perennial can be found in woodland settings with dappled sunlight or medium shade. It can be used in a woodland setting, naturalized area, or shady garden. Once established, it spreads by both seed and rhizomes, often creating small colonies.

Photo Credit: (c) 2010 Katy Chayka,
https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/enchanters-nightshade#lboxg-6

Seed Collection:

Photo Credit: https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/circaea-lutetiana-subsp-canadensis/

Fruit is an oval 2-chambered seed capsule 2.8 to 4.5 mm long and covered in hooked hairs that attach themselves to anything that passes by. When mature, the capsule turns brown, but it does not split open and it has several distinct ribs or grooves on its surface.

Photo Credit: http://www.mpnature.com/plants/pages/hf_enightshade.html

Collect them by carefully cutting the plant stem containing the ripe capsules with garden scissors while attempting to avoid having each attaching itself to you.

Processing of Harvested Seed and Storage:

Photo Credit: https://awaytogarden.com/the-season-for-saving-seed-with-ken-druse/

Place the seed capsules in a closed paper bag and leave them for a week or so.

Since the capsules do not open and each is attached to the plant stem by a short stalk, there may not be much reason to thresh the seed capsules.  However, do remove each seed capsule from the larger plant stem.

Photo Credit: https://www.weberseeds.de/circaea-lutetiana.html

Enchanter’s Nightshade seeds can be stored and should remain viable for 1-2 years in a paper envelope.

Seed requires three to five months of cold/moist stratification prior to germination.

Photo Credit: https://theherbalacademy.com/cold-stratification-herb-gardening/

Place moistened peat or paper towels into a labeled ziplock bag (plant name and date) and then carefully empty the seeds from the paper bag into the ziplock bag.  Leave in the refrigerator for 90-140 days before germinating.

Propagation by Seed:

It is probably best to simply sow your harvested seeds on the surface of a prepared seed bed (seeds need light to germinate) in late fall so that the seed overwinters and germinates naturally in spring.

Peat cells are biodegradable and easy to use.
Photo Credit: valkyrieh116 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/valkyrieh116/4360193931/)

Alternatively, you may begin plants indoors after cold/moist stratification of your harvested seeds.  To do so, plant each seed no deeper than 1/4 inch into your potting mix. Keep the soil of each container moist until germination occurs. They should not be allowed to dry out. Germination is notoriously irregular and slow, requiring up to 3-4 weeks. Then transplant the contents of each container into the spots you’ve selected to establish these plants.

Seed-started plants will flower two to three years after sowing.

Enchanter’s Nightshade

To learn more about this native wildflower, please view my prior post What Wildflower Begins Blooming This Week? (June week 4), published on 6/27/2020.

Happy harvesting!

Foraging for Spicebush Berries

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Now is the time to begin finding these beautiful ruby red berries throughout our area.

Spicebush berries

Spicebush berries

Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) is an understory shrub found in open forests and along forest edges in rich, moderately moist soils.  It typically does not grow much more than about eight feet tall.

How to Identify Spicebush

  • A single- or few-stemmed, deciduous shrub, usually 6-15 feet tall, with graceful, slender, light green branches.
  • The leaves are simple, alternate, with smooth margins and a leathery feel.
  • Plants are typically found in moist, shady places.
  • Use your fingernail to scratch a small part of the bark off a twig and sniff its distinctive spicy aroma – that will confirm your identification.

Many foragers find Spicebush most beautiful in autumn, when it has the golden leaves.  That’s also when it is fairly easy to distinguish clusters of these usually shorter shrubs on the landscape.  Looking for and then making note of where these groupings are located in the areas where you forage helps finding them again next year.

Yellow-leaved shrubs are all Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)

Yellow-leaved shrubs are all Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)

In the latter half of April, Spicebush can be found blooming throughout our area.  The dense clusters of greenish yellow flowers are very noticeable when they first flower, before the leaves emerge. Each flower is only ¼” big.  Spicebush plants are dioecious; each exhibits either male or female flowers.  Plants of both sexes must be adjacent if the female plants are to produce berries.  Male and female flowers have different characteristics. Female flowers have six sepals and no petals. Male flowers are larger and showier. Each flower has 9 stamens divided into three groups, and the 3 innermost stamens have nectar glands at their bases.

However, at this time of year, our focus shifts to the red berries (as shown above) that these shrubs have produced.  The soft outside encapsulates a hard seed.

Spicebush berries

Spicebush berries average around 1/4 inch (6 mm) wide by 7/16 inch (1 cm) long.                                Photo Credit: https://wildfoods4wildlife.com/monographs/common-spicebush/

Pick the berries after they turn red.  As long as the fruit is red, it’s good to harvest.  Locally, the berries may typically be harvested from now through mid-October.

Spicebush berries contain a very high amount of lipids (fats) – as much as fifty percent fat by weight – making them an important source of autumn fuel to migrating songbirds.  So, please be sure to leave plenty behind on the shrubs that you forage.

There appears to be three distinct camps of belief as to what form the berries should be used.  One camp suggests the best way is to dry them out and then grind them into a powder.  However, some foragers have found that the oils in the berries often go rancid and dissipate with high intensity drying.  Others collect them and keep them in the freezer in a jar. While they will turn black, they will still be soft when thawed out.  Still other foragers insist that the berries should be eaten raw.  However, raw berries have a strong, bitter flavor.

Here is yet another variable to consider.  If you wish to separate the seeds from the flesh, please be advised that the seeds are unusually tender – do not use a blender or other aggressive processing methods.

Regardless of which form of the harvested berry (e.g., fresh, frozen, or dehydrated) you intend to use, please be mindful that whole fresh berries can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week after picking them.

The aromatic spiciness of these red fruit brightens up both sweet and savory dishes and lend themselves to some culinary creativity.  People describe it as tasting like allspice, but also with a little heat and something floral in there, too.

Spicebush berries can be used in these culinary applications:

  • jelly,
  • chutney,
  • spice rubs,
  • in baked goods,
  • in sauces, and
  • tea.

Recipes for your consideration:

Acorn & Spicebush Jelly

Acorn Baklava

Apple-Spicebush Chutney (recipe is in the narrative of a story that appeared in The Atlantic)

Black Walnut Spicebush Cake

Foraged Dry Rub (for chicken or pork)

Jellied Cranberry Sauce Recipe with Spicebush and Orange

Orange Spicebush Loaf

Silverberry Spice Bush Bread

Spicebush Berry Dal

Spicebush Berry-infused Honey

Spicebush Cream Cheese Frosting

Spicebush Gingerbread

Spicebush Hibiscus Cupcakes

Spicebush Ice Cream Sandwiches

Spicebush Macarons with Crabapple Filling

Spicebush Meat Rub (for wild game)

Spicebush Tea

Wild Allspice Java Rub (for steak, brisket, or pork)

To learn more about this native shrub –

Plant Guide: Spicebush (USDA PLANTS Database)

Happy foraging!

What Wildflower Begins Blooming This Week?  (Sept week 1)

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This week, I’m featuring New York Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis) as one of our local wildflowers that begins to bloom at this time.

The genus name is in honor of William Vernon, an English botanist of the late 1600s and early 1700s who traveled widely in North America.  The species name refers to New York where the plant may have been first collected.

Description:

New York Ironweed is a tall, clump-forming, perennial native wildflower whose coarse and stiff stems bear many alternate, lance-shaped, deep-green leaves with flowers that cluster at the top of the plant.  Finely toothed with a downy underside, the leaves are 6-8 inches long with pointed tips and wedge-shaped bases.

Small flower heads occur in large, loosely branched, flat-topped, terminal clusters that are 3-4 inches wide.  Flowers are all of the disk type (no ray florets) and deep reddish-purple in color.  Possibly the most brilliant purple of all wildflowers, the hue of New York Ironweed is as impressive as its towering height.

The purple tubular disk flowers are found in groups of 20-40 per head.  Each individual flower has a 5-lobed tubular corolla.

Photo Credit: Jim Stasz, https://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/view/4453

After blooming, fertile flowers produce rusty-colored seed clusters.  The fruits are cypselae which are elongate, cylindrical, ribbed, and hairy (pappi).

Photo Credit: Tom Potterfield, Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Photo Credit: https://growitbuildit.com/ironweed-vernonia-grow-care-guide/

Due to the weather resistant, sturdy stem, this plant is often found still standing erect in the winter landscape.

Photo Credit: Bill Hubick, https://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/record/571448

Folklore:

It is believed that the person carrying a portion of this plant inside of a purple flannel bag will gain control over others.

Culinary and Medicinal Uses:

There are no known uses of New York Ironweed for food.

The Cherokee used an infusion from the leaves to provide relief from childbirth pain as well as for a blood tonic.  Root teas were used to treat loose teeth, stomach ulcers and hemorrhaging.

Wildlife Value:

Floral visitors suck nectar from the flowers and bees also collect pollen. Long-tongued bees (such as Triepeolus cressonii and  Triepeolus remigatus) are known visitors, but, for members of the genus Vernonia, a bee specialized for these plants is the predominant visitor:  Eastern Ironweed Longhorn Bee (Melissodes denticulatus).  Butterflies and moths also visit these flowers for their nectar, including Eastern Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes), Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele), Monarch (Danaus plexippus), Snowberry Clearwing (Hemaris diffinis), Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus), and Zabulon Skipper (Poanes zabulon).

Photo Credit:
https://www.vaworkinglandscapes.org/native-plant-watch/native-plant-highlights/whats-in-bloom-ironweed/

It is a host plant for American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis) and Crossline Skipper (Polites origenes) butterfly caterpillars.

Any fluffy seeds that may persist on the plants into winter are picked clean by songbirds, such as American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis), Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis), and House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus), and Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor).

Where Found Locally: