HARVEST SEASON!

 

Harvest season is upon us in northern Wisconsin.  A lot of our berries are behind this year because we had a cool wet spring.  The weather was good for waterfowl production and thirsty water tables.  The wetter than normal beginning of the summer is paying off now in the form of juicy berries. 

 

We went out blackberry picking this evening for the first time.  Between two of us, we got a little less than two gallons in about 1.5 hours.  The berry picking resulted in bringing home a lot more food than the fishing expedition earlier in the day.  Tomorrow morning we're having pie for breakfast.  And lunch.  And dinner.  The berries will be used for a variety of purposes.  Sometimes we make jam, but neither one of us is much into toast.  We also make the aforementioned pies and wine.  All of these items also make good "payments" to landowners that are gracious enough to let us hunt or trap on their land.  It's very difficult for a landowner to say 'no' when you're holding a blackberry pie- ice cream is optional. 

 

Within a week I'll be heading out to a few wild rice haunts, too.  Wild rice is a delicacy and another way to tie myself into the hunter gatherer lifestyle.  It also goes well with the ducks that will (fingers crossed) be harvested in the fall.  Scouting for ricing gets me to areas that waterfowl LOVE and muskrats will be plentiful.  If I can find a good crop of rice, there will be a good crop of puddle ducks.

 

After ricing, the fall hunting seasons begin: grouse, squirrel, pheasant, deer, ducks, bear, and furbearers!

 

Good luck to all that practice sustainable harvesting of our renewable natural resources.