u/Alamismo

Also, I sold a bunch of pawpaw goodies at the Arrow Rock Heritage Festival in Missouri!!

The event is nearly over (ends at 16:00), but if you're in the Kansas City area & would like to try my fudge & jam, hit me up!!

Usually, my family & I would visit Buca where we enjoy my 2 coupons for my birthday. This year, I'm not sure my mom & brother would be up for it.

I prefer a single Christian lady who is around 30 (I'm a single 30-yo Christian man), but that's not a requirement.

I was going to go off on grievances of being alone, but it was quickly turning into a therapy-dump, so I won't bother you with all that.

Let me know in the comments if you're interested!!

In Iowa, I found an elderberry bush that had me turn around twice so I could park right by it on the road. I quickly picked the clusters (or whatever they're called) so I could process later. Before camping in Wisconsin, I grabbed some apple cider vinegar from Red Wing, MN & a jar from Ace Hardware so I could macerate the berries. It took me 2 hours or so to separate all the berries from the stems & then wash them. I will strain this here at home & make elderberry balsamic vinegar.

In Wisconsin, I picked roadside apples & wild plums after getting cheese in Benoit. I then visited Madeline Island where I snacked on mostly shriveled wild blueberries (that area has been in a bad drought) & blackberries!! I camped at Herbster where I had snacked on red raspberries by the beach (wish I took a pic of that). Here in Missouri, our black raspberries are done in June.

In Minnesota, I feasted on even more red raspberries at Gooseberry Falls State Park!! Then in Jay Cooke State Park, I found lobster of the woods in a trail next to where I camped!! I plan on cooking these tomorrow. There were more, but they got too old.

During the journey, I felt like Johnny Appleseed, for in 4 places (Madeline Island & Amnicon Falls State Park in WI, Split Rock Lighthouse [maybe, don't remember] & Jay Cooke in MN) I would plant wild plum seeds for the next generation to enjoy. In Amnicon Falls, I also planted a few blueberry seeds from a couple moldy blueberries I got from Rabideaux Orchard in Bayfield. Hopefully they all grow!!

I left last Monday for Lake Superior to celebrate my 30th birthday in great weather & excellent scenery. The food was nice, too. While I definitely enjoyed myself, it's always good to be home.

I hate this hot summer weather, but at least our winters aren't as bad as theirs. Plus, we have pawpaws & persimmons!! Did any of y'all vacation away from the heat last week?

I plan on taking a spur-of-the-moment vacation to southwest Lake Superior to beat the heat (will be 100°+ in KCMO!!) & would like to know which spot has great foraging.

Background story/context time:

I broke my left foot on June 14th when I got thrown off my motor scooter (some would call a Vespa). I am now almost fully healed, but not able to go back to work just yet. I live with my mom (my dad died last month) & brother, so I don't have any bills (car & student loans paid off). This means I still have money left in the bank.

I have a side gig I'm still able to do where I forage for various fruits (pawpaws, persimmons, elderberry, etc) & some herbs, which I then use to make various goods that I sell at events & farmers markets. I even make my own maple syrup!! The 2nd pic shows my booth from Arrow Rock Heritage Festival in Missouri last year.

Now I'm looking for nice places to camp, gather fruits/mushrooms, & visit scenic areas where I can ride my bike while taking in the splendor of Lake Superior.

I'm unsure if I'll be able to get this opportunity again in the foreseeable future, so that's why I'm making these plans now.

So, to those who live in the mentioned areas, what do y'all got? I'd also like to bring some of my goods to your area if there are any selling/trading opportunities!!

Howdy, I live near Kansas City, MO. It will be 100° here on my birthday (Wednesday). I've been researching where it will be cooler, & I found your area that has perfect weather this week.

Pair that with the wonderful scenery I have yet to see in my life, just northeast of Duluth, & now I'm very tempted to visit.

I broke my left foot on June 14th when I got thrown off my motor scooter (some would call a Vespa). I am now almost fully healed, but not able to go back to work just yet. I live with my mom (my dad died last month) & brother, so I don't have any bills (car & student loans paid off). This means I still have money left in the bank.

I have a side gig I'm still able to do where I forage for various fruits (pawpaws, persimmons, elderberry, etc) & some herbs, which I then use to make various goods that I sell at events & farmers markets. I even make my own maple syrup!! If I can find a place where I can just show up & sell (like I did this year in Madrid, NM), that would be amazing.

If not, that's fine. What I really want are nice places to camp at & scenic areas where I can ride my bike while taking in the splendor of Lake Superior's cliffs. If y'all know of any pockets where I won't have to sift through crowds of tourists, let me know!!

I'm unsure if I'll be able to get this opportunity again in the foreseeable future, so that's why I'm making these plans now.

Our event is from now until 12:00 on 10th Street & just South of Main, next to the Police Station.

I got maple syrup, elderberry goods, garlic, blackberry rhubarb orange jelly, root beer, & more!!

Initially, I thought this was a great idea, & I believe I executed it well given what little resources I had.

Well, I posted my build on r/vegetablegardening, & the responses have been quite mixed, with more comments leaning toward "this was a had idea, it will fail quickly & be a slug/rodent haven while it's standing."

There was actually a kind gal who thought my build was so bad, she's gifting me a couple of galvanized steel beds from Amazon!! Then she recommended I either use the boards for something else, or give them away.

Which leads me to here. I'm based near Kansas City, MO & am wondering if any of y'all who are from this metro would have a use for redwood cedar lumber. If so, please DM me!! The boards are 4' & 8' long, on average.

I picked this spot b/c it has the least dappled shade in my backyard. It will get some morning & evening shade, but the time it's sunny is completely unobstructed.

& yes, I was heavy on the wood. My dad (who passed away last month) wanted me to get rid of it b/c he thought we would never use it. Well, while I have time on my hands (not working due to breaking my foot in June), I decided to build this bed out of that thin redwood cedar that sat in a pile at 4 different houses. I nailed each board with a Brad nail gun, each corner, each median, at least twice. The bottom boards have long screws holding the base together.

Hopefully this structure won't weaken or have the bottom blown out like at least 2 of the other raised beds my dad built. Next step is to line this with landscaping cloth, then fill it in.

I LOVE Mammoth Basil!! Most of this bunch came from 1 plant, with the rest being from 2 other plants. I have never had enough to make pesto until now.

I used to grow Genovese, but it would always flower before I got around to harvesting.

I plan on divying these out into pint jars to then sell at the Farmer's Market. It's 1 of the few things that have been successful this year, although the cucumber beetles are starting to attack them. Seems like I've been getting a pest for nearly every type of plant I have this year (except for umbelliferae & solanaceae).

For green beans, I found that the trick is to just plant a lot of them. I think the seed packet spacing is wrong, green beans need more than 4 inches of space, as they grow quite big.

Howdy, I visited your amazing city back in May when I traveled the Santa Fe Trail from Kansas City (where I live). I made the road trip in a successful effort to complete the geotour which got me a lovely coin.

As much as I want to post about the rest of my trip, including Cimarron Canyon, Raton, & other spots, I'll keep this post about SF for relevance.

When I 1st entered the city, I basically brushed past it b/c I had a farmer's market in Madrid to be a vendor at. Madrid is such a neat place, it's sad I didn't get to explore it all due to me being the only guy manning my own booth.

Afterward, I head to downtown [while the sun set] where I stock up on food (trying to buy as locally authentic as I could) & a blanket for camping near the mountain top just east of downtown. Just now, as I was going through my receipts, I found out that y'all have no grocery tax!! Never in my life have I seen a receipt with no tax on food.

I then camp at Santa Fe Ski for free (another blessing of your city), all cozy in my hammock with my new blanket I got on discount from Sierra. I then cruise down the mountain, mostly in neutral, taking in the fantastic scenery that I wasn't able to get the night before as it was too dark. I park at Fort Marcy, nab a SFGT cache, then head to their recreation complex to take a needed shower.

From there, I grab breakfast at Lota Burger as was recommended to me by a Natural Grocers employee. I then bike to the shopping district where I browsed for hours, buying nothing as everything was WAY too expensive. I then nab another cache, visit the NM State Capitol, buy spices at Santa Fe Spice & Chile Co, then drive to get my tire pumped.

I got hungry & was torn on where to go, so I called that spice shop to ask where the best authentic NM restaurant is. I got my answer, & head right back to Pantry Rio next door to the spice shop where I ate the best Mexican style dish I've ever had: beef stuffed sopapilla with red sauce.

From there, I had to continue my geotour & head my way to Geowoodstock, so I nabbed the last 2 caches which were in & by the Museum District. From there, I said my goodbyes & headed south/east toward Pecos National Historic Park.

So in conclusion, I was very impressed when I visited. There were a couple things I wish I could have done, but I honestly didn't have the time to. 1 was visiting Spence Hot Springs (forgot), the other is buying piñon nuts from a vendor in a van (didn't know it was a local specialty). If I come back, I'm getting a lot more of that green chile pork from the lady in Madrid, hunt for a couple more geocaches on top of Ski Santa Fe, & will absolutely smash another plate of that sopapilla!!

I have several of these in my back yard. I'm trying to keep a native diverse habitat, but also want plants that are useful.

I found these to be edible & have been used by native Americans, but I have no recipe ideas.

This was a big day for me. 2 months ago, I woke up after barely sleeping in my hammock, then car after I couldn't take the cold night anymore. I take a walk around & just like the day before, I was amazed that there was flowing water in drought-stricken New Mexico!! After spending at least a couple hours here, taking in the beauty, I head west.

I visit Eagle's Nest where I see snow covered mountains in the distance, which was a huge surprise in May. It was also quite cold. I was not prepared to freeze near Memorial Day, haha. I then continue on Hwy 64 where I had my head on a swivel, taking in all the views I could, from the shrinking lake, to mountains, to prairie dogs!!

I then stop by a roadside park in Taos Canyon where I biked some of South Boundary trail to nab a couple of unique D/T caches & take in some amazing views. I stop for a quick lunch in Taos, then start heading south, for I had a farmer's market to attend.

I stop by a Visitor's Center where I snacked on golden currant berries, then drove almost straight to Madrid, taking in views of the Rio Grande, Camel Rock, some badlands, & Cerrillos Hills.

Finally, I'm in Madrid, where I set up shop as a vendor (Forager's Delight) for their little Farmer's Market. We got very few customers, but I still had a nice time bartering, & I made a little under $200 total, though that included selling a jar of my garlic pesto to a ranger in Cimarron Canyon. I was so glad that Refinery 14 charged no fees for vendors, & that I got to see such an... interesting... community.

I then head to Santa Fe Natural Grocers for water & NM local groceries (or so I thought), Sierra for a blanket, & Sprouts for more unique local treats (& a stick of deodorant). I then slowly drove up to Ski Santa Fe Campground (10,000' elevation) in complete darkness. I tell you what, that blanket I got on a bargain came in handy that night, for it dipped down to 36°F. I was cozy in my hammock, so I got a pretty good sleep, which will be helpful for the next day's journey!!

I was going very slow behind a semi as we both struggled up a mountain together on I-25. We curved around, & I was finally in New Mexico!! Shortly after, I went barreling down that mountain toward Raton. I decided to go through the town instead of staying on the interstate. Excellent choice.

There, I found a western aparrel store where I got 2 shirts & a band for my hat. It cost over $130, but it was worth it, honestly. I then searched for a good spot to eat & found a small burrito place inside a liquor store. Those burritos were better than most Mexican food I've had in all of the Kansas City metro, haha.

Next, I find my 1st New Mexican cache (Raton Pass Area)!! It was here where I found out that New Mexico is even windier than west Kansas, which is saying a lot. I then visit Whittington Center, America's largest shooting facility (IIRC) where I got a mug, a tiny steel cup, & some soap, namely b/c purchases there have no sales tax.

I then head to Cimarron, where I nabbed that cache, visited the Scouting Museum, nabbed Rayado, saw the Tooth of Time, then started looking for a good camp spot. Boy, did I find it!!

I 1st visited Ponderosa campground, thought it was quite pretty, then decided to bike to Maverick Campground across the road. It was even more majestic, so I biked back, packed up, & settled in at Maverick. The stargazing there was unmatched!! It was here where I learned that New Mexico can get pretty chilly, even in May.

For the 1st time in my life, I set foot in Colorado!! Most of the SFGT caches here were in East CO, which felt more like west Kansas. I will say though, it still felt different than Kansas, a little better climate-wise.

It was here & in Kansas that I saw the impacts of the drought, especially with the shrinking John Martin Reservoir. It still surprised me that I saw plants & wildflowers that were still living, thriving even, & not just in the Arkansas River.

The good part, though, was during a long drive from Bent's Old Fort to Trinidad & seeing the Rocky Mountains for the 1st time ever. I was amazed when I finally reached Trinidad, seeing the majesty of the mountains fairly close by.

After nabbing Baca-Bloom House (which was closed when I arrived, so I had to hop the gate), I drove to the top of Simpson's Rest where I took in the amazing sunset. I played Colorado - Sam Burchfield at I drove back down the small mountain.

Afterward, I found out I couldn't camp there, & the only 2 camping options in the area were way too expensive ($30+ for primitive sites). So I caved & slept in a motel, which was actually pretty nice for being $46, plus I was able to rechill/refreeze everything for the farmer's market event I was traveling to Santa Fe for.

Next morning, I packed everything & visited Fishers Peak State Park where I rode the loop of their MTB trail. I loved it & wished I could have gone close to the peak, but I didn't have the time, I had a solid itinerary. This was my 1 MTB ride that I was able to POV record.

Up next: New Mexico!!

PS: this was back in May.

I embarked on the SFGT in May, starting on the 15th. I wanted to start posting about this on July 15th or earlier, but I forgot/procrastinated.

This here is about Kansas, where the majority of the caches on the geotour are. While boring, it was kind of neat seeing the change in both climate & terrain, going from the Flint Hills to the High Plains. Not really much else to write about, except there were a couple of cool experiences such as the Santa Fe Trail Museum in Larned, 2 or more rock outcroppings where you can stand on top & see for miles, Dodge City, & discovering Maverik gas station. Also, near Cimarron KS, I camped at a rest stop in a foldable cot I bought for cheap at an estate sale near where I live (eastern KCMO metro).

I will make at least 1 more post today covering the Colorado portion. On this day 2 months ago, I was in New Mexico, where I was really enjoying the tour. After some catchup, I will cover the tour day by day.

So this year had a rough start. What wasn't dug up by squirrels or nibbled away by other animals was eaten by bugs (such as pillbugs & SVB). I planted hundreds of green beans, only for a few to pop up & then disappear (most likely by a rabbit); I recently threw away a squash vine that got destroyed by SVBs; & only 2 of the 5 loofahs I planted are growing now.

My 2nd round of green beans are leafing out very well (new seed is my guess, the others were 2+ years old), my tomatoes that survived the constant attacks from squirrels are getting big, my cucumbers are finally taking off, & I had a pretty decent pineberry harvest.

But so far, my best accomplishment this year is my garlic bounty. Last year, I had them planted too close together, & I forgot to take their bulbil heads off. So this year, I spaced them at least 4 inches apart, then snapped off every scape as they started bolting. Now we should have enough garlic for a year (I might even sell some)!!

Now to find a way to accelerate the growth of some of my plants (especially the peppers) that still look like seedlings (even though I started them in March)...

So this was from last week, but I tend to procrastinate with posting.

I picked about a pound of chanterelles when I went on a camping trip to Eminence, MO. It was some of the most difficult foraging I have ever done in my life, especially when dealing with a hillside in 80°+ humid forest air.

The 1st foray (3rd pic) was at Stockton Lake when I was geocaching. The last foray (1st & 2nd pic) are from the camp I stayed at.

I cleaned them all off & have them chopped up in the freezer. I plan on using it up when making my weekly breakfast casseroles.

Also, while down there, I filtered & drank from Alley Spring (4th pic), whose water is always chilly, even in June/July.

As I'm typing, I still have at least 3 weeks to go before I can walk normally again. Hopefully I'll be partially able to catch the Mayapples & plums, & should be fully able to enjoy pawpaw season (Lord willing). Until then, I will be relying on my hand-free knee crutch for basic gathering (such as picking from a roadside blackberry patch).