Foraging and Gardening Goals for 2019

Dandelion leaves are very nutritious and abundant! Consider allowing them to grow in your yard and you’ll have the lowest maintenance food crop ever!

This year I have decided to pare down my goal setting just a little bit. I used to write out ten different goals for each of these categories, but I realized I wasn’t achieving even half of them. I also realized while looking over my goals for the past few years that I would write one or two larger scale general goals, and then the rest would be just about specific plants. While this isn’t a terrible way to set goals, I’ve found so many things - from weather, vacations, family growth, to other random surprises - can derail the search for growing or finding specific plants, and various things in my life kept doing just that. This year I have a new baby coming, and a smaller garden, so I figured five goals for each category would be a much more fulfilling way of going about things! We’ll see how I like that for this year and maybe next year I’ll do something different. Who knows!

The whole point of why I set these goals is so that I have some inspiration for the year going forward, not about the number of things I actually accomplish in the end or not. I hope you find some inspiration from my goals, and maybe you’ll set some of your own! If you do please let me know in the comments below because I’d love to hear about it!

---

I hear magnolia is edible, but it doesn’t grow a lot here. I’d love to try it some day since I saw so many people posting lovely things about it on their instagram feeds last year.

Foraging Goals

Learn more from the local indigenous community.

I feel really strongly that to forage ethically anywhere in North America you have to consider the fact that there is already so much history here of people and their relationship - sometimes even a spiritual relationship - to wild plants and resources. I’ve done small amounts of online research in the past, but I’d ideally love to learn more from actual people. if this is impossible I will definitely be seeking out other resources like books and museums. I feel like this is an important step as I continue to respectfully forage and explore in land that is unceded traditional Secwepemc territory.

Mushrooms

You might be thinking that you remember just reading me say that I wasn’t going to include specifics in my goals list this year, and you’d be correct, but I still want to include mushrooms as a goal of mine this year regardless. I’ve included this as a goal in my past lists, but aside from finding someone selling morels at the farmers’ market last spring, I haven’t really done much in this area. This is such a broad category that I have very little experience with, so even if I don’t end up going out and picking huge amounts to bring home and eat, I still want this to be a focus of learning for this year. One small thing I’ve been doing is to photograph and research the mushrooms I do come across, and I feel that has been a really great start. I missed my local opportunity to do a guided mushroom walk last year, so making one of those happen this fall is something I am very interested in.

With the help of the amazing Mushroom Identification group on Facebook, I think this is an old Turkey Tail mushroom that I came across last spring near the Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver, BC. Even in its old age it is still beautiful!

Fishing

I know this one is also kind of specific too, but we actually didn’t get out fishing once last year! I’m not totally sure how practical this will be now that we’re going to be a family of four, but I still want to make sure I give it a try this year. Or maybe it’s something I can delegate to Mr. Forager to go find a fishing buddy and bring back some of the delicious local trout that are abundant here! Either way I’d like to try to make it a priority to go out at least a few times this year.

Wild Staples

I definitely want to concentrate on this one more strongly this year. I am very curious about using acorns, and other plants - maybe even pine bark - to create wild flours. There are also other plans I’ve heard about but have very little experience with like cattails that are so useful and nutritious.

If you don’t want to keep dandelions in your yard consider digging up the plants rather than spraying for them. Every part of these little cheery flowers is edible from root to blossom!

Find more flavours.

This might be a bit of a catchall category, but one of the things that I have loved about this foraging journey I’ve been on is finding the new flavours of these local plants. Last year I got a chance to experiment with Douglas-fir cones, for example, and they turned out to be so delicious, and the cookies and flavoured sugar I made with them were so lovely. I’ve also been having so much fun with sumac in the kitchen, so I can’t wait to get out there and find some more delicious flavours to experiment with this year.

---

Haskap bushes in my old garden just as they start to get their leaves in the spring.

Garden Goals

Research container gardening.

If you’ve been following along with my blog over the past little while you’ll know that recently I’ve had to say goodbye to my garden of the past four seasons. This year’s garden will be a balcony one, so I am making it a priority to look into what container garden systems work best. I’ve had to consider a lot of different things so far since my deck is south facing, and there is no spigot for watering. I’ll be posting in a few weeks about the kinds of solutions we’ve come up with, and I can’t wait to share it all with you since I know I’m not the only one who would like to continue producing at least some food with only my balcony as garden space.

Research varieties that work best in small spaces and containers.

This one is very related to the above goal, but I felt it was different enough to be considered its own focus. Not only will my garden be dependent on coming up with a system that works (above goal), it will only be successful if I grow the right plants for my environment. I am actually a little bit excited about my new challenge, because I am going to get a whole lot more sun than I used to in my north facing, shady garden. I am thinking I might actually have some decent success with heat loving crops like tomatoes and peppers, and I can’t wait to see what happens!

Early spring in my old garden.

Same view, after a few months of growing.

Continue to produce food.

This goal is very important to me. I know I’m not going to be able to do this on the scale that I am used to, but I still want my garden to be a way to provide at least a little bit of food for my family. I really like working with food crops - especially heirlooms and other interesting varieties. There will always be flowers in my garden too since I want to attract lots of pollinators and beneficial insects otherwise the food crops on my balcony will struggle.

Look into Community Garden options.

I’m not sure if this is something I’ll have time for with the new baby on the way, but I do know that there are lots of community gardens in town, so I’d like to at least look into it a little bit and see what kind of commitment would be involved. I rented a community garden plot one season, and it really didn’t work out, because of the location. I wasn’t able to get there as often as I wanted, and nothing I grew there thrived. After that experience, I know now what kind of things I would grow in a community plot, and what I would keep at home. I think it might be something I could handle if I was growing garlic, rhubarb, or other things that don’t need as much daily attention.

One of my springtime harvests from last year. Lots of leafy greens!

Grow lots of herbs.

This one will be very convenient to focus on for me, since a lot of herbs do well in smaller spaces, and that’s definitely what I’ll be working with! I also think they will help create a nice environment on my balcony, and help add a little bit of biodiversity to my other plants. This is one of the easiest ways I can still grow things to eat as well, since snipping some herbs from the balcony and bringing them right in to my kitchen is so easy. I’m excited about this goal, and am planning to cultivate a large collection!

Calendula blossoms harvested from my garden last summer.

How to Plan a Garden

This post might be more accurately titled "How to Plan a Garden if you are Me and You Have Cabin Fever and You Are Dreaming of Spring and Can't Wait to Get Planting So You Do Whatever You Can To Feel Like You Are Doing Some Gardening", but the title I used is catchier, so I went with that instead.  You might remember that one of my garden goals for this year was to plan more, and if my followthrough for this goal is any indicator for the rest of them, I think this is going to be a very good year!

There are so many different ways to plan a garden, and if what I have done doesn't get you excited for the spring season, then don't worry about copying my method!  I think that making a plan in general is important, but what is most helpful to each of you is going to be different, and each season might be different as well.  I'd love to see what you come up with - let me know in the comments or link to any blog posts you might have done on the topic.  I'm always looking for new ideas to try. 

This type of garden plan (above) is what I have been doing the past few years.  It's not an exact version of my garden layout because I wanted it all to fit on one page, and my space is rather long and narrow, so I shortened some of the walkways and in-between spaces to make it fit.  The gardening areas are somewhat to scale, though.  I find this type of plan overall most helpful since it gives you a birds eye view of your space and hopefully will clue you in to any problems.  For example, I am probably going to have some issues with the amount of tomatoes I want to start vs. the amount of space I have to put them.  We have some plans this year to add a few more raised beds to hopefully alleviate that issue.  Last year they were too cramped and didn't produce well.

Keep in mind the areas of your garden that get the most light, and where any hot spots are.  My first year in this space I planted my broccoli in completely the wrong spot, and it got totally baked.  I figured any spot would be ok for them to go since in my north facing garden there is only the bare minimum of what would be considered "full sun", but I didn't realize how intense the heat and light were concentrated in some specific areas.  Now I put peppers and other heat loving things in those spots.  Also be aware of the shade areas you have, and think of creative ways to use them.  I have mostly "part shade" and even some "full shade" spots, so I have planted a lot of herbs, and plan to add some other understory plants.  The area you see above that is all herbs is actually covered by a deck above, but it still works for things like mint, chives, and parsley.  I've been thinking of adding some fiddlehead producing ferns there this year, and I have wondered if Oregon grape might work there too since I usually see it in the forest as an understory type plant.  It's native to the area as well, so I have a feeling it might do well there.  

As part of my planning this year, I was inspired by Lavender and Leeks to draw out what my garden will look like visually.  This isn't quite as practical as doing the birds eye view layout, but I really enjoyed the process, and it helped me think about what the space would look like aesthetically.  I also realized that in my drawing I forgot a few things that I planned to do like tuck in nasturtiums between all the brassicas.  These are also not to scale, and in some cases I shortened the space between the raised beds so things would fit on one page together.  I also realized I draw almost all my vines the same as each other, and that some of these plants are really hard to draw from memory.  I thought I knew what they all looked like (and for sure I can recognize most garden plants from sight), but there is something different about knowing them when you have to try and draw them.  I want to try that a bit more this year and really get to know the plants I am growing.  Mr. Forager had an amazing idea that I should make garden colouring pages for Little Forager, and I think I will!  I also think I might offer them as some sort of printable here on the blog!  

Hopefully you found this inspiring, or at least interesting.  I really enjoyed the whole process, and it helped to work out some of my garden dreams on paper while I still can't get outside and make them happen in the dirt.

I'd love to see what you all come up with for your garden plans.  Make sure you let me know in the comments!  I'd love to hear your ideas and get some new ones to try as well!  

Gardening and Foraging Goals for 2018

Foraging Goals

1. Learn More

I don't think this goal will ever leave my list.  There is so much to explore in this world that even if I got to live several lifetimes I wouldn't even scratch the surface.  This year I am making it an extra priority to find workshops, books, and other resources.  If anyone reading this has something they find valuable, please let me know in the comments!  I would love to know what has been useful to you.

2. Mushrooms

My plan for this year is to get a good field guide, and head out to find what I know is supposed to be growing in my area.  I have a few ideas of where to start looking, but I am not amazingly confident in my ability to ID.  Thankfully I have a few resources for this, and after getting a field guide I think that will help a lot.  

3. Medicinal Herbs

I know a few already, and have used them to great effect in the few salves I made last year. This year I'd like to know even more, and to make greater use of them.

4. Evergreens

I really loved the taste of the evergreen tips I gathered last year, so I'd like to use them more.  I want to be more confident on my tree identification as well.  I am reasonably sure of a few of them, but I hope to make this more of an area of expertise over the coming year.  You might have noticed so far that a lot of these goals have to do with the first one I said.  "Learning more" might be the theme for the year.  I'd also really like to learn more uses for evergreens than just using their new growth in the spring.  According to Euell Gibbons, the whole of the pine tree is edible, so I'm interested in exploring that more.

5. Fishing

If you have been reading this blog for any amount of time, you will know that I have terrible luck with fishing.  We have quite a few factors against us, but I'd like to get a few of those out of the way this year.  Maybe we will get some sort of boat.  Or even just getting someone to watch Little Forager more often so we can get out will help.  Also not having a wildfire season like last year would be a big bonus in terms of getting outside.

6. Wild Remedies

I've had great success with the salves, and bath soaks I have made so far with wild remedies such as dandelion, and yarrow.  I want to get to know a few more beneficial "weeds" and really make use of them this year.  

7. Orach

This one should be super easy, since there is SO MUCH of it growing even in just our back yard.  Last year it got away from me, though and I barely used any of it.  It seemed like such a waste at the time, so I want to make a greater effort with using it this year.  My landlord might also be happy about that since it grows so thick in the yard it blocks their access to the kids' play area if they don't stay on top of it!

8. Wild Culinary Herbs

I've been inspired by others who have really got to know the flavours of their terroir, so to speak.  I feel that I don't know what that might be for me, but I am interested to find out.

9. Wild Lettuce

This is another one that is absolutely rampant in my yard and garden.  I didn't realize last year until it was all overgrown and not nice to eat anymore.  This year I want to keep a better eye out and use it when it is young.

10. Wild Staples

This year I am also hoping to get to know some wild foods that could be more of a dietary staple.  It's unlikely that I'll be replacing my wheat flour with acorn meal, but I want to get a better handle on what those foods are, and how to use them to some extent.

---

Gardening Goals
 

1. Get a Head Start

This spring my goal is to get working on what I planned, but was financially unable to complete last year.  We have half the structure built for mini poly tunnels over a few of the raised beds, but that's as far as we got.  I am planning to get a jump on the season this year, since where my garden is located is not the most ideal.  It takes a long time for the soil to warm up, so things germinate late, and then when the weather gets really going they often get sunburnt and bolt.  

2. Try Some New Varieties

I don't have a specific plan at the moment, but I am always looking for some new, and interesting plants to try out!  I have my eye on some perennial vegetables to include this year.  Ever heard of perennial cabbage?  I hadn't until last week!  There are so many options and it's really exciting to consider them all!

3. Use the Herb Garden More

I hope that everything survives this winter, and that the plants really take off for me in the spring.  Last year I had to replant almost everything, so that was a disappointment.  I mulched well this year, so hopefully it's all doing well under the snow right now.  I have plans for so much pesto, herbs in my salads and smoothies, and bunches of dried herbs in the fall!

4. Overwinter

I tried to keep a few plants alive by bringing them inside over the winter.  Some have done well, and others didn't make it at all.  My citrus tree is still alive, as are several paprika pepper plants.  I also brought in one Malabar spinach to see if it would survive, and so far so good!  My plan to root tomato cuttings kind of failed, but I think one of the cuttings brought some blight in with it and didn't make it.  I really like these kinds of experiments.  

5. Cabbage and Other Brassicas

I've had very minimal success with these types of plants, so this year I plan to really focus on them.  Maybe this is the year I will be able to grow my own cauliflower!

6. Onions

This is another one that I have had limited success with in the past.  I did put in a patch of bunching onions (perennial) last year and that helped a lot. I really like eating onions, so to have ones I've grown myself would be just so amazing!

7. Jerusalem Artichoke

I really, REALLY love eating these.  Some may jokingly call them "Fartichokes" (and this is a reputation they have well earned), but they are so incredibly delicious.  The reason they give you gas when you aren't used to eating them is because they are actually full of good probiotics, so they are good for your gut health.  They are also a native plant to North America, and I love the idea of cultivating more of these plants in my garden.

8. Squash and Melons

Every year with these I think "this is the year"!  And hopefully this one actually is.  Farmers in the area grow these beautiful squash, melons, and cucumbers, but I have had really bad luck (except with volunteers the past couple years).  I have a few ideas on how to extend my season and get the soil warmer for them.  Hopefully the plants I start this year will thrive!

9. Perennial Vegetables

I love the idea of perennial vegetables.  I have some berry bushes and a rhubarb plant, and it's so much fun to see the harvests get bigger and bigger from them as they get established.  I have been looking into a few options that are not usually just for dessert, though.  I got the idea to look into this when I realized that there were perennial onions (and I got some from a neighbour) so now I am curious to know what other low maintenance, perennial vegetables I can add to my garden.

10. Grow Enough to Give

This was one of my goals from last year that I was successful with.  I think it's another one that I want to keep around since I have enjoyed it so much.  If you missed reading last year's goals, basically many people in my Church bring their excess garden produce to they Church and leave it in the foyer for whoever needs or wants some to take home with them. I have been the beneficiary of this free mini market many times, so last year I wanted to try to contribute something myself.  I was able to bring several bunches of herbs, snd I loved it so much I want to try to be able to bring something every year!