Johann's Garden

T here is something liberating about being involved in the harvest of food.  Even if I can't produce enough for a year round supply, it still feels good to harvest an animal that was raised under conditions that were humane and with techniques that contribute minimal stress to the animal.  Setting out to do something like this can be intimidating, but if you take a step back for a realistic look you will remember that people have been around harvesting and eating food for as long as they have been in existence.  The fact that a large part of the human population is now no longer involved with the process of harvesting and processing plants and animals into food does not mean we have lost the capability to do so if we just put forth a bit of effort.  Sheep having a hay day. I honestly do get most of my food from the grocery store.  However, I am fortunate to have access to land where I can raise sheep.  Therefore if I want lamb I do not need to buy it ...

I was just outside planting my new aronia berry plant, and waiting for one of my pregnant Jacob ewes to give birth when I noticed something strange in the grass under the weeping willow tree... I've seen a lot of mushrooms popping up here and there lately, but they don't tend to catch my interest like this one. This one was different. It was quite unlike any mushroom I had ever seen before. At first glance I noticed the cap of the mushroom had a shredded appearance. That in itself made for an interesting look, but there was more to it than that. Not only did it look shredded by nature, but it was wet. I'm not talking about rain or dew wet either. There was black liquid actually dripping from it. Liquid so black it looked like tar. While I crouched down to watch the mushroom I was able to witness multiple droplets of pure blackness fall off and stain the ground below. I can't even begin to guess what purpose this black liquid serves. It didn't seem to be harm...