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“He may be just a tramp, a guy that likes to roam about this great country without any special aim, just to thank the Lord for these beautiful mountains.”
-B. Traven, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

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“. . .here, where there are still the silences and the loneliness of the earth before man, . . .”

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Recently Read
- Eating Poison Oak
- Slippery Rock Stagecoach Road (19th Century)
- Carrizo Tom
- Mono Narrows Camp
- Fish Falls, Santa Ynez Mountains
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- Oil and Animals in the Santa Barbara Channel
- The Storied Life of Davy Brown (Davy Brown Campground, Santa Barbara County)
- Don Victor Valley and Pine Canyon
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Latest Dispatches
- Raking the Forest: Anderson, Trump, Kuyper
- Initials of J.D. Reyes (1907)
- Last California Grizzlies Seen In Santa Barbara National Forest? (1926)
- Eccentric Artifact, San Marcos Foothills Preserve
- Fog Drip Morels
- Naming Santa Barbara’s Modoc Road
- Mark of Conquest; Benchmark and Mortar
- Hat Tip to the Selfless Samaritans In Service to Others
- The Intelligence of Coyote Tobacco (Nicotiana attenuata)
- The Journey of a Root (1907) and Plant Intelligence
- Santa Barbara County Morels
- Hollyleaf Cherries Golden Morph
- Barefoot Prints In Volcanic Ash, Hawaii (1790)
- Skinny-Dipper Detained, Cuffed and Cited at Montecito Hot Springs
- Red Horny Toad
Lunar Phase

Tag Archives: Wildcrafting
Gooseberry Wildcraft
California gooseberry illustration from Pacific Rural Press (1873). “The California wild gooseberry, red variety (Ribes menziesii), is certainly a desirable variety, and is said to be superior to crabapples for jellies, etc. The plant is exceedingly ornamental when loaded with … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Backpacking, Camping, Foraging, Gooseberries, Hiking, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Outdoors, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wildcrafting
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11 Comments
Hericium Hunt: Days Late and Feet Short
A hericium or “Lion’s Mane” mushroom growing on an oak tree, circled in red. With the first rain of the season some weeks ago the countdown had begun until the opening harvest of mushroom season. One week passed. It may … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Foraging, Fungus, Hericium, Hiking, Lion's Mane, Los Padres National Forest, Mushrooms, Santa Ynez Mountains, Wild Edibles, Wildcrafting
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2 Comments
Mussel Harvest At Low Tide: Modern Man, Ancient Practice
It’s been 80 degrees the last few days; winter in Santa Barbara. The negative low tides of winter offer a great chance to get the kids out on the beach exploring tide pools and instill in them a curiosity and … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Beach, Chumash, Foraging, History, Indians, iPhoneography, Mussels, Nature, Ocean, Seafood, Wildcrafting, Writing
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4 Comments
Oyster Mushrooms
Wind carved tunnel through soft sandstone. We spent yesterday morning wambling our way through the brush, up a shady wet canyon and back down the canyon, up an adjacent exposed sunny ridge over and down again the same canyon. Over … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Foraging, Hiking, Mushrooms, Nature, Oyster Mushrooms, Wildcrafting
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1 Comment













