This is a shameless foraging appreciation post. It thrills me to walk through the woods and happen upon handful upon handful of beautiful food and medicine growing wild.
The land here clearly once had beautiful and deliberate orchards, long uncared for by human hand, they now grow wild, fending for themselves.
While eating lunch together a couple weeks ago, Krista spied a beautiful white fungus growing on one of the logs (on top of one we had just drilled mushroom plugs into). Aaron, our resident mushroom man looked it up and found that it is a “Piptoporus Betulinus” or the “Birch Polypore.”
It can be eaten, though it does have a rather bitter taste. More interesting, I think, are its medicinal properties. This fungus can be brewed into a tea to soothe nerves and eliminate fatigue. The birch polypore is great for boosting the immune system. It is a strong antiseptic and can be used as a bandage, promoting healing and acting as an anti inflammatory. There are some very interesting testimonies concerning its ability to not only enact speedy healing, but also to prevent scarring.
