Hairypods!

   Earlier this week, I headed to the pier to toss over some shrimp hulls.  We throw these out for the bull minnows as a nice snack.  They get their fill from the tidbits left in the hulls and I do not have to dispose of the things in any other way.  It is a win/win situation with both parties happy.  Anyway, as I headed back up the pier, I noticed that the end post was completely covered with vines.  My first thought was that this was a Saltmarsh Morning Glory but when I got closer, I realized that I was mistaken.  There were lots of (unopened) buds that were far to small plus they were yellow.  The leaves were different, as well.  On closer inspection, I realized that this plant had been blooming for a while because it was covered with 4 inch long "peas"!  Alrighty!  This needed to be identified.  I snatched off a few pods and headed to the house.

  A bit of research gave me a clear idea of the plant.  This was a Hairypod Cowpea Vine!  Oh, my goodness...the more I read...the more interesting the vine proved to be!  These things are edible!  Not only can you eat the peas but the pods and flowers are edible and all are a good source of protein and provide vitamins A and C.  I understand why people prefer the other "cowpeas" (think crowder, blackeyed, pinkeyed and purple hull) as they are much larger and, hence, easier to shell.  Still, I find the Hairypods interesting and I am eager to try them as a food source.

  That said, this one plant will never provide enough to feed the three folks living in the Little Bayou House so I needed to do a bit of planning.  Every day, I have been gathering the dried pods to save the seeds.  Once I get plenty, they will be dried and stored for this next spring.  Then...my hairypod cowpeas shall find a new home in the garden plots and I shall not have to forage for them down where the cottonmouths reign.  Hopefully, this native plant will do well and provide us with "free food".  It is simply amazing how we as a species have forgotten how to live off the land.  There are not many who wish to eat something literally growing in the marsh!  Most folks are not game to try things unless it comes from a store....stores that sell a lot of things that we should NOT be consuming. Foraging is not a bad thing, at all!

The Bayou Provides

   While life on a bayou is probably not for everyone, it seems to be perfect for me.  Most would rather be highly involved with their social lives and the hubbub that comes with it.  Again...not me.  I prefer the solitude that I can find here even to the point that I let the land and bayou provide for most of my needs.  While the garden is in a lull due to a recent drought, the water is teeming with "foodstuffs".  That is where I am spending the bulk of my time...on the pier.  Mullet, drumfish, redfish, trout, flounders and crabs are all within reach and shrimp!...yes, shrimp are plentiful this year!  A massive influx of shrimp this far from the salty Gulf is rare so all of the locals are taking full advantage of the occurrence!  We are throwing the net just about every waking hour and are filling freezers for future use.  Free food is always good.

  A thought bleeped through the brain yesterday as I was hauling in yet another netful of shrimp.  What in the world is this old lady with a bad heart doing down here on the pier?  I think I am pushing my strength to the limits this summer.  Just last week, after a great checkup with my doctor, I got the orders to "Just keep doing whatever you are doing as it seems to be paying off in great ways with your health."  I wonder if Doc knows that I am spending hours at a time throwing a net from the pier?  Still...I shall follow Doc's orders and keep doing what I am doing.  If nothing else, I shall eat good!  *Just a note here...yes, that is my gloved hand holding the shrimp to show the size.  I normally do not wear gloves but after throwing the net close to a hundred times each day, my hands were taking a beating.  Bleeding fingers are not a good thing. The gloves have come into use!

Our Geese Fly West

  You often hear of the migration of Canadian Geese.  Come winter months, the geese will fly south seeking a warmer climate where food is plentiful.  Then, come spring, they make the long flight back northward to nest and raise their broods.  It has been this way forever but, then, people got in the way and caused a bit of confusion, to say the least.  Canadian Geese were once a prime source of food for a lot of folks.  Because of their size and the sheer numbers (at the time), the geese were hunted to near extinction.  Alas!  People figured out a little late that their over-hunting was causing them a lack of hunting targets...the geese.  That said...something HAD to be done to remedy the situation.  The bright idea of captive hatching of goose eggs was the solution.  Yes.  It did solve the problem of the missing geese but the people doing the hatching merely released the young geese wherever they were hatched.   That was the beginning a problem for the geese and people who do not like geese pooping on their pristine lawns.

  Geese, like other migratory birds, do not automatically have it ingrained in their heads that they need to start a migration.  Migration is a learned deed and not instinctual.  Young birds follow what their parents do.  So when the elder birds take flight to avoid spending winter where food may become scarce, the juveniles follow.  The captive bred and released birds have no parents to follow so they stay where they were "planted".  No problem...except the birds are prolific when not faced with hunters shooting them.  Now people are complaining that there are too many geese when it is actually that the geese are just staying put in the only homes they have ever known.  No one taught them to migrate!  Yep, they do congregate in large flocks.  They do poop on the pretty, green grass.  They are loud, bossy and hungry all of the time.  In spite of all of that, they are pretty and rather interesting to watch.

  Here, we have resident geese.  Occasionally, a pair will attempt to nest in the marshes of the Bayou but, usually, their attempts are met with disaster as there are far too many predators roaming those same marshes.  The geese choose a slightly more inland nesting grounds around the many ponds, lakes and rivers.  Each year, the flocks grow in size and the birds appear to be healthy.  To answer the question as to why our geese fly west, we only have to understand just what is west of the Bayou.  Not far down the shoreline, there is a haven for wildlife better known as my cousin's yard.  Michelle feeds hundreds of geese and ducks that flock there twice each day.  She puts out enough grain for them, deer, raccoons and any other critters that might be hungry.  So, you see, our geese fly west to feast upon free food...I don't blame them!  Just because the geese do not have the instinctual habit of migrating north does not mean that they are stupid!  They just migrate where the food is!   Now you know!

A New Snack!

  On my hikes about the hillside and down to the creek bed, I can usually find a ready snack on the trail.  Blackberries, huckleberries, wild blueberries, wild persimmons all grow along the marsh edge and in the woods.  I have no qualms about grabbing a handful of these as a handy snack but I admit to being leery of just trying any fruit I see.  That old saying of better safe than sorry rings true.  Today, however, I was happy to find a new snack albeit a sour one to add to my hiking pleasure.  Sparkle berries!  I had never heard of such until a friend (who I have never met!) mentioned finding them on a hike.  Well, if there is a berry that grows here and is edible, I needed to find it, right?  So...I searched.  In fact, I have been searching for weeks and was in hopes that I would find some before they all dried up and fell from the bush or were all eaten by critters.

  This afternoon, my quest was accomplished!  I found my sparkle berries!  Sure, they looked a bit dry and there were only a few left on the bush but, hey, they were there!  But...as I said earlier, I am leery of trying things without a positive identification.  So, I sent a photograph to my friend and the berries were confirmed to be sparkle berries.  The confirmation came with a lot of pointers on how to identify the berries so I feel quite confident in tasting them.  Tomorrow, the berries will be put to a taste test despite warnings from my friend.  "They are tart!"  My whole thought is that if the berries are there next year, a batch of sparkle berry jelly should be attempted! 

  Still, regardless of the fact that the sparkle berries may not be as tasty as the huckleberries, I think it is a wise move to learn what is edible and what is not.  Ha!  If I ever get lost on a hike around the Bayou, I will survive!  Snacks abound!  Free food for the taking!