I just received a package filled with handcrafted treats from my home town in Yellowknife, NT Canada. Unbeknownst to me, as I was writing a post on steemit last week titled: "The Many Surprising and Practical Uses of Birch Trees"a parcel was making it's way to me that contained some of the very items I was writing about.
Yellowknife, the capital city of the Northwest Territories, Canada, is located on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, approximately 400 km south of the Arctic Circle. Formerly famous as a mining town it is a growing city that's managed to cling onto its small town vibe. The North has a way of attracting adventurous and creative spirits. The land of the midnight sun is an interesting place to live. The summers are short but the sun never goes down. The winters are extreme and intense but it's pretty fun to be able to drive your F150 across the very same lake you boat on in the summer. For those that care to appreciate it, nature is at your doorstep. Yellowknife still holds a piece of my heart, I owe a lot to that place ... although it is -34c with wind chill today and I don't miss that.
The Dettah Winter Road (Also known as the Great Slave Lake)
So .. yes, I got this amazing parcel from a dear friend and I am sitting here tasting and touching all of it as I write this. We haven't seen each other since we tearfully said goodbye when I was leaving the North to come build our homestead. Across the miles we are still connected. We often think of the same things at the same time. ♥
Yellowknife has an abundance of birch trees and they thrive in the cold dry climate of the North. I've always taken birch syrup for granted until I tried making it myself. It's not difficult to tap trees, or make syrup but it is VERY time consuming. This little bottle represents a lot of labour. We will thoroughly enjoy every drop.
I also wrote about harvesting the chaga mushroom from birch trees to make a healing tea. Chaga is said to have: antioxidant, anti ageing & immunity boosting properties. I don't love the flavour of plain chaga so this mix of chaga with cocoa will be a nice treat.
There is a wonderful pottery guild in Yellowknife, I've got quite an an assortment of bowls and cups collected over many years. This mug has birch trees on it and captures the feeling of the North.
Locally sourced wild crafted or foraged ingredients can replace exotic spices in the kitchen. Opening up this tin of spices has really got my creativity gears turning. This blend contains: labrador tea leaf, wild sweet gale leaf & catkin.
These dried crowberries (also knowns as moss berry) contain high levels of anti-oxidants. I have already been snacking on them so they won't be around for long! When harvesting wild berries it is very important to know what you are harvesting. Some berries look very similar to one another, some are safe and others are not.
It just goes to show that there is a demand for locally created, sustainably sourced, healthy products. We are learning to forage, gather and create from our own land, I have so much to learn still. These gifts have inspired me to keep studying and learning the forest and it's many treasures.
Sapsucker Birch Syrup
Laughing Lichen Wildcrafted Herb
Yellowknife Guild of Arts & Crafts
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Building a greener, more beautiful world one seed at a time.
Homesteading | Gardening | Frugal Living | Preserving Food| From Scratch Cooking|
You can also find me at: walkerland.ca
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