Sweet Fern and Peppermint Tea

It was only a couple weeks ago, during a permaculture book reading that I learned about the delicious taste of sweet fern. We have a patch growing next to our garden, which I had previously thought was just an aggressive shrub and would do whatever I could to chop it down. Thank you Karen for opening my eyes to the benefits of this aromatic plant. A handful of leaves, combined with fresh mint, create of pleasant soothing tea.

Like its name implies, sweet fern looks like a fern and has a sweet scent

Sweet Fern and Peppermint Tea

A handful of sweet fern leaves snipped fresh
2 sprigs of fresh mint
Hot water, not quite boiling

Place fresh leaves into tea pot. Bring water to a boil and let sit for two minutes. Pour over leaves and steep for 5 minutes. Strain and serve with a little honey.

Peppermint

 This tea tastes delicious fresh, but can also be made with dried leaves. Although sweet on its own, the honey helps blend the flavors together. 

Harney Peak in the Black Hills

The second half of our vacation was spent in the Black Hills. Visiting before Memorial Day was a perfect time as the weather was pleasant and the crowds were absent. We stayed at Sylvan Lake Lodge, one of the resorts within Custer State Park. The lodge sits atop a peak, along the Needles Highway. It overlooks a popular recreation area, Sylvan Lake. It was a great spot to be for hiking as it is the starting point of two trails which lead to Harney Peak. Harney Peak, or Hinhan Kaga, as named by the Lakota, is the highest summit in South Dakota. We decided to ascend on Trail #4. This trail begins on state park land, but then enters the Black Elk Wilderness, a designated protection area of over 13,000 acres, named after the Oglala Lakota spiritual leader Black Elk. Within the wilderness, certain  activities are restricted, including a limit of groups over "25 heartbeats." Even so, the trail is quite  popular and very well worn. Having gotten an early start, we saw no other hikers on the climb up.

The morning sun shines on three deer

 
Throughout the Black Hills, the forests are being impacted by the Mountain Pine Beetle. The beetle is native to South Dakota and historically has not caused significant damage. However, recent drought conditions have resulted in weaker trees and significant infestations. The damage was evident everywhere. 

Damage to the forest as a result of drought and the Mountain Pine Beetle

Although wildlife abounds in Custer State Park, in particularly in and around the Wildlife Loop Road, where we were stopped in traffic and missed dinner, due to several buffalo blocking the road, I much prefer to see wildlife in their natural surroundings, such as this marmot, which gave me a new appreciation for the outdoor gear company. .

This marmot posed for a picture before scurrying between the rocks

As we got closer to the summit, I thought that it was the perfect environment for mountain goats. We had not seen any on our trip yet. A few minutes later I looked up and saw this old guy as content as can be looking down at us.
This was the only mountain goat that we saw on our trip, but we couldn't have asked for a better picture. He seemed very interested in watching us. Shortly after we passed underneath him, the fire tower at the summit became visible. The stone structure was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1938 and is still in great condition.

The Fire Tire peaks out from the summit of Harney Peak

Prayer clothes, seen here, are a testament to the sacredness of the mountain, which is the location of Black Elk's vision at the age of nine. The story is recounted in the 1935 book Black Elk Speaks by John Neirhardt

It would be easy to spend hours just taking in the view, but after exploring the tower and eating a snack we needed to head back down. We left, just as another pair of hikers were reaching the top. 

View from Harney Peak

We decided to return on Trail #9. This trail was more exposed than trail #4, and consequently much hotter in the sun. It provided a different view though and passed a spur trail to Little Devils Tower.  h Lee took this side trip, while I continued down at a leisurely pace. I was able to add two more birds to my life list - a yellow bellied sapsucker and this beautiful mountain bluebird, painted the color of the sky.

Mountain Bluebird

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Perennial Beds

Although they can be less work, perennial beds are not carefree. Every year, they should be tended to, dividing and thinning plants that may think the spot is just for them. This year appears to be the year of the fern. Although I love their feathery appearance in the wild or added to cut flower arrangements, this spring I had to do a little culling.

Pretty in the background, the ferns were overcrowding the rest of the perennials

I spent most of Sunday clearing out this particular bed. With a little thinning, the stone wall is now visible and the Foxglove and rest of the plants have some room to grow.

Thinned area

After cleaning out the bed, I top dressed with bark mulch. This is like adding the icing to cake, it may not be necessary, but it makes the finish product look that much nicer. Plus it has the added bonus of retaining moisture and suppressing weeds.

Final Product

Since I have barely gotten my vegetable seeds in the ground, it's nice to be able to work among perennials which are full grown and blooming. Last night I tackled another area of the yard. This bed is only a few years old as it was recently cleared of two large white pines. I am gradually adding sun-loving perennials. Instead of ferns, the milk-weed were taking over. I now know why it is called a weed as with each plant I pulled up a few others that came along for the ride, being attached by long rhizomes underground. I did not take a before picture, but I cleared out about half of the milkweed, leaving the remainder for the milkweed moths, and hopefully a few monarchs.

A mostly sunny perennial bed

This weekend the weather is supposed to be dry and sunny, so I am looking forward to finishing up a few more beds and hopefully the bark mulch pile!

The Garden in May

Once the ground has thawed, there is no real good time for a gardener to take a vacation. I knew that with an almost two week vacation in mid-May, I would be faced with a lot of work upon our return. Especially, since time and weather did not allow me to do much prep work before we left. I also suspected that we would be missing out on some of the early fruits of spring. First, the asparagus. I was able to pick a few shoots before we left, but very few sprouts had grown by May 12th.

When we returned, however, most of the plants had gone to seed and the asparagus beetles were having a feast.

Asparagus Beetles

All was not completely lost. After several days of removing beetles and eggs, most of the plants recovered and new shoots have emerged. As long as the weather stays cool, we should be able to serve asparagus for several more meals.

This spring plant had already flowered by the time we got back. Fortunately, rhubarb is very hardy and can take just about any amount of neglect. 

Even after flowering, the stalks can still be harvested and new, younger branches are always growing. To be on the safe side, I did collect a bunch of stalks before we left, blanched them in boiling water, then placed in the freezer. I figure they will make a great dessert this week.

Finally, even though not much is growing in the garden yet, the best surprise upon our return was waiting for me outside our front door.

These Morels did not mind that there was no one around to take care of them. There is really no mistaking them for any other mushroom. They typical appear in May and will return in the same spot year after year. Their flavor is exquisite and I served them that night sauteed in a little garlic and butter.