Charming Chestnut Cove

Yesterday we took a hike through an area of the mountains a couple miles west of us called Chestnut Cove, and discovered it's charm.  It's similar to where our cabin is, but less populated (by that I mean no one as opposed to our few full time residents), especially as you continue to hike up the mountain.  It's been an absolutely dreary rainy day here today, keeping me stuck in the cabin and doing things like ironing (one of my least favorite chores) so I thought I'd share a few of the special treasures from that hike.

This is the rare Showy Orchis and is considered by many to be the prettiest of the orchids in the Smoky Mountains...we came across several patches of them, which is also very unusual because they usually grow in small groupings of only 4 or 5 stems...a stunning find!

This guy was moving like I feel today...slow and easy...I found the shell to be especially pretty with more detail than I usually see on them...

An old waterwheel and shed...we even came across the dilapidated flume higher in the mountain that used to carry the water to it...

Great Blue Lobelia...

An old well surrounded by Lobelia...

I've enjoyed my little rain-drenched-day getaway, I hope you did!

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

The Hunt For Morels

There is nothing that makes Mountain Man happier (well, almost nothing) than hunting and harvesting wild morel mushrooms.  Today was an especially significant day for him because it is the first time he has hunted morels on his own and he experienced the intense pleasure of discovering his very first morel in "his own" morel hunting ground (meaning not with another person who has a favorite hunting spot where they have found morels previously and have taken Johny along on one of their hunting trips).  You see, morels are highly desired by mushroom lovers; there is an unspoken agreement amongst them that if a hunter shares where they have discovered them, that area remains "inaccessible unless invited by the founder" so to speak.

Morel season is short, with the delicacies fruiting for only 6 weeks or so, depending on the weather.  Johny has been out hunting them on many an occasion since Spring has sprung, but has yet to "found his own patch".  Early this morning, we decided to head out to an area with very old apple trees (a favored growing spot for the little delicacies) that he had hunted on his own last week, but had discovered no morels at that time.  We hiked and hunted for quite some time without success and disappointed, decided to head out.  We then came across an unused road and agreed to go exploring to see if there were any old apple trees in that area.  It was a beautiful location, and sure enough, a couple ancient apple trees graced the landscape.  Johny raced over to the first big 'ol tree with the excitement of a child, searching the ground and within seconds I heard "Morel!".  The grin on his face was priceless!  I slowly approached, watching every step to be sure not to crush any, and together we harvested several (it's a first for me too, I've never seen them in the ground before!).

Sorry, this picture is a little blurry but it was the first and prettiest morel we found.

They are a relatively sturdy mushroom and easy to harvest.  You simply slice them at the point the stem meets the ground, making sure to leave the mycelium intact so it will grow again next year.

 Ha ha, he looks so proud!

 

They are interesting mushrooms that look a little like a brain and are difficult to see at first, but once you have seen one it seems easier to spot others.

The type we found is called common morel...

...even though this one looks a little different in color, it is also a common morel.

This was our final harvest, though we left a few very small ones in place and will go back next week with the hope that they will have grown larger and others will have fruited.

This evening, we will cut these delicious meaty mushrooms in half (they are interestingly hollow inside, unlike most mushrooms) and saute them in a little butter and a sprinkle of salt, pepper & parsley.  It's going to be good!

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

Our Garden Fence & Rustic Gate

Last year, we had dastardly little critters come into the garden and nibble on our freshly sprouting veggies, so this year we decided to build a fence around the entire garden with a rustic entry gate.

It's a basic fence using pressure treated 2x4x4s for posts, pressure treated 1x2x8s for the rail, and 1" chicken wire ( ' = foot and " = inch).  Mountain Man made a pointed end on each post, dug a 12" hole, secured the post into the hole with clay soil and rocks, then screwed a rail to the top and bottom of each post.  This went around the entire garden except for where the rustic gate is.

He then stapled the chicken wire to the first post and began wrapping the 50' piece of chicken wire as far as it would go (we used 170' total), stapling it to the top and bottom rails, leaving a 2" - 3" flap of wire on the bottom to keep the animals from digging under the bottom rail.  The chicken wire was cut to end at a post and each new section began at a post. 

You know all those weeds you see?  Have no fear, they are being removed.  I have hoed them and am going to get them out of there as soon as the soil dries enough for it not to be mucky...remember, the garden is filled with horse manure...I can do dry manure, but the wet soggy stuff is yucky muck.  Then I'll be making mulch out of all the smaller tree branches we have from the trees we felled recently, and putting that all around the edge of the garden and between the rows to prevent further weeds from growing.

Once the fence was all the way around the garden, it was time to build the rustic gate.  Mountain Man used Locust logs (Locust is a very hard wood), securing those posts 20" into the ground.

The gate itself was connected together using homemade dowels.

The handle is a piece of rhododendron, attached with two nails...

 ...Johny drilled the hole first to be sure not to split the wood...

 ...when he inserted the nail.

 I love it!

The primitive latch is made from 3 pieces of scrap wood, 1 for the "hook" so to speak, and 2 pieces for the "holder", one to create space between the post and the holder which also provides a place to stop the hook from opening downwards, and the other for the holder itself.

The hook is connected with a long screw that has a portion that is not threaded so the hook can swivel and Johny put a few washers as spacers and each side of the latch to help it swing easier.

It works like a charm!

The sign was made by our good friend and neighbor Ron...he will be so pleased (and surprised, he didn't know we were going to hang it here) to see it welcoming everyone into our garden.

And this is the finished fence (well, almost finished, a few more details to complete it but overall, the garden fence with rustic gate project is complete)...

...this is the view from the SE...

...and the view from the NW.

All of this is completed in the nick of time, because we have our very first sprouts peaking through the soil...radishes!

If you have any questions about building your own garden fence or rustic gate, please feel free to leave a comment or send me an email at liseslogcabinlife at gmail.com.

Visit the Homestead Barn Hop for more posts about homesteading activities.

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

Can You Identify This Flower?

I came across this beauty in our yard today.  I've never seen it before and I've searched through all my resources and can't find what it is.  Do you know what it is? 

I find it very pleasing...the way it's outer pink petals look velvety, and the white inner petals are delicately ruffled...

...and the abundant stamen are so smooth looking and like a little surprise inside the petals!  The flower is about 3/4" in diameter and the stem is about 12" high.

You can see in the picture that there are several blooms on a few stems of one plant. It's a wildflower, (if it's not then it was planted here by someone else), and I don't see any others around except this one.

Please leave a comment if you do know anything about it, I'd love to know more and would appreciate it!

This is another new bloom I came across today while walking to the mailbox.  I've never seen this before either, but have learned it's a bloom from a Hawthorne bush.  

To me, the buds look like mini roses before blooming!

It was nice to come across these new wildflower finds; they brought some brightness to an otherwise grey day (skies, not me). 

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

Perfect Venison Tenderloin Medallions

It's been a while since I've posted a recipe and because we love venison, with its distinct flavor bringing pure joy to our taste buds, I thought this a perfect post for today's ABCWednesday 'P' post

My perfect venison tenderloin medallions, served with home made mashed potatoes and your favorite roasted vegetables will make even the most persnickety eater lick their lips and beg for more!

And all things considered, it's easy to pull together.

Ingredients:

1 lb venison tenderloin medallions (soaked in buttermilk for at least 4 hours to tenderize the meat, then drained and left to rest to room temperature, still coated but not sitting in the milk)

2 thinly sliced sweet onions

1 heaping tsp garlic
6 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup rehydrated and thinly sliced lobster mushrooms (or 1 cup fresh mushrooms of your choice)
3 tbsp all purpose flour

2 cups venison broth (beef, vegetable or water will work)

Salt & pepper to taste
This recipe will work with beef and even chicken or pork, just substitute the broth to complement the meat choice; but don't soak any other meat in buttermilk.

Directions

Hydrate your mushrooms in warm water for at least 1/2 hour.  I chose lobster mushrooms because we have them from last season and it makes for a nice rustic meal.  Lobster mushrooms are quite dense and add a meaty texture to the onion sauce.

 

After hydrating, drain and thinly slice them.

Saute the onions in 2 tbsp butter until they begin to caramelize, then add the garlic and cook another minute or so.

Add 1 more tbsp butter and then your mushrooms...

...sauteing just until they begin to brown.

Remove them from the pan and add 1 tbsp of butter on top (this is going to help make the sauce rich).

Sear the venison medallions in the same pan for 1 - 2 minutes per side (make sure the pan is sizzling hot)...

...and remove them to a platter to rest (depending on the cut, 1 - 2 minutes will give you medium medallions, sear longer if you prefer more well done).

Add the rest of the butter and the flour, whisking to create your rue.

Slowly add the broth and continue whisking (add more broth if you prefer a thinner gravy) and add salt a pepper to taste (forgot to include those in my ingredients picture).

You want to be sure you collect all the lovely little tasty bits from the onions, mushrooms and venison that have built up on the bottom of the pan.

Now add the butter/onion/mushroom mixture back into the sauce and stir to combine. 

Take the seared medallions, place them on your plate and cover with the sauce.  I served it with home made mashed potatoes and roasted broccoli & carrots, but my picture of the whole dish was not preferrable, so you'll have to leave that part up to your imagination.   This photo is an appetizer portion, just one medallion, some sauce and mashed...looks like a meal, doesn't it?

I must say that it was precisely as I had hoped, piquant (flavorful), pleasing, and provided thought-provoking discussion about the merits of hunting venison, which we have yet to try.  Have you ever hunted deer?  Would you?  I'd love to go along and give it a try...but I'm sure glad there are butchers who will prepare the meat for consumption!

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

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