Black walnuts are native to the United States and grow in almost every climate/soil type. They produce edible nuts that drop in the fall. The exact time is a matter of weather. Last year, they fell in October. This year, the trees started turning yellow in late August, though it was unseasonably cool toward the … Continue reading Black Walnut trees – gathering, cracking and eating!
Aronia berries have the highest ORAC value of all known berries - so they must be good right? Read on and we will tell you what you need to know.... Aronia bushes are big, beautiful plants. They are cold hardy and drought tolerant. Their leaves are a round, glossy, deep green. We have never watered … Continue reading Eating Aronia Berries
There is a secret to planting tree seeds -- winter sowing. The quick and dirty explanation is to plant the seed outside and the seed will naturally stratify and wake up when the timing is right. There is no guessing on "how many cold days" or "how much moisture" or "what temperature to set them … Continue reading How to grow trees from seeds – the easiest and most reliable method
Most acorns are edible - but some are more useful than others.... We are fortunate to have Northern Red Oak, Burr Oak, and Northern pin oak in our forests. Of these, Northern red oak is our favorite. The pin oak produces acorns that are too small to peel and our burr acorns are snatched up … Continue reading How to eat Acorns
This article is part of our "trees for bees" series where we feature trees/shrubs that are excellent pollinator forage American Linden (also known as Basswood) is a gorgeous tree. It grows in a pyramidal shape (rare for a deciduous tree) and has interesting off-center, heart-shaped leaves. The leaves are edible when young and the blossoms … Continue reading American Linden – A Honey Bee Favorite
Once upon a time, we actively tore out "invasive" plants. We participated as volunteers with our local soil water conservation district and with our parks department. We thought we were doing a good thing....and maybe we were....sometimes. But after a few years of helping to rid Minnesota of invasive plants, we started to realize that … Continue reading The Truth about Native and Invasive Plants
We grow all sorts of cold hardy grapes at Duffy Meadows, and are currently working with 8 different breeding stocks to create a table quality grape that can survive in zone 4 without winter protection. One of most hardy and productive grapes happens to be the wild riverbank grape. It's a fast grower that is … Continue reading How to eat Wild Grapes