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We were in the thick of our homeschooling day when Sage asked if we could head out to the woods to look for morels and dryad’s saddles (pheasant backs). We’ve been watching the world turn green through our windows these past few days, and the forest was calling us.

We finished our lessons, packed up our books, and prepared ourselves for the woods. We tucked our pants into our socks, spritzed on the tick spray, and headed out – with foraging bags in hand.

We mushroom hunted for half an hour or so, then gave up on mushrooms (as we often do) and decided to simply enjoy a hike in the woods instead.

We revisited an old fairy house that Lupine built a year or two ago, and found the roof partially collapsed but covered with spring ephemerals: may apples, dutchman’s breeches, hepatica. So magical!

Before I knew it we were filling our bags with all manner of forage spring fare, and clearing a few patches of invasive garlic mustard while we were there.

Back home, Lupine made a 100% foraged salad (violet flowers and greens, dandelion flowers and greens, cherry blossoms, Virginia waterleaf, cattail shoots, watercress, wild ramps, and more). She was over the moon, and we all enjoyed the wild flavors and textures.

Our dinner was completed with a mushroom stroganoff made with garlic mustard and ramps (alas, no morels or dryad’s saddles, but not for lack of trying!) and homemade einkorn noodles, made by Sage; and a trout caught and cooked by Pete.

Sitting outside in the cool evening air, enjoying our dinner, was such a simple but deeply felt pleasure. This meal, made by our hands (and largely harvested from our land) filled us with gratitude.

Nature provides, if we only pull on our boots and set off to explore.