Eating Wild Plants

There are a number of reasons you might want to use wild plants as food.

Wild plants have some unique flavors that can be among your enjoyed favorites. Watercress with something sweet such as pancake syrup in a peanut butter sandwich is one I particularly enjoy. Dandelion greens pesto mixed with spaghetti sauce are another.

Since the taste of many wild edible plants is so different from the usual cultivated vegetables, you likely will at first not accept some of them as a delicious flavorful food. Just about any food flavor other than sweet, salty, starchy, and fat are, I suppose, acquired tastes. It takes time for your mind to recognize an unfamiliar flavor as a 'tried and true' favorite. Introduce a wild food into your diet by eating a small amount when you are most hungry. Repeatedly doing so can make the new food one that you especially enjoy.

The amount of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients in wild food, according to many sources, is on the average greater in wild foods. Domesticated vegetables have been selectively bred for looks, production quantity, taste, length of storage and other qualities other than nutrition.

The fruits and vegetables sold in the supermarket have been chemically fertilized; exposed to herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, and a variety of other chemicals; and they may have been genetically modified and/or irradiated. The safety of eating such produce is of concern to many people. Wild foods for the most part, avoid those concerns. If you do gather wild foods avoid taking them from along roadsides, lawns that have been treated with chemicals or any other areas that may have been treated.

There is the possibility that supermarket food can be contaminated with pathogens. Dozens of diseases can be spread by an infected person handling food anywhere from the time it is harvested until it is put into your grocery bag. Plants growing in the wild are untouched by human hands.

Wild plants can be prepared in many ways. Greens can be put through a food processor or blender to make pesto. Add just enough oil and/or water to let the mixture process well. The pesto can then be easily mixed with other ingredients such as peanut butter, tomato sauce, or syrup for flavoring. Some greens such as lambs quarters, chickweed and purslane can be used anyway spinach is prepared. Strong or bitter tasting greens can be boiled changing the water once or twice to reduce bitterness. This is sometimes done with dandelion leaves. Then other ingredients can be added for flavoring and texture.

Wild fruit can simply be mixed with nuts or seeds such as sunflower seeds or almonds.

Some plants such as cattail tuber shoots and burdock root can be boiled to increase tenderness or to reduce strong flavors and then simply eaten as is.

Be sure of what it is that you are going to eat and be sure that it is edible. Consult a good reference book. If possible have someone who is familiar with a particular plant point it out to you. Most photographs are not of high enough quality to be relied upon to positively identify a wild plant.

Some edible plants have poisonous look-alikes. Some plants have edible parts and have poisonous parts. Some plant parts are edible only after being prepared in a particular way. It is common that a small quantity of a plant can be eaten without problems but if you eat too much your digestive system will protest forcefully.

There's about 6 or 8 disaster scenarios that I can think of that seem likely to happen at some time. Most of them seem unlikely to happen in my lifetime. But you never know. Isn't it prudent to be prepared, at least to some extent, in the event the normal food supply is interrupted? Examples of disasters that seem likely to happen are an asteroid hitting the earth, a massive nuclear war, a global epidemic, and the failure of one or two major crops such as corn and wheat due to a widespread disease or climate change.

The gathering of wild foods is interesting and enjoyable. Foraging for a favorite or new addition to your menu may take you through woods, through open fields and meadows and other places of beauty. It is a great way to get out into the natural world and enjoy its complexity and majesty. It adds to the perception that the world is a good place that is to be enjoyed. It is emotionally pleasing to find something that seems free and of exceptional value.

Making use of natural foods gives you greater awareness of the inter-relatedness of living things to each other and to the environment. That greater awareness helps us more appreciate the weather and climate, the abundance of nature, agriculture and the food supply, and the importance of protecting those things.

Breaking A Wild Mustang

Wild Mustangs are a legendary part of Historic America. They represent the very essence of freedom and times when life was simpler and less hurried. Despite some myths, they come in all sizes, shapes and colors. They are also one of the most affordable methods for people to own a horse when other options fail.

Almost every child has dreamed of owning a horse at one time or another. However, for quarter horses, thoroughbreds and many other "popular" breeds, it is not at all uncommon for prices to start in the thousands of dollars. Mustangs can be had for a fraction of that cost. Unfortunately, many people have misconceptions about the Wild Mustang and often, ignorance and a little bit of work is the only thing that is truly preventing these people from owning their very own horse.

Some people think that it is necessary to break a horse. This may be true if you just want a horse that knows how to do nothing more than play follow the leader in a long string of horses. However, if you want to really experience the full joy of riding on a horse rather than just warming up a saddle while it happens to be on the horses back, try training the horse instead of breaking its spirits completely.

Training a horse may take a little more effort than simply breaking it but it has many benefits which many riders otherwise miss out on completely. If you truly want a magnificent horse and a piece of Americana all at the same time, follow these simple steps and you will find yourself with much more than just a magnificent ride. Be ready to work but do not despair, within a week, you should be able to ride your newfound friend just about anywhere.

Make sure that you do not give the Wild Mustangs any oats before you begin working them. In all honesty, you should not even give them too much alfalfa at first. The reason for this is that in their natural environment, most truly wild mustangs do not enjoy a diet overly rich in proteins. Giving a wild horse nothing but timothy hay or even alfalfa too rich in proteins will cause the horse to suffer from colic and suffer unnecessarily. A good blend of alfalfa with a little straw is often the best diet for your wild mustang ... at least until it gets used to eating well.

You may need to place your wild mustang in a small stall to get the bridle on at first. Once you get the bridle on, use nothing more than a hackamore at first and attach about thirty feet of soft rope to it. Never rap the rope in your hand or around your hands or you may lose more than you bargained for. Keep the rope loosely in one hand so that you can drop it or release it quickly if your wild mustang bolts or panics.

A round corral is preferable but not an absolute necessity. Take your wild mustang out and run it in circles. Do not just run it one way but be sure to alternate directions so that the horse does not develop problems with its legs. Keep it running around in circles until it is hot, sweaty, tired and just beginning to foam at the mouth. After two or three days of this, the horse should be used to you placing the bridle and hackamore and will be ready to run some more so will likely fight you much less.

After you have run the horse a couple of times, begin placing a horse blanket on its back and secure it with a cinch strap. You do not want a lot of weight on the horses back but it will not be ready for a saddle just yet either. Be certain not to leave any loose strap or anything else hanging down around the horses feet. If anything flashes quickly in front of its face or dangles across its feet, your mustang may bolt. Take advantage of this time to get your horse used to the curry brush as well. After a good run, your horse may even get to enjoy the brushing almost as much as it does running. Again, you may want to try this while your mustang is in a small stall. The two main reasons for doing this are so you are not in danger should your horse panic and so that if it does panic, you are safely outside where you can get away until it quits fighting you.

After your horse becomes used to the blanket, you will want to try a saddle. After you run your horse and it is good and tired, place the blanket on its back and then while still in the stall, place the saddle on its back. Place the stirrups up over the saddle at first so that they will not be bouncing off the horses side. You and the mustang will both fare much better. After you have the saddle firmly cinched, let the stirrups down. Do not worry about cinching it up too tight as you will not be riding it just yet.

After you do this a couple of times you will be ready to start the final steps in getting your horse ready to ride. Try putting the saddle on the third time with the horse in the stall as usual but before you go running. You should still be using the hackamore at this stage and now more than ever, it will be important not to wrap your rope around anything you are not ready to lose. Take the horse out and let it walk with the saddle the first time. Do not run it as the stirrups may very well cause the horse to panic.

Wild Rangers Of The East

Two of the National Parks of the East which supposedly receive the most number of visitors every year are "The Sunderbans National Park" and "The Kaziranga National Park". Home to scads of endangered and rare species, these National Parks provide an experience of a life time to nature lovers, who come down in scores to visit these places.

Sunderbans is the world's largest delta and mangrove forest, which is the chief reason why tourists come flocking in to this place. The region boasts of a 2,585 sq km wildlife sanctuary-the largest estuarine wildlife sanctuary in the world. Though the place is inhabited by abundant wild animals like Macaques, Wild Boar, Fox, Common Grey Mongoose, Pangolin, Chital and several others, the star attractions of the Sunderbans are the Royal Bengal Tigers, who are on their verge of extinction.

Not only does this forest boast of it's wildness, it equally houses some of the best Hotels, which provide excellent accommodation facilities to the guests visiting these forests every year. There are a huge number of Hotels in Sunderbans tailored to suit the budget specifications of the tourists. Some of the famous Hotels include, "Sundar Chital Tourist Lodge", "Sunderban Tiger Camp" and "Vivada Cruises". Each of these Hotels is very well maintained with fully air conditioned rooms and attached bathrooms. With spacious and well furnished rooms, excellent dining facilities, state of art business facilities and much more, these Hotels successfully lure tourists to visit this place in jillions.

For all those who need a thorough experience of this place, these Hotels also organize numerous sightseeing tours headed by a proficient guide, to provide their guests with the entertainment and recreation which they crave for in this wilderness. This is also an excellent time for the wildlife photographers to have a pick on these wild rangers.

Another must visit National Park in the East is the "Kaziranga National Park" located in Assam. This world heritage site, as declared by UNESCO, is especially popular for housing two-thirds of the world's Great One-Horned Rhinoceroses, which can reach a height of over two meters and weigh more than two tones. It also provides a natural habitat to several species of mammals, birds and reptiles including Water Buffalo, Small Indian Civets, White Bellied Heron, Badgersblyth's Kingfisher, Dalmatian and a lot many more species. Though the Park remains open from November to April, March-April is considered to be the best time for animal sight seeing. The Park is usually closed during the monsoons i.e. from April end to mid October.

The Kaziranga Park has a fairly wide range of accommodations available for it's guests including rest houses, dormitories and lodges, which are especially maintained by the forest department and ITDC for it's esteemed visitors. Some of the Hotels where one can comfortably find accommodation are "Bonani Lodge", "Kunjaban Lodge", "Bonoshree Lodge" and "Shangrila River Cruise". These Lodges also cater the tourists with exciting tours which last around one hour on trained elephants that are available as mounts for sight seeing the Rhinos at close range.

Apart from these National Parks, there are a few other National Parks in this region like, Keibul National Park and Manas National Park, which the tourists can visit.

The east is definitely one of the most sought after places for nature lovers across the globe.

Go Wild With Fantasy Lingerie

For many couples, fantasy role-playing is a great way to spice things up in the bedroom, and fantasy lingerie can add realism to the play. If your bedroom routine has become, well, routine, then consider whether fantasy lingerie is right for you. Role-playing can run the gamut from mild to wild. You may be uncomfortable broaching the subject with your partner, however. Here a few tips for bringing fantasy role-playing into a more conservative relationship.

Start a dialogue

When the two of you are relaxed and away from the bedroom, casually broach the subject of fantasies. Find out what sorts of things interest him. Be willing to share your own fantasies as well, but keep them tame and low-key to start out. Suggest acting out one of the more mild suggestions from each person's list. Remember, at this point the fantasies will probably be very tame, requiring no special clothing or props.

Implement ideas

In your next bedroom session, slowly guide things toward acting out one of the fantasies you discussed. Or if you are more daring, simply take control of the situation. Go slowly and allow either partner to stop the fantasy play at any time. Let your partner know how much you are enjoying the role-playing, but remain sensitive to his feelings on the situation.

Talk about it

At a calm and relaxed time a few days later, bring up the trial role-playing session. Let him know what you thought, and ask for his feelings as well. If things went well, then do not be surprised to find that he is ready to go further with the role-playing. If he does not suggest it first, make the suggestion that the two of you try something a bit wilder. Again, find the comfort zone for both of you and do not try to rush things too far, too fast.

Repeat the process

Slowly adding new elements of role-playing into your bedroom activities and discussing them afterwards is a great way to bring your sex life to a whole new level. Eventually, the two of you will be in synch and ready to try something a bit wilder. At this point, you will be ready to experiment with fantasy lingerie.

Fantasy lingerie truly enhances a role-playing experience. Whether your fantasies include schoolgirl attire or nurse uniforms or the ever-popular French maid, simply stepping into the costume can make it easier to play the role. You may feel silly in the outfit at first, but allowing yourself to think, act and speak to match the outfit will help to banish those feelings. Of course, your partner's reaction will also help you to feel more confident.

When purchasing fantasy lingerie, remember that the fit is supposed to be tight and exaggerated. Consider buying a size smaller than your normal size to truly enhance the costume's appeal. Alternately, look for adjustable costume pieces that can be exactly fitted to your particular proportions. The costume will be over-the-top and theatrical, which is exactly what you want! Do not be shy about the fit, but revel in the feel of your own body in the costume.

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

"Mr. Who?" asks the wide-eyed child about to enter The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh attraction, dragging his exhausted parents on for the third time today. Sorry, my friend, he isn't the "lost" Power Ranger, he's not "Experiement 213" from Lilo & Stitch, nor will you likely see him in the "House of Mouse" or "That's So Raven" on the Disney Channel. No, Mr. Toad was born in 1908, a little but before your time, in a popular tale called the "Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Grahame. In 1949, he and his oddly-named friends like Moley, Mac Badger, Ratty and Winky were adapted by the folks at Disney into the feature film, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.

The film was actually two movies in one – it was comprised of two ½ hour tales (although both films were later re-released individually). The first, the “Wind in the Willows” was narrated by Basil Rathbone, while the second was the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. (The movies were linked solely because their main characters were prone to disaster). The Wind in the Willows centered on the wacky adventures of one J. Thaddeus Toad, Esq. Mr. Toad (as we will get to know him as), is quite well-to-do, and has an unquenchable thirst for adventure, and a bad habit of financial mismanagement. Recently, his attention has turned to the automobile, which further leads to Toad’s peril. He eventually is caught stealing a car, jailed, escapes with the help of his friend, Cyril Proudbottom. You’ll have to buy the DVD to find out what happens to our little friend.

OK, enough of the background… how does this little amphibian end up with some prime real estate in Fantasyland, and where is he now?

Well, this unique fable first made its way into Disneyland in 1955, just a few years after the film’s release. Its success at the box office made it a perfect candidate to draw in adults and children alike to Walt’s new family destination. In fact, it had everything Imagineers could ask for – adventure, wackiness, and low cost of production. A dark ride through Mr. Toad’s adventures in London was a perfect fit. Oddly enough, though, although the attraction was (and continues to be) a hit in Disneyland, characters from the film and attraction do not appear elsewhere in the park, whether it be character meet and greets, or even cameos in other attractions or shows.

When Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom opened on October 1, 1971, Mr. Toad had secured himself a place among other Disney greats in Fantasyland. Surrounded by such classic characters as Snow White, Peter Pan, and Pinocchio, Toad was clearly among Disney royalty.

In fact, Toad not only earned himself a full-blown attraction in Walt’s second, grander theme park, but he had a unique distinction. He may not have appeared in the Mickey Mouse Revue with other classic Disney characters, but one thing that Toad DID have, though, was two attractions in one. Well…. sort of. Like other attractions such as Space Mountain, The Haunted Mansion (with its two stretching rooms), and others, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride has two different lines (or queues). However, unlike the aforementioned rides, each line for Toad gives you a different adventure altogether. While one side took you through a Trophy Room, Kitchen, Gypsy Camp, Pub, Keg Room (who said there was no alcohol in the Magic Kingdom?) and “Rain Room”, the other (Track B) flung you along in your car through a Library, Barnyard and Barn, Town Square, Jail, Prison and Shireland. So much for heading "Nowhere in Particular" as the attraction’s theme song (also known as "The Merrily Song") proclaimed! Both tracks led Toad to a similar fate, though. While he was able to narrowly escape the police, gypsies, and Judge, he couldn’t avoid the oncoming train in the blackened tunnel.

This is where things got weird. Really weird considering you were in Walt Disney World. Not just WDW, but the Magic Kingdom. And Fantasyland, for goodness sake! So where were you after kissing the front of a train at incredible speeds? Why, Hell, of course. Yes, in clearly what can be called a radical departure from the cute and cuddly Disney holds so dear, you and your car-mates ended up surrounded by Satan and his demonic minions in the bowels of a “Disney-fied” Hell (which some have described as it’s a small world for the 5 th time in a row. Yes, pitchforks and all, these long-nosed devils and their leader (complete with requisite horns and pointy moustache) showed you what happens to bad toads that get hit by trains. Of course, in typical Toad fashion, he (and you) found a way to escape this three minute attraction which brought you face-to-face with Hades himself to the peaceful sights and sounds of the nearest gift shop.

Mandy Moore Wild Hope

Wild Hope is fifth studio album by the American folk singer named Mandy Moore, first in four years. It was after that released through her new label, Firm Music, division of the EMI. It was then released digitally in the Australia on the June 18 with bonus track name "Swept Away".

Now including her collection as well as cover albums, it is the Moore's seventh album as well as her first be completely co-written. The Japanese pressing of singer/actress' 2007 the album featuring that is Recorded at the Allaire Studios in the NY, Wild Hope characterize the labor of the love as well as showcases the Moore's raid into the song writing. In the collaboration with the veer of seriously highly praised singer-songwriters like the Rachael Yamagata, Weepies, The Lori McKenna, all among the others, result of all this two year attempt is the organic, folk folder with the pop emotional response boasting the beautifully building melodies, the compelling vocals as well as complicated lyrical contented.

Since then Mandy Moore needed the hits as well as the sharply defined character of her instant youngster pop peers, she also had the freedom in order to redefine the image in a means Britney or else Jessica did not. She can ease into the adulthood as her once colleagues were the stuck in the continuous adolescence, that falling out of the cars as well as clothes frequently simultaneously, gradually turning into the pop culture punch outline in its place of the pop stars. The Moore side-stepped an embarrassment by just focusing on the work, both as the musician as well as actress, picking up the projects that has looked so very great on the paper that is almost did not matter, which the end results by no means quite lived up their possible. This was factual for 2006 silver screen of the American Idol spoof the American Dreamz as it was 2003 album reporting, an effort at covering the huge pop songwriters, which proved Moore's tang, goal, as well as smarts.

Even it was not very necessary compelling as well as listening, it provide the pattern for the mature Mandy Moore as well as Wild Hope, that delivered four years afterward -- after the parting of a way from the Epic, an ineffective stint at the Warner, which resulted in to no albums however led a contract with the EMI. All the similar, it is sure tough to dislike the Wild Hope.

Till today’s date, the critic has been normally optimistic on the album. The jane Magazine said that Moore has bowed into a stylish songwriter whose novel noise fits comfortably next to so as to of Regina Spektor, The Fiona Apple and Sarah McLachlan to a certain extent than all the pop tarts she used to be compare to." The Billboard stated The Wild Hope is the rewarding reverberation of a vocalist in conclusion finding her soothe zone. The Gone is the sweet pop of Moore's near the beginning occupation; replace as an alternative by considerate musings on love and life an album full of slight, but irrefutable hooks

Low Cost Wild Adventures

My own wild adventures include summiting Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador (20,600 feet, the last 4,000 feet over glaciers), getting lost in the mountains of Colorado, and kayaking days from the nearest road in Canada, in six-foot Lake Superior waves. I may have had more of these trips if I had more money years ago. And of course time can be an issue when you want to have some adventure.

The good news is that some wild adventures aren't expensive or in far-away places. There is plenty of fun and excitement near home, if you look.

My Dirtbagging Adventure

What is dirtbagging? It is simply stripping camping or backpacking down to its essentials. You throw some things in any old pack or duffel bag, and get out there. Forget the extensive planning or fancy equipment. Leave extra clothes behind, sleep in a pile of leaves or next to a fire, and use your wits instead of your wallet for a change.

For example, my own dirtbagging trip started with a bus ride near Traverse City, Michigan (where I lived at the time), to the end of the line. I pushed the rubber tube ahead of me onto the bus, and the driver looked at that and at my small day pack with a laugh. I got off the bus in a wooded area, then walked another half-mile to get to the Boardman River, where the road crossed it.

I had a homemade plastic bivy sack, a small umbrella, some snacks, and a few warm things to wear to bed instead of using a sleeping bag. I kept everything in a bundle on my lap as I floated down the river sitting in the inner tube, my butt and my feet in the water the whole time. I steered as necessary with my hands.

As evening approached, the trout surfaced everywhere. I watched deer jump back from the riverbank as I floated past. Prehistoric-looking blue herons hunted for fish along the edges of the river. I feasted on wild strawberries and other wild plants whenever I took a break. I didn't need to paddle much, instead just going with the flow of the river, relaxing, and even closing my eyes for a few minutes during the calmer stretches. But the trip still had the element of unpredictability, and thus adventure.

The first unpredictable event was the rain. It started when I set up camp, and continued for the next twelve hours. I barely stayed dry in my garbage bag bivy sack, covering my head with my small umbrella. The next unpredictable event was a large white-tail deer that almost stepped on me in darkness. His snorting scared me half to death. When morning came, it was still raining.

It was a thunderstorm, actually, and I might have waited, but unlike a tent, a plastic bivy sack doesn't have enough space to do anything. I decided it was time to go home, so I bundled up my things, got into the cold river, and climbed onto the tube. The storm got worse.

I was soon past the wild stretch of river, and I began to drift by beautiful homes that sat along the banks. I was on my tube, wearing a heavy sweater, umbrella overhead, trying to stay warm and dry. Dawn came late because of the storm, and I watched people drinking their morning coffee through the windows of lighted kitchens. Occasionally, some looked up from their breakfast and saw me in a flash of lightning. I waved and floated by.

Not wanting to put my hands into the icy water, I quickly learned how to steer through the rapids using only my feet as paddles. I portaged around a dam, through knee-deep mud that nearly took one of my shoes. Finally, just before noon, I scrambled up the steep bank near the house. I walked down the street in the rain, carrying my umbrella, my pack, and my rubber tube, hoping the neighbors were still asleep