Photos A Walk in Nature

CelloDan said:
I always get excited when I see deer 🦌 lol
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I never get tired of seeing deer either. They were still relatively rare to see here when I left home as a young man (I did hit one with my parents’ car on my way home from fishing once, though :rolleyes:), but when I returned to the area just 5 years later it seemed like they were everywhere.

My parents’ neighborhood in particular is overrun with them, but I still have to stop and look every time…
 
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I'll talk to you later Dan - maybe by email. Glad you could get the chunks. Will taste sooooo much better.
 
RayseM said:
Cheery OH my Brother.

Chaga - did you order ground chaga or are you getting chunks? I have NEVER EVER had good result with single serving chaga tea from ground. I have tried it repeatedly. It is insipid compared to extracting from chunks and so no longer worth my while.

From chunks - be certain your supply is well dried - months from harvest or use a dehydrator. Break into 1/2" to 3/4" size chunks. Fill a small to medium pot half full of chaga chunks and the rest with water. Set on your stove medium low heat for hours and hours. The longer the better. 8 hours is NOT TOO MUCH. If you can control it - don't let the water get above 180°F (82°C) You don't want to boil this. If you have a wood stove you can just let it cook for days - take water as you need it add chaga, as needed, to the pot.

I filter the water from the chaga out of the pot and reduce it by about half with fresh water. It will taste better if you make no less than a pint at a time. A quart is usually my target. Doesn't keep forever. 10 days tops in the fridge and it will likely turn to sludge. Will be delicious until then - ESPECIALLY - if you smooth it out with a bit of maple syrup. The amount of syrup is up to your taste. Excellent as a hot drink or iced in the summer! Enjoy...

More later but to need to run. I use another method that is more full proof. Later then...
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Thanks for that information Ray, I have a question if you don't mind? Do you know if you can dry out the chaga, after you've made your tea, and use it for tinder? :thumbsup:
 
Jack Black said:
Thanks for that information Ray, I have a question if you don't mind? Do you know if you can dry out the chaga, after you've made your tea, and use it for tinder? :thumbsup:
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Good question Jack. I've never tried that. I process my stuff for tea, usually twice and then just toss it, as it is quite soft after the 2nd cook. BUT, I will dry it out next time and see if it still has another use. I understand it to be a most excellent tinder, will light easily and hold an ember long - even enough to use as transport for your next fire.
 
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Quick CHAGA TEA note before I head off to work - If you own a SOUS VIDE (you can get one for around $50.00) it is the PERFECT Chaga Tea making tool.
Place your chunks in 2 or 3 - 18oz canning jars (1/2 full of chaga) , fill to the top with water, place all in a big pot, connect the sous vide and set it for 180° F, leave it alone for 8 hours. At the end of the cook, strain the water off AND, if you are inclined, do it all again with the same chunks. To the finished water add another equal volume of fresh water. About a 1/4 cup (or less) of maple syrup and you have the richest, silkiest Chaga Tea.

THEN - place your spent chaga chunks on a paper towel lined cookie sheet and dry. You might just have a supply of great fire starter. :)
 
Gracias Ray 👍😊
Keep up posted on the fire 🔥 starters 😎
I am thinking I’ll try and throw the spent chunks in the blender with my protein shakes/smoothies … squeeze every milligram of antioxidants and goodness from it 😊
Or put it in my 🧉😀
 
RayseM said:
Good question Jack. I've never tried that. I process my stuff for tea, usually twice and then just toss it, as it is quite soft after the 2nd cook. BUT, I will dry it out next time and see if it still has another use. I understand it to be a most excellent tinder, will light easily and hold an ember long - even enough to use a transport for your next fire.
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Thanks Ray, I've heard it can be used for tinder after being used for tea, but never tried it. I have only ever used it for tinder, but mean to try the tea :) :thumbsup:
 
Some pics from my walk in the fog today! :D :thumbsup:

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CelloDan said:
Gracias Ray 👍😊
Keep up posted on the fire 🔥 starters 😎
I am thinking I’ll try and throw the spent chunks in the blender with my protein shakes/smoothies … squeeze every milligram of antioxidants and goodness from it 😊
Or put it in my 🧉😀
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That's a great idea Dan! When I've made the chaga as fine a coffee grinds I add it to our ground coffee 1:3 ratio thinking that our drip grind coffee was getting a boost from the chaga augment. I don't know that it had any benefits but it surely didn't detract from the taste of the coffee.

I just think that the ground chaga needs to steep for lots longer than you would do for a cup of tea - maybe an hour or 90 minutes to extract the essence. No science here just my taste observations.
 
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Jack Black said:
How long did you steep it for Dan?
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RayseM said:
, please share your method and your taste report. Looks like you made a robust cup of tea. :thumbsup:
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I really enjoyed the earthy flavour ( rather mild when compared to yerba mate 🧉:) )

My plan was to do it slow over several hours on the slow cooker (at a low setting) however I really wanted to try it much sooner.
I just simmered on low heat in a covered medium pot for about one hour. Initially at around 95 C ( 203 F ) then down to about 82 C ( 180F) by the time I got the hang of the settings on the stove.

I just poured myself a second cup after two hours :thumbsup:

I am now going top it up and transfer it to the crock pot and leave it on for a few hours on low and check what temp is brewing at.
I used about 6 chunks for that size of pot.
The more I read about the more intrigued I become ... aka " I am hooked" :D.
Diana is very intrigued too. From all what I have been reading on chaga it can only help her out :thumbsup:

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Update on the “Chaga Saga” 😊

The crockpot at the lowest setting heats to 82 C 👍 Perfect !!!

We left it overnight with the same chunks from yesterday and woke up to a very dark and rich chaga tea. 👍

Diana loved it 😍. She thought the taste was rich and satisfying as compared to yesterday when it was rather bland.

She also said that she may even like it better than yerba mate 🧉😯🤨🧐

It took me 20 years to convert my cuban 🇨🇺 girl to 🧉 and on one day she is ready to move on 🤨😝😂
 
Was out this lovely afternoon. 52°F :eek:, amazingly warm February day. No snow on the ground but you can see in the photos we still have ice on the ponds. Much too soon to callout quits on Winter. In the not too distant past I have burned a chord of wood in April alone.

Not sad to call that the past. :)

Here you see - ICE ~

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Was a 3 knife (one clipped to my pocket too) carry today. :cool:

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