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How To Harvest And Process Wisconsin’s Edible Tree Nuts

By Vijai Pandian/WisContext

Foraging for fallen nuts in autumn can be a fun hobby and provides an excellent learning opportunity for kids to connect with nature. Common nut trees in the urban landscape such as black walnuts, hickories, butternut and filbert (also called American hazelnut) not only provide shade and aesthetic beauty, but their mast also offers people a good source of nutritional value in the form of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E. Tree nuts also provide an excellent food habitat for many types of wildlife, especially those greedy gray squirrels that tend to gather and bury their haul for winter supplies.

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Posted on September 26, 2017

Chicagoetry: Black Jeans In White Tel Aviv

By J.J. Tindall

Black Jeans in White Tel Aviv
I wore black jeans
In White Tel Aviv
Before teleporting to
Ponder the dusk of Tuscany.
You could dam the Mississippi
With the jeans I can no longer wear.
Enough about today!
Listening to dancers,
Ahead on rent,
Sustaining the loving lie,
The one that spares the beloved.
As if, during a recession, you stage a World’s Fair

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Posted on September 25, 2017

100-Year-Old Petrified Uniformities Of The Modern Art World vs. The Moral Grandeur Of Majestic Impressionism

By Maureen Sharkey/Press Release

The biggest art movement in history is going on now in Chicago, across the nation, and throughout Europe. But their paintings were not found at last weekend’s Art Expo, nor in the Modern Wing of the Art Institute, nor at the Contemporary Museum of Art.
They are artists who paint en plein air (in open air) as did the French Impressionists, who found that they could capture the transient effects of sunlight, and who painted so magnificently that they remain one of the most glorious and beloved of all the artists’ movements throughout history (as well as by far the most expensive). The goal is not to have the work look like these masters, but to see like these masters – in individual independent styles.

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Posted on September 20, 2017

Who Is Stealing Wisconsin’s Birch?

By Scott Bowe/WisContext

In the autumn of 2016, forestry and law enforcement officials in northwestern Wisconsin started receiving reports of paper birch trees being stolen from public and private lands. The tree’s white, papery bark is popular for “Northwoods”-style decorations and crafts, driving demand for raw material.
Theft of smaller paper birch trees, saplings and limbs are common, with buyers paying $1.50 to $2 per pole. Wardens from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources estimate that a prolific poacher can make hundreds of dollars per day with no investment other than a pickup truck and hand saw. Private, tribal, county, state and national forests in northern Wisconsin, Minnesota and Upper Michigan are all facing this birch theft.

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Posted on September 19, 2017

Chicagoetry: 77 Minutes After 8

By J.J. Tindall

77 Minutes After 8
Way past 8
I met my intimates
Hugo Himself and Mike Miracle
To watch the proxy war
On the big screen
At the Proxy bar
In the Village
On Damen near where
Sweet Alice used to be,

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Posted on September 18, 2017

Making The Most Of Wisconsin’s Autumn Garden Harvest

By Vijai Pandian/WisContext

Most summer vegetable crops reach their peak of maturity by early autumn, and it’s critical to harvest at the right time to ensure high quality produce.
It is best to harvest crops when the weather is dry, preferably during the later part of the day after any morning dew has evaporated.
Physical damage to the skin of produce should be avoided when harvesting, as it can diminish storage quality and lead to decay issues.
Additionally, using a sharp knife to sever the stalks of vegetables that are tough to harvest by hand minimizes accidental tearing of stem ends.
Here’s a look at how best to harvest five common types of produce grown in Wisconsin.

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Posted on September 11, 2017

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