things i think about while powerwashing 138

Many muggy mornings in Central Park are spent running, biking and for some people, fishing. I watch as New Yorkers rotate in and out of several spots along the lake on the Upper East Side as I wait for Wildman Steve Brill to lead his foraging tour in Central Park.

Foraging? In New York? In Central Park, of all places? After being invited by esteemed subscriber Emily Ding, I did have a few thoughts about stuff like cleanliness and safety. For some reason, I stopped thinking about safety when I signed the waiver Wildman Steve gave to me beside that pond. And all thoughts of cleanliness went out the door when I forcibly evicted half of a burdock root nestled just beneath the dirt.

In the company of nature, all my thoughts and worries went out the window. I felt like a child again in summer camp, walking through the shaded forests of the Santa Cruz mountains, learning about the bay leaves and golden poppies, or watching the quails run across the trail ahead. Under the guidance (and in the legal presence of Wildman Steve), I found myself using a small trowel to dig into the side of a burdock plant. With a few stomps and a bit of elbow grease, the basal rosette rose out of the ground; bringing along half of a burdock root (edible after cooking).

The wildman lead us around, pointing out various plants that we could much on (bring a lunch for the lunch break). I had enough for maybe a small salad, but I definitely needed more:

• a handful of wood sorrel: strong and sour!
• burdock: did not get to eat it but got to dig up the roots!
• kentucky coffeetree bean pod: did not get to eat it either but apparently a good coffee replacement!
• sumac: a spice that tasted super citrusy!
• poor man's mustard: the pods were nice and spicy!
• asiatic dayflower: tasted like the way a corn husk

Picking up the plants and eating them really felt like a video game, finding berries on the ground and eating like it's Skyrim or Pokemon.

At this point you might be wondering: is this illegal? According to Steve it is technically against park regulations, but not against any type of law! Our resident wildman did get arrested for eating a dandelion in the park, but had the charges dropped after the story spread like ... an invasive plant species? He assured us during the tour that he does have special permission from the commissioner (assuming it is the Parks commissioner) to forage for food. Whether that is necessary, I will leave up to you all.

Highly recommend signing up for the tour! If you're in New York, you can sign up here.

Special thanks to esteemed subscriber Emily Ding for the photos!

museum of the week

As some of you may remember, I had the pleasure of visiting the fifth borough (Staten Island) recently. And right after disembarking the Staten Island Ferry, me, esteemed subscriber Emily Ding and our friend from high school (has not subscribed yet) got a taste of New York's maritime history at the National Lighthouse Museum.

Located on the docks by the banks of The Narrows, the National Lighthouse Museum was opened in 2015 after around a decade and a half of museum development hell. And thank god it finally did open! Inside is a wonderful and dedicated exhibit to everything lighthouse-related. There was even a collection dedicated to law enforcement patches with lighthouses!

My favorite part about this museum was not just the history but the mini lighthouse collection displayed in the center! They even had my favorite lighthouse, Pigeon Point!

One fun fact about this museum is that it's supported in part by Princess Anne (of England)! She is apparently a big lover of lighthouses and even visited the National Lighthouse Museum!

anonymous subscriber news

That Great Blue Heron call is CERTAINLY one of the bird calls of all time. I can't tell if it's more like a toad or six-year-old me choking on a fish bone. Listen for yourself here!.

Submit here: https://forms.gle/2MABf8jNr2V8kEY87

• anon confesses: I have a capybara painting
• anon specifies: The bird seen in Tacoma, WA is a Great Blue Heron! Please look up what they sound like
• anon greets: hi there
• anon ponders: the conversation on time has gotten the gears turning in my head (hohoho), maybe I'll read up more about the concepts of time
• anon bleeds: I almost passed out while donating blood

animal of the week

Speaking of bird noises, what noise does a roadrunner make? Why is there a beep beep referenced? What does that mean?

Hello, I spotted this roadrunner at a resort in Albuquerque. It did not go beep beep but it did pretty well on the camouflage front.

Send me your animal photos at ryan@torrtle.co!