Midwest Foraging

 I borrowed Midwest Foraging: 115 Wild And Flavorful Edibles From Burdock To Wild Peach by Lisa M. Rose. I borrowed this book on my Libby app and I got the book right away which was handy. I had just gotten some Chaga and I needed to know what to do with this black, warty looking, wooden hunk of fungus. Lisa said I could rub it on a wood rasp. She said don't put it in a blender or a grinder cuz you will ruin the blades right quick. I looked up what a wood rasp was and it turns out it is a file. I had three metal files on hand because I bought them for a forging class years ago when I forged a knife. So after cleaning the wood rasp, I rubbed my Chaga on it and black specks of fungus landed on my cutting board. I scooped them up and added them to my ground coffee beans and put them in the percolator. I perked the coffee/Chaga for 7 minutes like usual. So, you are wondering, was the coffee/Chaga good? To be honest, I couldn't tell the difference. I have to admit that when the first swallow of coffee/Chaga hit my throat I had a coughing spell that made me glad I was home alone instead of in public. But that coughing spell might have been a 'coinkidink.' All the rest of the coffee/Chaga was good. Unfortunately, after drinking Chaga for a week now, I realize that this is no quick "fountain of youth" concoction. I am going to have to drink it longer which is alright because I have a big chunk. I liked this book but I prefer to borrow it rather than buy it. Sorry about that Lisa. I now regret giving away my copy of Euell Gibbon's, Stalking The Wild Asparagus. I wish I had kept that.