More teamaker observations: on the left is last year's organic gunpowder green tea. On the right is the new batch. See how more tightly rolled the new batch looks? That's a good sign, it means more care was taken this year in rolling the leaves. Flavors are crisp and "green" with a hint of smoke.

Breaking the new sheng puerh tea cakes so we can have a taste. We first tried this tea last spring in loose leaf form and we arranged to have it pressed into cakes - with hopes that it wouldn't alter the flavor. Good news is that it didn't! But it's puerh, so the flavor will change as it ages. ☕🫖⏳

As a special treat for our anniversary this year! We (The Jasmine Pearl Tea Co.) did a special pressing of a Sheng (Raw) puerh cake. At this stage the tea has that sharp character of a raw tea cake, but with notes that can only be described as "fruit roll-ups". More info to come...

Have you ever tried sitting down in the middle of a patch of Devil's Club (oplopanax horridus)? It's a dumb idea. But, if you are brave enough to try, their giant, prehistoric-looking leaves provide the most beautiful shade. Under their care, secrets are revealed.

A heard of elk just roams our county all year, from monching in the yards of neighbors to chilling on fields next to the highway. The whole heard is 50-60 this year and we always are so happy to see them when they grace our neighborhood.

I realized that I have thousands of nature photos from my hikes around my home. Why not share them with my bluesky friends?
This is a trail walk on a foggy day in December 2024.

"Just because you feel like trash doesn't mean you are trash."
(From the Thera-Pets card deck by Kate Allen)

I dreamt I was watching a heist movie (a la Oceans Eleven) that took place in New Orleans but the characters were all drag queens. The lead Queen in the pack was named Lady Hackbeth. I didn't know why my brain thought of that as a drag name. #dragqueens #draghumor

It only takes about 10 minutes here for me to recalibrate my nervous system. ✨🌲

Teefs.

I spy some Amanita Muscaria randomly growing in a parking strip at the grocery store...
#mushrooms #herbalism