A Year In The Life - Day 271, February 16, 2015

Harvested some Chaga for the teapot today.  For those not familiar, this is a fungus that grows on birch trees.  Makes a great cup of tea that, the research would suggest, is great for you, too.
More info can be found here:  Some general info on Chaga   And some more links of peer reviewed research, for those further interested:    anti-cancer activity study  and   G0/G1 arrest and apoptosis in human hepatoma HepG2 cells  and   adipocyte differentiation

So what does this stuff look like?  Here's some right 'cheer:

Not the tastiest looking stuff, I'll grant you that...but I chipped off a bunch with my axe while out on the trapline today, and I'm going to drink it. :)  Grind the stuff up, (like coffee, coarser or finer as you choose) place about 1.5 cups of the grind into a gallon of water overnight on low in the crockpot.  (DO...NOT...ALLOW IT TO BOIL..as that literature above you will tell you)   Strain off the fines and sludge next day, store sealed in fridge until you want to heat up a cup, and away you go.  Something I have not tried yet is to make a tincture in alcohol.  We shall see...