The healthy forager

Well… at least that’s what it looks like! Today I was lucky enough to stumble upon a piece of Chaga, growing on a birch tree about 200 metres from our house. They are parasitic fungi that will eventually kill their host tree. It’s a slow process that can take many years. The outside of the Chaga is very hard and charcoal like in appearance. Not the kind of thing you can pick off with your bare hands. So today I walked through the neighbourhood with a saw in my rucksack – feeling very badass ;-).

Once cut into smaller pieces, the wonderful golden colour reveals itself. To use it, it needs to be dried thoroughly and then ground or smashed into smaller pieces. These can then be added to coffee or tea (if fine enough) or put in a strainer if the pieces are larger. It has a flavour quite similar to coffee in terms of bitterness, but without the caffeine and a whole shedload of nutrients in its place!

Our pieces are currently sitting under the woodburner, quietly drying out in the warmth. I’m looking forward to having my daily Chaga brew, and I’ll keep you posted about any positive effects on my health along the way!