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No sign of pigs around Richland or Milmay just yet, but they supposedly once were here. There are some old accounts of pigs left to live off mast. Another name for a spung is a hog hole, so I envision that closed basins could be a favored haunt of theirs. Other spung names documented include...

Thanks GermanG, It is a science disciplinary problem. I’ve been way too wrapped up with peer review. Trust me, that sausage making is not pretty. In retrospect my tone could easily be taken as bossy, even snarky. No one should have to feel challenged here and a number of eminently qualified...

This might be a good time to explain how I became obsessively (fen-atically?) interested in this topic. Over a decade ago I served on a local environmental board, but was thrown off after discovering that two package plant sewer systems were secretly underway in my village to support...

No problem, Bob, some Pinelands wetlands are perfectly suited to being called poor fen as they share many characteristics with cold climate fen systems! My apologies, as you have proven merit to the argument for a "poor fen" designation. Fen as you are using it describes what is happening below...

McQueen (1990: 17) states, “A fen is a Sphagnum-dominated wetland…” He also has a great, easy to understand discussion of fens (1990: 29–31). I don't think I said 100%, but I am of the same opinion as McQueen that a fen should be a Sphagnum-dominated wetland. You bet, nice read in the dearth...

Bob, thanks for prodding me to think this one through! I'm too focused on what is below the organic stuff. Of course there are mucky places on the old river channel terraces that are peat-like, and we call it peat out of practicality, but is much of it really peat ("true peat" of Waksman 1942...

Bob, you ask good questions. Wetlands can be divided into two broad classifications, organic wetlands and mineral wetlands. Organic wetlands are also called peatlands. Peatlands by definition contain more than 40 cm of accumulated peat. Bogs and fens are peatland features (National Wetlands...

Bob, I agree that Pinelands wetlands are not bogs. Apologies if I left that the impression that we should call Pinelands wetlands bogs. Collins and Anderson (1994) argued that bogs are specifically peat accumulating, nutrient-poor wetlands without water inflow or outflow. This is an important...

True fens are wicked cool places, but there is little evidence so far that true fens ever existed in the Pines, even in the Pleistocene. Demitroff (2007: 125–126) provides all the picky details as to differences between bogs and fens: Bog and fen are peatland terms, applied to wetlands that...

That Steelman line is fascinating, and provides a glimpse into that elusive eighteenth century pre-furnace Pine Barrens. The legacy lives on! I have much interest in the Steelman plantation near Mays Landing. https://forums.njpinebarrens.com/threads/locks-bridge.688/page-10#post-130292...

We have a lot of great fish here that are under-appreciated. Eel is a delicacy that I grew up with, yet very few restaurants serve it. Our farmhands (Tussy and Cowboy come to mind) used to catch and prepare snappers (the turtle) for Bookbinders when I was a kid. It involved laborious...

Back to the question about currants and gooseberries. Back in 1918 currants and gooseberries were banned in NJ (to stop white pine blister rust), but that ban was lifted in 1966 to allow red currents and gooseberries. The European black currant I believe is still listed. We are at the southern...

Oh yes, tomato gravy is so much better than sauce! Anyone from South Jersey knows the difference. Romas, Sungolds, and Carolina Golds with mozzarella tonight, olive oil and balsamic; glass of Spanish granacha My San Marzanos are a couple days off. The regular basil grew like gangbusters then...

Yes, you are spot on for toughness and taste, but I couldn't build enthusiasm from the family; same for other spinach substitutes like amaranth, Malabar spinach, and good King Henry. Swiss chard spoiled their tastebuds. That's komatsuna greens growing beneath the hot peppers in my first photo...

Fruity tropical Scotch Bonnets on pizza, the healthy pepperoni! Gardens plots are the best part of living in the Pines. However, hot summers have caused me to shift away from conventional crops to those that are more heat tolerant. Bitter gourd, yard-long bean, and round Thai eggplant are...

Howdy Bill, Great to hear from you! Jerseyman, Lost Town Hunter, and I participated in a McPhee Pine Barrens retrospect a couple years back. With the benefit of a half-century of hindsight, he was surprisingly good on Pinelands geology details...

Why living around nature could make you live longer The researchers found that people living in the greenest places — that is, people who had the most vegetation within 800 feet of their homes — had a 12 percent lower rate of mortality from any non-accidental cause than people living in the...

I buy a case of 48 gassers every season. You need to go through at least half-a case (24 gassers) over a period of a couple days to be effective (at least in the beginning), then spot treat whenever a new tunnel appears. I hit key points around the perimeter at least three times to achieve...

The July 08, 2016 New Yorker Radio Hour featured an episode called "The Wisdom of John McPhee" where the author reflects on a lifetime of writing. Here's a link to that podcast: http://www.wnyc.org/shows/tnyradiohour McPhee's book The Pine Barrens is credited as the inspiration for the...

...and fruit, putting the vine back in Vineland!