Start Up & Thank Yous

 In this line of work, whatever profits you reap correlate with how far you put yourself out there and how hard you're willing to hustle. Establishing a solid grounding by proper self-education is as important as the mission statement, or creating your financial bottom lines. It's an interesting adventure and we encourage everyone to start their own business one day and to start networking with those talented individuals that will help bring out the best in you to the surface. Gather & Forge would like to thank a few individuals that have helped us immensely in start-up mode as well as illustrate what else we've been up to in preparation for launch.

Ryan and I have spent many afternoons downing caffeine and going over our notes and literature. We asked a kind soul at Starbuck's to take this silly photo, but we wanted to show this aspect of starting-up, the nitty-gritty. Very little cooking done here.

We have Chris & Amanda from Mrs & Mrs Sew It All to thank for our awesome company gear. They tailored our aprons and had a friend embroider the rest with our logo and company name.

As a team, we lack the artistic ability to come up with our image and branding. Luckily our friend Niko Dellios, one of Ryan's New Mexico buddies, is a fantastic designer and lent us his vision and talent. He ALSO designed our beautiful website, or home base as we like to call it, AS WELL as our business cards. Eternally grateful for him.

Ryan gets his own card this time, too.

Niko had the idea of stapling seeds to our business cards to plant a seed in the minds of our potential clients about the importance of cultivating one's garden and the potential full circle our business entails. It's a bit late for tomatoes and chiles but we're working on something.

We decided to join Bryan and Debbie Pierce for their Austin Foraging & Edible Wild Plants Meetup and realized the incredible bounty all around us through their expert guidance. We can't wait to feature items on our menus from this massive hidden grocery store.

Dayflower: Use in salads fresh, or boil and toss young leaves and stems in butter.

Wood Sorrel, identified by three perfect little heart-shaped leaves. Raw tastes like sour grape skin. To make a refreshing drink, steep the leaves for 10 min. in hot water, chill, and add sugar or honey. Rich in vitamin C. And interestingly enough, if you eat too many over a period of time, it may inhibit the body's absorption of calcium.

One of our favorites, the tender shoot of the common Bullbrier. Green-stemmed, mostly prickly or thorny vines climbing by tendrils that originate in the leaf axils. The young shoots are delicious prepared like asparagus, steamed and seasoned. The rootstocks, when processed like cattails, yield a gelatin substitute.

So much learning, and so much more to be had.