I’m very happy to announce that the first version of the Seasonally chrome extension is now available for installation. Here’s a link to the listing in the Chrome Web Store:

Install the Seasonally Chrome Extension 🍂

What the Seasonally Extension Does

When you install Seasonally from the Chrome Web Store, it overrides the default ‘New Tab’ screen with the Seasonally app.

Seasonally helps you stay on top of a seasonal lifestyle. You tell Seasonally what seasons and tasks you want to be reminded about, and it will show you everything that’s in season when you open a new tab in Chrome.

For example, as a forager I want to remember to harvest ramp bulbs after the leaves have died back. This happens approximately between May 15th and 30th in my region. So I create a task in Seasonally called ‘harvest ramp bulbs’ and create a season that starts on May 15th and ends on May 30th. Going forward, every year between these dates I will be reminded to ‘harvest ramp bulbs’ each time I open a new tab.

This helps me keep the relevant seasons in mind throughout the year, as it can be difficult keep track of everything with our busy lives.

Also, the Seasonally extension is 100% free and requires no email sign-up whatsoever. It works right out of the box, and syncs your data across any Chrome browsers you are signed in to.

Why I Decided to Build Seasonally

I’m a stay-at-home dad to a toddler and I enjoy working on software projects like Seasonally in my spare time. I absolutely love the idea of living a seasonal lifestyle, but I really struggle to stay on top of everything.

When do I harvest them? And how exactly do I do it? I built Seasonally to address both of those problems.

Like pretty much every other forager in the US, I’m incredibly grateful to the work of Sam Thayer. His books have had a profound impact on how I think about food and nature, and I’m eagerly awaiting his field guide that’s coming out this May.

One of my favorite features from his books is the Foraging Calendar. I find myself constantly referencing these calendars, and I was inspired to create an automated version of them that could remind me when something was in season. Hence, the Seasonally extension.

I also really like the idea of helping other foragers live a seasonal lifestyle. I’ve only taken foraging seriously in the last couple years, but few things have brought me as much joy as digging up ramps or harvesting nannyberries in the fall. If I can help others experience that joy year-round, I think that’s worthwhile.

What Comes Next

I’ll be the first to admit that the first version of the Seasonally extension is a little rough around the edges, and that’s OK! I think it’s an interesting start towards addressing the seasonality problem, but I don’t want to pretend like I know the perfect solution.

Instead, I’d like to work with other foragers to get their feedback on Seasonally. So I’ll be reaching out to the foraging community in the hopes of getting some feedback on how I could improve Seasonally.

If you find the Seasonally extension interesting, feel free to share it on social media or send it to friends and family that might be interested. I’m extremely grateful for anyone that shares it, and thank you for taking the time to read this.