Make these fermented honey elderberries to boost your immune system or simply for a tasty and healthy treat.
These inspiring spruce tip recipes will help you make the most of this ephemeral foraged food. Spruce tip syrup, pesto, ice cream & more!
Mullein is one of the most recognizable, medicinal and useful plants. Foraging for mullein is easy and fun!
Juniper berries are one of the most underappreciated, unsung heroes of the spice world. Learn how to use them in the kitchen and beyond on Gardener's Path.
Elecampane (Inula helenium) is a perennial herb that grows wild around the world. It'd been used for generations as a flavoring and condiment, and it's still used to make absinthe in Europe. Herbalists know it as
Speedwell (Veronica sp.) are small blue wildflowers that grow worldwide. They're both edible and medicinal and have been used by a number of cultures as a "cure-all" since antiquity. Modern studies are starting to verify
This pine salve is made with infused pine oil that will moisturize and heal winter skin ailments and has aromatherapy benefits, too!
Goldenrod is helpful for making salves for sore muscles, tea for your kidneys, and may be useful for respiratory woes.
Goldenrod is helpful for making salves for sore muscles, tea for your kidneys, and may be useful for respiratory woes.
Every grain we have today has a wild ancestor, but some are more domesticated than others. Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) is relatively new to domestication, and its wild cousin (Chenopodium album) is not that different than the
Mullein is one of the most recognizable, medicinal and useful plants. Foraging for mullein is easy and fun!
Wondering if that plant in your garden is yummy purslane or toxic spurge? Check out this detailed guide to help you correctly distinguish between spurge and purslane. #foraging #poisonous plants
If you have ever ogled someone’s jade plant, and imagined yanking off one of those succulently fleshy leaves and popping it in your mouth—have I got a weed wild edible for you! It’s purslane, and it may well be growing in your garden, yard, or sidewalk cracks. If you think it might be, just do a Google image search to check—it’s pretty distinctive looking. I have a lovely patch that recurs by our back steps, and the children call purslane “Chapter 1” in the Crazy Shit Our Mother Ate memoir they’re plotting. I must add here that the person who taught me to eat purslane in the first place was my own mother. So maybe Volume II can be Crazy Shit Our Grandma Ate. Pretty much every morning in the months of July and August, I dart out the back door to pick a handful for my breakfast quesadilla, and I love it. It’s crunchy and lemony and slippery, like a cross between okra and sorrel and the way you think it would be to bite into one of those juicy-looking seaweed pods you see washed up on the shore. (“Chapter 2” of the kids’ book is Seaweed, which I am always surreptitiously nibbling at the beach—especially those chartreuse ruffles that look like how you would draw lettuce if you were tripping.) Birdy with lettuce seaweed, circa 2007. Picture courtesy of Uncle Barbara, aka Michael's lovely step-mother. I just asked Birdy to describe purslane, and the adjectives she picked were slimy and leafy. Hm. Wikipedia describes it as mucilaginous. Sure. That—and more! Because you should know this: purslane is a superfood. One day, everyone’s going to be eating it for its insane concentrations of Omega 3, vitamins, and minerals—and you’re going to say you knew it when. There might be a moment when you notice that your quesadilla is covered in little black specks, and you'll think Fuck, it's caterpillar shit. But it's not. It's purslane seeds, and they're really good for you. This quesadilla is my very favorite way to eat it, although I would like to try putting purslane in potato salad, which I think would be fantastic, and cooking it with pintos, which I’ve heard is good. I have tried pickling it, which was oddly disappointing, and when it’s very large and the stems get thick, I stir-fry it, which is good. It is surprisingly bad in smoothies. A friend in California once made me a fattoush salad of purslane, torn pita bread, and tomatoes, and it was once of the best things I ever tasted. Birdy eats lots of it plain, while she stands contemplatively by the back steps. And we just ordered a lovely salad from the Sunbird fish taco truck in Wellfleet, and I got a high-five for identifying the purslane leaves. Rock on, wild things. Purslane Quesadilla Makes 1 I know you don’t need me to tell you how to make a quesadilla. And yet it’s funny that I never have, given that we eat them morning, noon, and night. When purslane is not in season, I use kale, spinach, dandelion greens, or slivered cabbage. Butter 2 corn tortillas Sliced or grated cheese (Monterey Jack, pepper Jack, or cheddar) 1 handful purslane stems and leaves, rinsed if necessary Hot sauce, etc. for topping Heat a little butter in a small pan over medium heat. When it is hot, lay a tortilla in a pan, then top it with cheese, then lay another tortilla over the top. Now watch. At a certain point, not only will the bottom tortilla be beautifully golden-brown, but you will see the whole little package steam and swell, which means that it will be crisp and puffy, rather than dry and leathery. Flip it and cook the bottom side until brown. Remove the quesadilla to a plate, open it up to add the purslane and hot sauce, then sandwich it all back together and cut in quarters. Divine.
Make these fermented honey elderberries to boost your immune system or simply for a tasty and healthy treat.
This pine needle cough syrup is beneficial for soothing for a dry and scratchy throat and helping to tame coughs.
Common purslane is a highly nutritious edible and medicinal plant that readily grows. Learn to find, identify, use and purslane!
Elderberries are a superfood you can forage for. Here are 18+ tips to help you find, select, and harvest ripe elderberries at their peak.
Common milkweed is a tasty edible plant, and one of my favorite spring greens. That's right my friends...milkweed is edible, and wicked tasty. It tastes remarkably like asparagus, only better. Every time I tell someone
Wondering if that plant in your garden is yummy purslane or toxic spurge? Check out this detailed guide to help you correctly distinguish between spurge and purslane. #foraging #poisonous plants
Nettles are a nutritious and versatile wild food. Here we make a delicious Stinging Nettle Cordial, one of my favourite nettle recipes.
What is chicory? From its vibrant purple leaves to its culinary use, here's everything you need to know about chicory. Get a comprehensive guide on all the wonders of this amazing plant and discover why it is so popular.
Mountain ash berries, aka rowan berries, are a lesser-known foraged fruit to harvest in fall. Here's what to know about foraging & using rowan berries. #rowan #mountainash #foraging
Often seen as a pesky weed, edible purslane is nothing less than a superfood! Find out the health benefits of purslane, plus how to harvest and eat it.
Wondering what to do with your harvest of chokeberries? Also known as aronia, these antioxidant-rich berries take a little know-how to enjoy properly. Here's a collection of aronia berry recipes (aka chokeberry recipes) to help! #aronia #chokeberry
A plant that has a long history of medicinal use and can be found growing in many parts of the world is mullein (Verbascum thapsus).
Elderberries are somewhat of a superfood that has been forgotten over time in Europe. As more exotic fruits and berries have gotten space in our supermarkets we forgot that we have one of the most healthy and versatile berries here at home. The elderberry is packed with anti-oxidants, bioflavonoids, vitamin C, A and B - as well as large amounts of amino acids. In fact - a small spoon of elderberry jelly or jam on your toast in the morning covers most of your daily need of vitamin C. In Eastern medicine the elderberry is used to lower cholesterol and
Discover the art of foraging wild grapes and unlock nature's hidden treasures. Learn where to find, how to pick, and enjoy these grapes
Learn about identifying purslane, a nutriitous edible wild plant. Here's how to identify purslane as well as purslane look alikes to watch out for.
Adele Nozedar's book foraging with kids, 52 wild and free edibles to enjoy with your children, is a great introductory guide to safe family foraging.
Chickweed may be a common backyard weed, but it's a little herbal powerhouse! Learn all about chickweed in this helpful article.
Botanical Name of Shepherd's Purse: Capsella bursa-pastoris. Other Common Names: Lady's purse, shepherd's bag, mother's heart, shovelweed, caseweed, borsa de pastor (Spanish), bouse de pasteur (French), Hirtentäschelkraut (German), hjartarfi (Icelandic), hyrdetaske (Danish). Habitat: The plant is probably native to Europe and parts of Asia, but now it can be found in temperate regions around the world. The European settlers brought the plant with them to North America, and the species quickly spread across the continent. Shepherd's purse is often regarded as a weed. Plant Description: Shepherd's purse is an annual plant that belongs to the mustard family (Brassicaceae) with highly
This Rowan Berry Syrup is a wonderful addition for cocktails, tea, and many other things. It has a complex flavour profile being sweet, tart, and pleasantly bitter at the same time. It also has many health benefits.
