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Monthly Archive

Milkweed Magic

Hello from Boulder, CO!
I’ve been having such a great summer, spending most of it outdoors and eating a lot of wild plants along the way. One of my favorites is common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), and it’s time to eat its silk. So luxurious! Will probably be enjoying some for dinner over the full moon tonight.

I’ll be posting a video from the Wild Foods Summit on the White Earth Reservation, hopefully soon. But also wanted to put a call out for anyone who might be interested in joining my son and friend/assistant Johnny along the way. We need someone to assist with harvesting and preserving wild foods, helping me prep and clean up from filming cooking segments of the television show, and general upkeep of life in the RV. If anyone is interested, please send an email to: info@wildfoodplants.com. There’s a small stipend for the roughly 3 1/2 month commitment, from early September through mid-December.

Plant Healing with Frank Cook

Here is the second video from a wild plant retreat I attended with Doug Elliott and Frank Cook. Based out of the Sunnybank Inn, which sits along the Appalachian Trail near Hot Springs, NC, we traveled to some amazing places nearby and learned a wealth of information from these two astute mountain men. Doug Elliott is a gifted storyteller and musician, and we start this video off with his Dandelion Song. The remainder of the video highlights Frank Cook of www.plantsandhealers.com. Frank has an encyclopedic knowledge of the plants, and the real beauty lies in that he blends this knowledge with love and wisdom. Frank travels the world learning about and teaching about plants, and he has a wonderful way of bringing truth’s out and making you think about your own evolution. Please check out his website to see some of the articles he’s written, books he recommends, and his tour schedule.

I really fell in love with those Appalachian Mountains, and send a big thanks to all the plants, the people attending the retreat, and our amazing teachers!

Sing Along with Doug Elliott

Here is a long-overdue video from my time spent in the Appalachian Mountains with Doug Elliott and Frank Cook, during the late part of April. I attended an absolutely wonderful wild plant retreat with these gentle giants of the plant world and learned so much from them both. Doug is a gifted mountain man who, in addition to his knowledge of the natural world, shares his enthusiasm for it through stories and song. He is a national treasure…keeping the stories and songs alive, and I would encourage you to visit his website www.dougelliott.com to see the wide range of CD’s and books he has available. Doug is a tender-hearted man, with a lifetime of experience living off the land and staying attuned to the plant world.

One of my favorite things I learned from him was that when you are walking through the forest and you go through a spiderweb…well, that’s the forest imprinting your face! And when you step over one of those rocks that tips and wobbles a bit…well, that’s the forest figuring out how much you weigh! And finally, when you stumble upon one of those jack (or jill) in the pulpit’s…well, that’s the microphone of the forest and they’re listening to your words. It’s alive!!! Please check Doug’s website for his class schedules, and stay tuned for part two.

An Education with Wildman Steve Brill

Wildman Steve Brill is the central character to probably the most widely known modern day wild food story ever told. It’s become legendary, and if you don’t know it…here it is:

Wildman was teaching a foraging class in New York City’s Central Park in 1986. The New York City Parks Commissioner was not happy this crazy bearded fellow was doing such a thing and put 2 undercover park rangers hot on his trail. A couple show up for one of Wildman’s nature tour’s, saying they’re married, and keep taking pictures on the tour. When Wildman bends down and picks a dandelion leaf the man goes behind a tree, says something on his walkie talkie, and immediately Wildman is surrounded by NYC park rangers who cuff him and search his belongings. He’s arrested, cited a violation for ‘Criminal Mischief for Removing Vegetation From the Park’, and faces a fine and up to one year in jail. Wildman calls every news agency he can and finds himself front and center of a media frenzy. He’s on the CBS Evening News, Late Night with David Letterman, BBC, front page of the Chicago Sun, etc. Wildman serves his Dandelion Five Boro salad on the steps of the Manhattan Criminal Court before his appearance. Meanwhile, the NYC Mayor receives so many angry letters that the charges are dropped and Wildman gets hired to teach wild food tours in Central Park!

Wildman also loves to cook. In the video above he shares a new experiment with cooking common plantain (Plantago major). Although he’s still experimenting, and says he would like to parboil and dry the leaves before roasting them next time, here’s an idea of a new recipe he’s coming up with. He washed and dried the leaves and preheated an oven to 425 degrees. The leaves were coated with sesame seed oil, ground caraway seeds, ground fennel seeds, ground nutmeg, and salt. Stirred regularly and baked for roughly 6-10 minutes. Check out his cookbook, The Wild Vegetarian Cookbook.

Imagine a world where children learn about and eat wild foods!

Field Garlic with Leda

Here’s a video, done by a cool cooking web show called Kitchen Caravan, on Leda Meredith. There are actually 4 video’s to view, but this one highlights Leda harvesting wild field garlic (Allium vineale). This plant is widespread, and can be used similarly to chives (tops) or garlic (bulbs). Leda is currently challenging herself to eat foods from within a 250 mile radius of her home in Brooklyn, New York. In her blog, Leda’s Urban Homestead, she writes about her experiences on this diet. You can click here to view a post I did shortly after she started her challenge last summer. Be sure to check her website, as she offers classes on wild foods and domesticated plants.

Nat Bletter Is a Go-Getter

Nat Bletter, ethnobotanist, is taking right action. So many in his field are working to manipulate indigenous medicinal plant knowledge, but Nat has a very respectful approach and sincere desire to help humanity with the knowledge he holds. He’s currently finishing his dissertation on the ‘Quantitative Cross-Cultural Medical Ethnobotany of Peru and Mali’. People like himself are wooed by pharmaceutical companies, but this go-getter is instead forming both a raw chocolate company and a company which uses our invasive species.

Nat is an excellent forager in New York City, and offers classes in both ethnobotany and foraging. He recently started a blog, The Quest for Khao Soi, to document his adventures searching for his favorite Thai dish. Our intersecting relationships with plants is incredibly fascinating, as we certainly shape eachother. Check out the video above…where Nat discusses intellectual property rights, takes us through a few New York City parks to forage, and cooks up a delicious meal of burdock root/burdock petiol’s/pokeweed greens covered with shepard’s purse/garlic mustard root topping, sauteed mulberry leaves, a chickweed/shepard’s purse/garlic mustard/wild chive/redbud salad, california bay laurel nut chocolate, and roasted Kentucky bean ‘coffee’!

Fat of the Land

(photo courtesy of Langdon Cook)

Check this out!
Langdon Cook, located in the Seattle area, has been going wild with his new blog Fat of the Land. Langdon’s blog is very well written, and will keep pacific northwesterners abreast of seasonally available wild foods, along with delicious recipes to prepare them. He’s currently working on a book titled Fat of the Land and says, “The book will be very different from the blog – with more in-depth, character-driven narratives about foraging. Each chapter will focus on my efforts (and misadventures) to harvest a specific species, with healthy doses of natural history and conservation thrown in for good measure. Like the blog, the book will also have recipes.” Yeehaw!

So, how did Langdon get into this foraging lifestyle?
After a move to Seattle in 1991, he found himself easily strewn among the outdoorsy types, iconoclasts and other non-joiners the area is famous for. After a year living off-grid in southwestern Oregon, his confidence and experiences grew. He is now trying to peek outside the consumer food box as we know it, convince a few skeptics, and bottom line: have some fun! Langdon says, “You have to bone up on the life history of the species…this is gumshoe detective work at its heart. Once you hit paydirt, the next thing is to learn how to cook your catch. The entire progression jazzes me, from studying at home, pouring over maps, laying plans, going out into the field, and returning with free, nutritious booty to cook up into delicious meals.”

Since it ‘tis the season for dandelions for so many folks right now, click here to read one of his posts about dandelions as a superfood. In addition, he gives recipes for dandelion delivery cookies, dandy burgers, dandy muffins and bread, a dandelicious omelet and fried dandies. Stay tuned for more from this phat forager!

Uganost: with Ila Hatter

Happy Beltane! I hope you are all out doing some wild exuberant dancing with the maypole. May Day has been celebrated by earth-centered cultures for many a year, and it marks the midway point between spring equinox and summer solstice. I’m here in the Appalachian Mountains…and are they incredible! The other night I had a very cool experience with some of the Grandfather Spirits of these, the oldest mountains in North America. They were hungry.

A few days ago I was able to meet up with my cousin Ila Hatter. She’s a wonderful woman who I’m honored to call family – click here to read an article I wrote about Ila last year. The video above highlights Ila’s knowledge about uganost (there are several ways of spelling sweet in Cherokee), which is each individual Cherokee families blend of their favorite spring greens. I learned many new plants on this walk with Ila. Ila also covers some very important guidelines when foraging for food and medicine, as well as the necessity in saying thank you and leaving a gift for the plants you are gathering. Alrighty, I hope you are all living in joyful abundance this May Day, with your own personal uganost blends.

Kudzu Queen ~ Nancy Basket

Had the great priviledge of meeting up with Nancy Basket, of Kudzu Kabin Designs. Nancy holds strong to her Cherokee roots and shares not only general information about kudzu’s ediblity and usefulness, but also weaves kudzu’s story into a Cherokee legend that teaches about right living in the world.

I’ve been having a lot of fun getting to know kudzu (Pueraria lobata) down here in the south. The leaves and root starch powder have made their way into a variety of my dishes; fermented kudzu leaves for kudzu dolmas, kudzu alfredo, kudzu omelette’s, kudzu tempura chips, kudzu cider…and more!

Be sure to watch for my upcoming show, Hot on the Trail with Sunny Savage, on Veria channel 9575 on DISH. We’ve dedicated an entire episode to ‘the vine that ate the south’. One use that has really caught my attention, as well as many in the medical field, is kudzu’s use in the treatment of alcoholism…as well as to decrease alcohol consumption for the person who occasionally partaketh. There are many references to its benefits, and the Harvard Medical School study that got the buzz going, through either PubMed or Highwire.

Kudzu Tempura
1 cup flour of your choice
1 Tbsp kudzu powder (called kuzu powder in stores)
dash salt
1 cup cold water

Mix dry ingredients thoroughly. Then add water and stir completely to get all lumps out. This will give you a beautiful tempura batter than can be used to fry kudzu leaves themselves…elderflowers…dandelion flowers…etc. I’ve fallen in love with using pecan oil here in the south. It’s a wonderful oil that holds up well in high heat.

Hot on the Trail with Sunny Savage

You heard it here…I got myself a wild food television show!
It’s called Hot on the Trail with Sunny Savage.
Have sold my Prius, let go of my apartment in California, and hit the road runnin’ in a 34’ motorhome. Never thought I would be living in an RV…ever…even if it does run on biodiesel, solar panels, and is eco-outfitted on the inside. Will be on the road for the next 8 months, filming 26 episodes all across the US, for Veria.
The Veria network, channel 9575, airs on DISH and is dedicated to living life, naturally.

I don’t know when Veria will start airing the show, but will keep you posted. If you already get DISH, you can simply call and ask to subscribe to channel 9575. If you aren’t a TV person, or don’t get DISH, I would recommend contacting Veria at 1-866-918-3742 and requesting that the show be made into DVD’s, or online internet TV subscriptions. It’s going to be an awesome show, which I can say since it truly takes a team of people to put something like this together. We have an amazing group of folks producing it from Fusion Productions.

One very cool thing about getting paid to travel around the country doing a show like this is that I am connecting with amazing wild food folks from around the nation. Stay tuned to my website as I document some of these wild people who are willing to open their lives to us. Highlighted in this video is Lionel Key, Jr.. Lionel has been making file powder for over 20 years, in a huge mortar & pestle that has been used by his family since 1904. File is simply crushed wild sassafras leaves (Sassafras albidum). Lionel wildcrafts the leaves near his home in Baton Rouge, LA… and the finished file powder can then be purchased on his website: www.unclebillspices.com.

Common Milkweed Oil

Have reposted this video, as it shows common milkweed (Ascelpias syriaca) in bloom in the Minot, ND area last summer. I was visiting my family there, and it’s good to go back to those family memories (my mom is walking in the background during the milkweed part). Click here to see the post that went with the video.

Milkweed has long been a favorite plant. I’ve always dreamed of getting a milkweed-stuffed down comforter from the Ogallala Comfort Company. Their Hypodown® 20:80 mix of A. syriaca and goose down is guaranteed to be reaction free for TEN years and has an even longer overall guarantee. Herb Knudsen started the Natural Fibers Corporation in 1986, of which Ogalla Down is a division. They have now started a new division called Ogallala Escapes, which offers beauty products made with the pressed oil of A. syriaca seeds.

I’ve never bought many beauty products in my life, preferring to make my own, but Ogallala Escapes sent me a beautiful spa package containing many of their products with syriaca oil. These are the most divine skin products i’ve used…and it’s soooo cool to be using this plant externally on my body. Another way I use the plant externally is for its milky/latexy sap, which is great for removing moles/warts/age spots, after some time of applying it daily.

Ascelpias is the Greek God of Healing, syriaca means “of syria”. This is interesting since the plant is native here in North America. My father lived in Syria for a few years and I was able to travel around that country with him. Sitting at the end of the Silk Road I somehow think our common milkweed may someday be recognized for its riches. The syriaca oil is full of rich moisturizers, Vitamin E, and unique fatty acids. One of those beneficial and interesting fatty acids is cis-vaccenic, which is found in young skin but diminishes as we age.

Mae West’s Two Bags Save One Life! life vests during WWII were filled with milkweed floss. The USDA gave onion sacks to millions of American schoolkids, encouraging them to help the war efforts by gathering the floss, which ended up filling over one million Mae West life vests. Native Americans didn’t employ their children to gather milkweed floss for war, but rather widely used it to swaddle their young. It’s been used by the French since the 1600’s.

This perennial plant, widely distributed around the US, has a beautiful wild spirit. I love the Mae West connection, as she and I share a birthday and she’s the only star I’ve gone to see on the Hollywood Walk of Fame while living in the LA-area. It’s all about a girl who lost her reputation and never gave a damn! -Mae West

Wild Food Classes

Happy Spring Equinox!

There are some powerful energies moving through the planet…so hopefully you’re all out eating some yummy wild foods to help the body adjust more easily. I’m participating again this year in the annual Solar Wave, a stellar synchronized 24-hour global equinox event on Friday’s full moon. Check it out here.

There are so many cool activities going on out there, and as we step into spring I would encourage you to take a look at the Wild Food Events/Festivals section of my website (under the Resources Tab), for a current listing of wild food events. If you know of other events that would be appropriate for this list, please let me know.

My new wild food friend Nat Bletter, PhD out in New York City is offering a class I would love to take. He will be teaching Ethnobotany: Cultural Uses of Plants at the New York Botanical Garden. This 20-hour course explores how plants are a part of daily human life. The social, historical, cultural, ecological, and economic impacts of people-plant interactions around the world will be discussed. In addition, Nat also leads wild food walks in the New York City area. Nat has not yet set his spring/summer wild food walk schedule…so be sure to check back on the Wild Food Events/Festivals section of my website (under the Resources Tab) to find out when his classes are offered.

California Bay Laurel

(Photo from the Encyclopedia of Stanford Trees, Shrubs, and Vines)

Another great video below by FeralKevin. When I moved to California in September of 2006 I went crazy for Californai Bay Laurel nuts (Umbellularia Californica). I love FeralKevin’s analogy to cacao nibs in the video below, as that was exactly how I used them. For my Master’s graduation party I made huge batches of truffles with them…roasting off the nuts and blending with powdered sugar and cream. Their natural stimulating/caffeine-like properties made for a wild party!

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

This video is having a hard time showing here, so click here to access it on FeralKevin’s website.

Click here for a great article co-authored by my good friend Cecilia Garcia. She is an amazing plant person and Chumash healer. She has told me that the California Bay Laurel nuts are only eaten during the change of season and that they help your body adjust to those new energies. Cecilia and Dr. James Adams teamed up for a book called Healing with Medicinal Plants of the West-Cultural and Scientific Basis for their Use, but she just emailed me to say they have sold all their copies with no money for reprinting. If anyone has access to publishing grants, or other funding sources, please email me….we don’t want to lose access to this book!

Here is another great resource for California Bay Laurel by Tamara Wilder

FeralKevin Acorn Video

Just found FeralKevin website. It highlights rewilding, edible wild food, and permaculture topics. I so wanted to do an acorn video this fall/winter, but never got around to it. Click here to read a write-up by FeralKevin on the importance of acorns as a staple food, or watch the video below that he did.

Chanterelle Time

It’s been raining in southern California….FINALLY! That means mushrooms. Check out this chanterelle a friend harvested in Topanga. It was divine sauteed with chickweed and young sow thistle greens.

Andean Trilogy

Love/Knowledge/Work
Condor/Puma/Snake
Lower/Middle/Upper Worlds
Ausangate/Salkantay/Veronica

These four trilogies form the Andean cross, and are based on a deep cosmology connected with the southern cross constellation. Another blessed trip to Peru with the chakana to guide my way! The photo is of the Sacred Leaf of the Incas, also known as coca. The western mind thinks of it as a drug, but that is only after it has been demoralized and mixed with harsh chemicals to make cocaine. It is sacred to the Andean People, and studies by Dr. Jim Duke have found it to be high in antioxidants, beta carotene, iron and calcium.

Freddy Munoz, from Llama Path is highlighted in the video above. He helped to connect my family more deeply with the land and the spirit of the Inkas. It also brought home how important it is to love your work. In this, the energy of the first new moon of the New Year and all its Capricornian influence, may you live your passion and set goals of responsible/truthful/focused work…with integrity.

*see these links for other articles relating to Peru
Wild Fennel
Wild Radish
Eco-tourism
Back to my Rock
Quinoa ‘n Yucca

Over the Rainbow

aaaaaah Hawai’i. My family has lived there for nearly 30 years and I’ve never been to visit! I planned to do a detailed video on limu (sea vegetables), but the weather didn’t cooperate. So, unlike all my other unfinished videos I decided to share this one….and give my show a new name. The video is not complete, but gives information on ‘ulu, or Hawaiian breadfruit. This mega-producer is known as Artocarpus altilis to botanists, and has been recorded producing up to 700 fruits per year…reaching the size of a human head. Welcome to Savage in the Wild!

Fresh food is a signature of the tropics. There are less than a dozen native Hawaiian plants that are edible, but the Polynesians brought many edible, useful and medicinal plants with them and they are known as canoe plants. Click here to learn about uses and preparation of ‘ulu. I harvested my first ‘ulu with the help of Bonnie Kerr-Pilon at the Hana Cultural Center & Museum. She has written and illustrated a fabulous cookbook called The Sensual World: Tropical Garden Cookbook from her experiences living 90% off her land near Hana, Maui. I would also recommend Hawaiian Breadfruit: Ethnobotany, Nutrition, and Human Ecology, which you can purchase through the National Tropical Botanical Garden on Kauai. And finally the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation has a great cookbook and guide to using local produce called, The Hawai’i Farmers Market Cookbook: Fresh Island Products from A to Z.. The following recipe comes from Bonnie’s book:

Savory Breadfruit

1 Breadfruit – firm yet yielding, chopped
3 c coconut milk
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp salt
12 oz firm tofu, mashed (optional)

Chop onion and line bottom of large cooking pot with it. Crush tofu with fork and arrange on top of onion. Peel breadfruit (you don’t have to), cut it in half and remove center core. Cut into 1” cubes and layer on top of onions and tofu. Sprinkle on salt. Pour enough coconut milk to cover the breadfruit. Cover and boil on high heat for about 10 minutes. When milk begins to bubble, reduce to simmer for 20 minutes, or until breadfruit is tender like a cooked potato.

Wild Eats at Moonwise Herbs

I had the very good fortune of meeting up with Linda Conroy a few months ago. She is an amazing herbalist and wild food lover, with oodles of knowledge that she joyfully shares. Linda is the founder of Moonwise Herbs, located in Sheboygan, WI. Besides offering herbal intensives and summer sea vegetable gatherings in the Puget Sound area, she hosts Wild Eats meals. These wild food extravaganzas are made from scratch and their motto is to, ‘Eat Wild and Whole Foods in Community!’.

Linda is currently writing a wild food cookbook, and I’m like reallyreallyreally excited to see what I know will be an amazing addition to the wild food world. Check out the menu from her November 4th Wild Eats Fall Frenzy Feast:

Appetizers

Goat Cheese with High Bush Cranberry Sauce
Sourdough Crackers with Lamb’s Quarter Seeds
Crabapple Chutney
Deviled Eggs Stuffed with Watercress Pesto
Pickle Tray: Wild Asparagus, Wild Leeks, Kelp, Dandelion Roots and Burdock

Soup and Salad

Wild Greens Salad with a Hawthorn Berry Vinaigrette
Gamascio: Seaweed and Sesame Seed Condiment
Wild Parsnip-Apple Soup with Wild Leeks

Main Course

Shepard’s Pie with Rabbit, Wild Leeks and Wild Parsnips
Wild Rice cooked in Apple Cider with Butter, Hazel and Hickory Nuts and Elderberries
Roasted vegetables featuring Wild Leeks, Burdock and Wild Parsnips
Fermented Carrots with Wild Ginger
Blackberry Applesauce
Rose Hip Flat Bread

Beverages

Sparkling Pear Cider
Rosehip Infusion
Mulberry Wine
Wild Grape Juice

Dessert

Apple Pear Crisp with Mulberries and Acorn Flour Crust served with Farm Fresh Cream
Warm Apple Cider

Puffy Acorn Pretzels

My good friend Chef Bob is back and we’ve been having fun creating recipes. Pictured is an acorn pretzel with 3 kinds of wild mustards. On the left is a recipe from Rose Barlow’s website Prodigal Gardens for a wild greens mustard. We used agave nectar in place of maple syrup, and I soaked the mustard seeds in wild mustard flower vinegar. Read this post for making the vinegar. The mustard in the middle is a prickly pear pad combo, and the one on the right is a sweet chokecherry and agave nectar mustard. I tried to get Topanga State Park to let me do a 2-day wild mustard festival as part of the Park’s Land Management strategy, but that didn’t get too far.

Here’s Chef Bob working some of the dough. We made a plain white dough using unbleached white flour, along with the acorn dough, for contrast. Had a lot of fun rolling it out and making wacky designs. Below is my son…eyes closed…who ate this whole braid I made in less than 5 minutes.

Acorn Pretzels

3 ½ c unbleached white flour
½ c acorn flour
1 t sugar
1 package active dry yeast
1 ½ c warm water
1 quart water
coarse salt

Mix 1 ½ cups flour with yeast, sugar, and ½ tsp salt. Add warm water and either beat with mixer or mix by hand. Gradually add remaining flours, then turn onto a floured area to knead. Place kneaded dough into greased bowl, cover, and let rise in warm area for roughly 1 hour. Punch down and turn onto floured area again to roll into long strands. Create your shapes, cover, and let rise for 30 minutes. Boil water, adding some salt, bring it down to a simmer and drop pretzels in water for roughly 20 seconds. Put them onto a well-greased baking sheet and cook 15 minutes in 375° oven. Pull them from the oven ½ way through cooking, and sprinkle on coarse salt.

Beauty of the Dark

‘Tis Samhain, and the veil is thin. Remember your beloved’s who have passed on. The oaks have turned earth/air/fire/water and more into lovely acorns, and I went to pay homage to Grandmother Oak for her gifts this morning…she is an elder among oaks in the Topanga Community. Laying in her hollowed belly I looked up to see that intricate dance between the dark and the light. I saw the heart, as nature always provides us with beauty, and was reminded of how this time of year represents the threshold. Beauty can exist at the edges of dark and light, and if we look within ourselves at the thresholds we oftentimes find the vitality of opposites. Wild places remind us to explore the unexamined territories of our own hearts and minds, continuing to live within places we hadn’t yet known were there. In Pablo Naruda’s words, ‘...We need to sit on the rim of the well of darkness and fish for fallen light…’

Samhain Round
© October,1997 Mark Hirschhorn

And as the light around us fades
In golden shadows through the glade,
Like distant echoes down the hall,
we answer Samhain’s ancient call.

From everlasting times ‘til now,
To storied lands, we all must bow;
Where magic rings within our souls
And as we shatter, we are whole.

This is the night to join the Dance,
Partake in all-renewing trance;
Where worlds within and out are One,
Our sacred journey now begun.

To greet the ones we loved before,
Our kith and kin from days of yore,
Forgiven foe and long-lost friend –
We dwell among you yet again.

For now the worldly veils are thin,
Where hope and healing can begin.
Our deeds are done; the hour is late
To rest within the arms of Fate.

By fin and feather, leaf and bark,
As sun now banks to sheltered spark;
This year of trial and joy is past
Within the Circle we have cast.

And as the light around us fades
In golden shadows through the glade,
Like distant echoes down the hall,
We answer Samhain’s ancient call …

The photo is of roasted dandelion root ‘coffee’ and some wild fennel seed/acorn flour/wild black walnut biscotti. I hope you are able to sit with some warm drinks and treats with friends and family. That you give your children gifts of the sweetness of life. May you enjoy the dance between the dark and the light!

Prick or Treat

Happy Halloween! I couldn’t resist the title. Looking for some sweet treats for Hallowmas? Would you like to honor and feed your ancestors with some wild treats? Here are a few ideas. The first is a delicious prickly pear cheesecake, that really held its beautiful fuchsia coloring during cooking. Second is a prickly pear fruit sorbet, containing no added sugar or egg whites. You simply freeze prickly pear juice, stirring occasionally during the freezing process, for a really simple and yummy dessert or palate cleanser. Fun to save the prickly pear fruit shell and fill it with sorbet…bummer the picture turned out crummy.

Prickly Pear Cheesecake

Crust
1 1/2 c almond crunchies (*see below), or graham cracker crumbs
6 T butter
1/4 c sugar

Cheesecake
1 # cream cheese
1/2 c sugar
3 eggs, separated
1/4 c unbleached white flour
2 t lemon juice
1 t lemon rind
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 c heavy cream
1 c prickly pear juice, cooked down/reduced to 1/4 c

*To make ‘almond crunchies’ I soaked almonds in water for 12 hours, drained and pureed with cinnamon and vanilla. This was then spread onto dehydrator sheets and thoroughly dried. Butter your pie pan and press in crust mixture. Take one cup of pure prickly pear juice and reduce over low heat to 1/4 cup. Preheat oven to 300°. Put cream cheese, sugar, and egg yolks into mixing bowl and cream them together. Beat egg whites and fold into creamed mixture. Add remaining ingredients, pour into pie pan, and bake at 300° for roughly 40 minutes. Rotate 1/2 way during the baking process.

Prickly Pear Sorbet

Take freshly processed prickly pear juice and pour into bowl or pan. Only fill to about 2” deep. Stir roughly once per hour until you have a smooth and slushy consistency.

Prickly Pear Stucco 'n a Side 'o Barbecue Sauce

(Photo courtesy Mikey Sklar)

What a prickly trip! Mikey Sklar emailed me about his adventures making stucco out of prickly pear paddles. He and his girlfriend Wendy Tremayne are building an off-grid, eco-friendly bed & breakfast called Green Acre, in Truth or Consequences, NM. Using as many reclaimed materials as possible, along with local resources like prickly pears, they’ve come up with a green stucco slime. You can see photos of the process here, or watch a video to see what they’re about here. Yeehaw for creative folks!

Many of the plants we talk about as being wild food are also strong medicines and otherwise useful in our lives. What do we intend to use the plants for? Do we greet them with reverence? They’ve been around a lot longer than ourselves and react to our energy. Setting intention simply outlines the energy exchange between us more clearly. If that’s hard to choke down…slather a little barbecue sauce on it.

Prickly Pear Barbecue Sauce

1 c prickly pear syrup
1/2 c diced red pepper
1/2 c elderberry vinegar, or apple cider vinegar
1/2 c hot chili paste
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 T soy sauce

You can click here to read about processing prickly pear fruits into syrup. Combine all ingredients in blender. Pour into pot and simmer until it begins to thicken, ~15 minutes. Refrigerate what you don’t use. Watch out, it’s got some kick!

Prickly Pear Conserve

Another fine recipe idea from Carolyn Niethammer’s The Prickly Pear Cookbook. Original recipe calls for walnuts and pineapple, but I think this conserve tastes delicious and uses local ingredients available here in southern California right now. It’s served over a slice of apple on a Wild Fennel Pepita Chip. Chip recipe comes from Renee Loux Underkoffler’s fabulous book Living Cuisine: The Art and Spirit of Raw Foods. I substituted wild fennel seeds (Foeniculum vulgare), widely available on dried fennel stalks right now, and wild ginger (Asarum canadense) powder, for their cultivated counterparts.

Prickly Pear Conserve

1 orange
2 c prickly pear syrup
18 dates, pitted
4 tsp lemon juice
1/3 c pecans, broken

Grate the orange rind and sqeeze juice into medium saucepan. Add prickly pear syrup, lemon juice, and dates and cook slowly over low until a jam-like consistency. Add pecan nutmeats and cook for 5 more minutes. Put into sterile jars and seal, storing in refrigerator or plunging in hot-water bath to seal.

Wild Fennel Pepitas Chips

3 c pumpkin seeds
1 c flax seeds
1/2 c lemon juice
1/4 c Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, or soy sauce
4 dates, pitted…or 2 T honey or maple syrup
3 T wild fennel seeds, or conventional
1/2 t wild ginger powder, or 1 T chopped ginger
2 c water
salt to taste

Soak pumpkin seeds in 5 c water overnight (6-12 hours). Drain and rinse. In blender or food processor mix soaked pumpkin seeds with lemon juice, soy sauce, dates, wild fennel seeds, and wild ginger powder, with enough water to make a paste. Grind flaxseeds and add ground flax meal and salt to this paste in a bowl. Use rubber spatula to spread onto nonstick dehydrator sheets. Dehydrate for 12-20 hours at 108°. Cut into shapes and dehydrate a bit longer.

Prickly Pear Onion Jam

This recipe comes from a wonderful cookbook called The Prickly Pear Cookbook by Carolyn Niethammer. The original recipe calls for red-wine vinegar, but I had made some Mexican elderberry (Sambucus mexicana) vinegar previously, so used that instead. A whole chicken was rubbed with garlic powder, cayenne pepper, cumin, thyme, pasilla powder, green chili powder, and salt (pasilla powder and green chili powder came from Native Seed/SEARCH in Tucson, AZ). The Prickly Pear Onion Jam is shown in the photo on top of a slice of heirloom melon. The melon and purslane (Portulaca oleracea ) were purchased at the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market. Be sure to load up with lots of purslane, as not only is it delicious…but it’s full of omega-3 fatty acids and melatonin. You can click here to read current research published in the Journal of Pineal Research.

Prickly Pear Onion Jam

3 medium red onions, sliced thinly
1/4 c shallots, minced
1 T garlic, minced
2 T olive oil
1 1/2 T orange zest
3/4 c prickly pear syrup
1/4 c elderberry vinegar, or red-wine vinegar

Quarter onions and slice thinly. Heat oil over medium heat and combine onions, shallots and garlic. Stir for about 3 minutes, then cover pan and turn down to low. Cook for about 30 minutes, until mixture becomes sweet. Add small amounts of water if necessary, to keep from burning. Add orange zest, prickly pear syrup, and elderberry vinegar and cook uncovered until liquid evaporates. Stir frequently. Pour into jars, storing in refrigerator or plunging into hot water bath for seal.

Prickly Pear Cactus

Found from Chile to Canada, the prickly pear comes in a wide variety of colors and tastes. The Mexicans are particularly fond of prickly pear and it’s said that the Triple Alliance/Aztecs wandered for many generations before seeing an eagle perched on a prickly pear cactus in a lake. They took this as a sign and built a city named Mexico-Tenochtitlan…meaning ‘In the moon’s navel – place of the prickly pear cactus.’ This is near Mexico City. Check out the flag of Mexico and you will see the plant if you look closely.

Although you can still find a few random pads for harvesting, that time falls more in the spring. If you can’t wait for spring, there is a little company producing delicious Cactus Jerky, something I’m definitely going to try making later. The fruits, however, are widely available in southern California right now. To harvest I would suggest a pair of tongs, or very thick work gloves. I also like to use a fruit picker to reach fruits growing out of reach. Place them into a container and be careful about glochids (very small stickers) releasing into the air as you harvest.

I then bring them home and fill up a bucket with sand. You can rub them between your hands with the sand, or use a stiff vegetable cleaning brush to rub off the stickers and glochids. Then submerge your fruits into a bowl of hot water, as this softens the glochids even more. I have also tried burning off the glochids and then placing into hot water, this method also works.

The photo above is for making fresh juice. Recipe below highlights how to make syrup. The fresh juice is divine, and most of the prickly pear fruits in this area have a flavor much like watermelon. You can see the fruits cut open, glass bowl is where seeds and pulp are scooped into, and then straining out the seeds and using cheesecloth to further separate. The seeds I got last year were quite hard, but this year’s seem softer. I’ll try and sprout them.

Prickly Pear Syrup

Clean fruits of glochids and remove seedy/pulpy center. Put flesh into large pot, mash it, and bring to a low boil. Strain through cheesecloth to separate seeds. Put seeds to the side and add sweetener to make syrup to your liking. Bring to a boil and place in clean glass jars. Refrigerate or boil in open-water bath.

It's Wild, It's Raw, It's Living

You’ve heard of raw food right? The rule of raw is that foods are eaten uncooked, with no heating above 115°-120°, therefore their enzymes are still living and the vital energy of your food remains intact. It is certainly true that our ancestors ate many foods in their raw form, and eating a living foods diet has been coined a ‘return to raw’. Wild foods can provide the raw foodist with a diversity of choices found out their own back door, versus shipping in exotic ingredients from thousands of miles away.

The wild California black walnuts (Juglans californica) are dropping like mad here in the Santa Monica Mountains. These delicious nuts are much stronger in flavor than the cultivated English walnuts that you find in the store. Walnuts in general have some major health-promoting qualities:

1. Walnuts contain a perfect 4 to 1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids, and the highest ALA content of any tree nut. Click here to see the reference. This equates to major coronary health benefits, with reduction of cholesterol, no weight gain associated with increased fat consumption of eating walnuts, etc. Click here to read the study.

2. A comparison study of total antioxidant content of nuts, seeds and dried fruits, found walnuts second only to dog rose in antioxidant content…of all plants analyzed. Click here to read the study.

Raw nuts have become a staple part of the raw food diet. Consuming copious amounts of raw nuts can lead to intestinal discomfort and a general imbalance in the diet. So don’t get too nutty! The video above highlights the identification and harvesting of California black walnut (Juglans californica). We are joined in the kitchen by Living Foods Chef Chris J Watts. Be sure to check out Chris’s website to learn more about raw foods, as well as view some of his raw food videos.

Wild Walnut Raw Living Taco Meat

1 c raw walnuts
1/4 c raw wild black walnuts
1/8 c onion, diced
1/4 c red pepper, diced
1/4 c green pepper, diced
3/4 Tbsp whole cumin seeds
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
salt & pepper to taste

Soak walnuts 3-5 hours, or longer. Drain walnuts and process in food processor with spices until mixture is in small chunks. Put into mixing bowl and add diced onion and bell peppers. Serve on a red cabbage or collard green leaf as taco shell. Load up with taco meat, raw salsa, guacamole, and condiments such as fresh corn kernels and shredded red cabbage. I cut Chris’s recipe in half to serve 4.

Wild Foods to Alleviate Poverty

Do you think harvesting wild foods would take too much of your time? Think of it this way, if you don’t do it yourself then you pay someone else to do it for you…which means working more! Click here to view an interesting study with the Pwo Karen peoples living in the Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary of Western Thailand. This study, published in 2006, found that Pwo Karen folks spent 14.63 days a year gathering wild food plants (per household). If a Pwo Karen household decides to stop gathering those wild food plants, and switches to purchasing commercial food crops, they need to engage in paid work for 143 days/year to cover the cost. I don’t have to think about that one much. Send me to the forest!

One of the challenges facing the researchers in this study was separating out times people spent foraging for wild foods. I faced a similar challenge while documenting the time I spent harvesting and preparing foods during our 2005 Local Food Challenge. Among other things, I recorded distance traveled to get wild foods. This was really hard to separate from my daily life activities, as there were very few times when I drove to distant locales only to harvest wild foods. Food weaves itself into so many areas of our lives, and oftentimes it happened that I was visiting a friend with a patch of wild strawberries nearby…or going to a conference where I would see a large stand of wild leeks in the forest.

Nearly 1 in 8 Americans are living in poverty according to the US Census Bureau . We have poverty here, in much larger numbers than we care as a culture to admit. The USDA’s Economic Research Service says American’s spent between 30 to 44% of their income on food in 2003/4. So, cut back on your hours at work and start harvesting nature’s abundance! It’s a leap, but this is the 11th Hour.

Teriyaki Weed

Out of all the sea vegetables I tried on the Oregon coast, I would have to say Dilsea californica was my favorite to eat raw. This seaweed has lovingly been called teriyaki weed by Dr. John Kallas of Wild Food Adventures. It literally tastes like you are eating a piece of teriyaki flavored beef jerky, without the stringy chewiness. Its substantial meaty flavor is only offset by the fact that there isn’t that much of it growing.

It can be difficult to tell sea vegetables apart, and there is one other red algae that looks similar to the teriyaki weed. It is called Iridia (Mazzaella splendins), but its blades tend to be wider and its telltale characteristic is that under the water it has an iridescent quality. The Iridia is good to eat, but I don’t think it was the season for it.

The above photo is of a brown algae named stir fry seaweed (Ahnfeltiopsis linearis) by Dr. John Kallas. One interesting thing I noticed when drying my wild-crafted sea vegetables is that the teriyaki weed had a green powder on its surface, while the stir fry seaweed had a white powder left on its surface. None of the others, such as wekame (Alaria marginata) and nori (Porphyra spp) had any dried powdery residue. Can anyone shed some light on this for me? If so, please leave a comment below.

Tangy Korean Nori

Ever had sushi? If so, then you’ve probably had nori (Porphyra spp.). Also known as laver, this delicious high-protein sea vegetable has become coveted on the world food market. The photo above is of some Tangy Korean Nori, in memory of the nice Korean woman I met out on the rocks, who was also harvesting sea vegetables on the Oregon Coast. The recipe comes from a great little cookbook, just published, The New Seaweed Cookbook: A Complete Guide to Discovering the Deep Flavors of the Sea, by Crystal June Maderia. Maderia recently opened Kismet as well, a restaurant and catering business located in Montpelier, VT.

I believe this photo shows Porphyra perforata. It was found attached to rocks in the mid and lower intertidal zones. I used a scissors to cut about 2-3 inches above its holdfast, allowing it the opportunity to regenerate itself. Although it is preferable to harvest nori during spring and early summer, what I’ve gathered has been quite delicious. I’m guessing that specimens harvested earlier in the season contain higher levels of nutrients. Have fun harvesting, but please don’t take too much. There are plenty of other wonderful sea vegetables just waiting to gain in popularity as well.

Tangy Korean Nori
12 sheets nori
1 T ginger juice
1 clove garlic
3 T Bragg’s Liquid Aminos or 1 T umeboshi plum vinegar
2 T honey
½ t cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 350°F. Juice ginger and garlic in vegetable juicer, then mix with other ingredients, minus cayenne, in a spray bottle. Spray each piece of nori then sprinkle on the cayenne. Toast two pieces at a time until crisp, remove from oven, and cool. When cool, crumple between your hands, then grind in mortar or spice grinder. Store in airtight container or shaker.

You will need to closely watch the nori as you toast them in the oven. Mine took about 3 minutes, but I had wild-crafted nori, not pressed sheets. I also used 3 T of tamari instead of Bragg’s and upped the amount of cayenne. See what combinations you like. It’s a really tasty condiment that goes nicely on rice, in soups, stir-fry’s, etc.

Sea Rocket Rocks!

Adventures by the sea usually have us turning our heads towards the ocean. But be sure to look back, as you can find a delicious plant anchoring the sand. I believe the photo above is of American sea rocket (Cakile edentula). This spicy succulent is in the mustard (Brassicaceae) family. American sea rocket is native from Virginia to Newfoundland, probably making its way to the west coast via ship ballasts in the late 1800’s. European sea rocket (Cakile maritima) arrived a bit later, probably in a similar way. Ocean currents do, however, disperse their fruits to distant lands. The two plants have widely hybridized.

Sea rocket rocks! It packs a powerful punch and was fun to have sea rocket leaves with tuna, tomato, sea rocket seedpods and flowers as hors d’oeuvres. I’ve also added them to salads. So, be sure to check out the sand dunes, as you may find yourself a tasty new vegetable.

Leda goes Local!

(photo courtesy Leda’s Urban Homestead)

Leda Meredith, of Leda’s Urban Homestead, goes local in Brooklyn! She has challenged herself to eat foods grown within 250 miles of her home for one year, similar to our Local Food Challenge on the White Earth Reservation 2 years ago.

Leda is including wild foods as part of her local food strategy, as they have been part of her life since childhood. Leda told me, “I grew up with a Greek great-grandmother who took me foraging for wild mustard and dandelion greens in San Francisco’s park each spring just as she had always done in Greece. So I had an early introduction to wild edible plants, and have remained fascinated by them.” Leda continues to explore her fascination with the wild plants as an Instructor in Continuing Education, at both the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the New York Botanical Garden. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden recently published a handbook titled Buried Treasures: Tasty Tubers of the World,
of which Leda wrote the section on wild edible tubers.

Want to find out more about wild food plants in the Brooklyn area? Leda will be offering two wild food classes this fall, so be sure to check out her calendar for those, and future events. Leda says one of the things she expects will be especially helpful with her Local Food Challenge is that wild foods, “...tend to start their season earlier and finish later here in the Northeast than garden and farm crops. For example, I am usually harvesting chickweed and field garlic in March, long before there are any greens at the farmers markets, and collecting Jerusalem artichokes and rose hips well after winter is underway.” Some wild foods already in her larder include: elderberries, cornelian cherry juice, sumac, Japanese knotweed, wild cherry juice, Northern bayberry leaves, spicebush berries, nettles, sassafras leaf, peppergrass seeds, highbush cranberries, and wild ginger root. Way to go Leda!

Sunny Savage

I have an announcement to make…I’ve changed my name. It’s something important to me, a decision I didn’t run out and do on a whim. For the past year the story of my ancestor Thomas Savage has really been coming through for me. At age 13 he left England for the New World. Arriving on the second boat into Jamestown in 1607, he was shortly thereafter exchanged with Namontack (a Powhatan boy). The two boys were designated to learn the language and lifeways of each others respective cultures. It is said that Savage had a close relationship with Chief Powhatan, as well as his famous daughter Pocahontas. He was a valuable man to Jamestown, and worked for the remainder of his life as a translator and negotiator. I hope to carry on his spirit of adventure and diplomacy.

Tree-ring data from the Jamestown area shows that the region was in the midst of a 7-year drought when the settlers arrived. The colonists wanted to trade for food, but the Powhatan didn’t have enough reserves. Disputes began to arise around food, and it’s an area of history I don’t want to see repeated. War is not the answer. The above photo has catsear flowers (Hypochaeris radicata) in the center of the sun. In the rays of the sun, from top to bottom, are salal berries (Gaultheria shallon), salmonberries (Rubus spectabilis), thimbleberries (Rubus parviflorous), red huckleberries (Vaccinium parvifolium), and himalayan blackberries (Rubus discolor). I saw a bear while harvesting the salmonberries, and in the spirit of the bear I hope that you are always gifted with the sweetness of life.

So, Sunny Johnson is of times gone by…and Sunny Savage was birthed into existence at 10:43 am on August 17th, 2007 in Los Angeles, CA. I’d like to leave you with these words from Marianne Williamson:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves,
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented, and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.
There’s nothing enlightening about shrinking
so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.

Sea Lettuce Salad

The blue planet. Earth is covered in a lot of water, which is constantly flowing and moving. The edges of our oceans, the coastal zones, are like any other intermediary area…rich in biodiversity. I’ve spent the last 4 days on the Oregon coast, learning about and harvesting sea vegetables/seaweeds for the first time. The above photo is of some salad made with sea lettuce (Ulva fenestrata).

According to the World Resources Institute over two-thirds of the global population lives within 100 kilometers of a coastline. The Earth Institute at Columbia University released findings from a recent report stating that 634 million people – one tenth of the global population – live in coastal areas that lie within just ten meters above sea level. How could we possibly advocate taking more sea vegetables from our oceans? Controlled development, protection of intertidal areas, controlled release of environmental toxins into waterways, controlled harvesting of sea resources, and more are part of this advocates strategies.

I believe using our coastal resources is a necessary part of a sustainable solution. Sea lettuce is an abundant plant, with the ability to produce up to 4 crops per year. Like so many of the algae, it provides powerful nutrition. To harvest use a pair of scissors to cut a couple of inches above where it attaches (the holdfast) to the rock. The plant can regenerate if not torn from the rock. DO NOT harvest sea lettuce (Ulva fenestrata) from polluted areas. Pay particular note if an area contains only Ulva, as they are able to take up more nitrogen than most species, and therefore grow quite well in toxic areas. See the photo below, showing a healthy patch of sea lettuce (it’s bright green).

I served the Sea Lettuce Salad with some beautiful fresh Chinook salmon from Robin of Wild Oregon. You can buy some of her amazing fish at Sunday’s Hillsdale Farmer’s Market in Portland, OR.

Sea Lettuce Salad

2 c sea lettuce, chopped finely
2 T green onion, sliced
1 small carrot, julienned
1 1/2 T soy sauce
1 t sesame oil
1 T rice vinegar
1 medium-sized clove garlic, pressed or minced
1 t fresh ginger root, or 1/8 t powdered
hot pepper flakes to taste

Thoroughly clean sea lettuce. Sqeeze it dry and chop finely. Julienne carrots, slice green onion, and add to salad. In small bowl mix remaining ingredients. Combine all ingredients and let flavors blend for at least one hour in refrigerator before serving.

False Dandy Balls

Hairy catsear (Hypochoeris radicata), or false dandelions as they are commonly known, originate from Europe. They have certainly made themselves comfortable here in the US though, and are mostly regarded as an invasive or noxious weed. Although they look similar to a common dandelion, you can easily tell the difference between the two through their leaves and flower stalks. Hairy catsear has hairy leaves, unlike common dandelion’s smooth. The common dandelion also has only one flower stalk which is hollow, unlike catsear’s branched flower stalk.

Tender young leaves of catsear have been part of the Mediterranean diet for a very long time, and recent studies have shown the leaves to be high in polyphenols. I haven’t found much information specifically on the edibility of catsear flowers. Many references say the entire plant is edible, but I leave you with a warning that I am not 100% sure. Are the flowers of hairy catsear high in lecithin like those of common dandelion? I don’t know. Also of note is that sap from this plant will stain your hands and clothing. So be prepared.

The video above was a bit unfinished, but the sea swallowed my videorecorder while out beachcombing…so this will be it for videos for awhile. It’s a bummer to lose the camcorder, but I will keep posting photos while figuring out how to replace my $234 machine. Thanks goes out to the Bouwsma’s for their hospitality and encouragement during my stay here in Portland! It’s always nice to share good food with good friends.

The recipe below is adapted from Dr. Peter Gail’s recipe for dandelion burgers. Dr. Gail is widely known as the Dandelion Man, and he has written several books on using dandelions in cooking.

False Dandy Balls

1 c false dandelion/catsear flower petals
1/2 c unbleached white flour
1/4 c onions, finely diced
1 large clove garlic, finely diced
1/4 t dried basil
1/4 t dried oregano
1/4 t dried hot pepper mix
salt & pepper to taste
milk, enough to make stiff batter
oil for frying

Remove false dandelion/catsear petals from flower base by pinching tightly between your thumb and pointer fingers. While applying pressure roll the flower base between your fingers.This allows the petals to fall below. Once you have your false dandelion/catsear petals, mix all ingredients. Add milk until you have a stiff batter. Fry in oil – I like to use grapeseed oil – until golden brown.

Mallowmallow S'mores

My Dad was a physics and calculus teacher, and his favorite mug when I was growing up said, ‘Hi, I’m Mr. Science’. Dr. John Kallas, of Wild Food Adventures, is another Mr. Science. He’s been teaching wild food classes since 1978, and truly embodies the spirit of scientific inquiry, and all the positive discoveries to which that can lead. With an open and inquisitive mind, he has been doing the work to answer some of the oftentimes vague or loose historical references, around the use of wild edible plants.

For many years John has worked to develop a recipe using common mallow (Malva neglecta) to make marshmallows. The traditional way of making marshmallows was to use the root of the marshmallow plant (Althaea officinalis), which grows in marshy areas. But the above-ground parts of common mallow are also mucilaginous, and this plant is widely available to most people throughout North America. Watch the video below to get an idea of how to make ‘mallowmallows’ using the small fruits/buttons/cheeses, or peas as John likes to call them, of the common mallow plant. We also briefly discuss how he’s noticed differences in the plants due to climate change.

So, you want the recipe right? You’ll have to either wait for the release of John’s new book, scheduled to come out in fall of 2008, or attend one of his workshops at Wild Food Adventures. These treats are soooo yummy, thanks John for adding another great wild food recipe to the mix!

Elderberry Polenta & Elderberry Bread Pudding

Happy Lammas! This ancient festival, falling half way between Summer Solstice and Fall Equinox, marks the beginning of the harvest season. I’ve harvested between 40 and 50 pounds of elderberries already, so am literally swimming in them. This is the essence of what seasonal eating is all about. When something is in season, you take advantage of eating large quantities of whatever it is. If you have a food in abundance, and you like it, you are then able to store for later use. Chef Bob shows us how to make 2 interesting dishes using the elderberries. Both are savory, not sweet, and could be used as a main dish or as a side. Chef Bob uses an elderberry essence/sauce to drizzle on top of both plates, and it is simply elderberry juice and agave nectar cooked down into a syrup. Enjoy!

Follow these links to read more about elder:
Elderblow Fritters
The Wisdom of Elder
Elderberry Sauce

Tip: When cleaning your elderberries some people like to use a hair pick to pull them off the stems. I just use my fingers and put them into a big tub of water. This way any leaves, not-so-good berries, flower remnants, etc., float to the surface. I then strain them in a colander and rinse several times.

Savory Elderberry Bread Pudding

1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
1 T butter
3 c bread, diced into 1/4” cubes
1 c elderberries, blanched
1/4 c wild black walnuts, or conventional walnuts
2 c chicken stock, or vegetable stock
1 t thyme, dried
1/4 t dried hot pepper mix
1/4 t salt

To blanch elderberries put them into boiling water for one minute. Remove from hot water and place into bowl of cold water. Saute onions in butter until translucent. In bowl mix all ingredients. Butter molds for cooking the bread pudding and heat oven to 350. Place molds into oven pan and pour water in the bottom of oven pan so that the outside of the molds are sitting in a water bath about 1/2 way up their sides. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 35 minutes.

Elderberry Goat Cheese Polenta

1 c cornmeal
4 t blue cornmeal
1 1/2 qt vegetable stock
1/4 t dried hot pepper mix
1 T butter
1/2 c goat cheese

Place all ingredients into pan and mix with wire whisk until smooth. Cook on medium heat, stirring regularly until creamy. Remove from heat and stir in goat cheese, saving some for garnish.

Elderberry Sauce

*WARNING: Some people experience nausea from eating raw elderberries. Be sure to dry or cook your blue or purple-colored elderberries before eating them.*

The Elders have asked us to listen. Nelson Mandela celebrated his 89th birthday last week by announcing the formation of a powerful group called The Elders. Their voices are calling us to listen, as does the elder tree. This tree has been used for centuries for making music.

The video below highlights one of the most amazing meals I’ve had in a long time. A pork chop covered in elderberry orange sauce, over a