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.

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.

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