Wildcraft Dinner Tonight

Walking through the forest is a very tranquil time.  To be hiking through vegetation, that many find beautiful, is not only peaceful and relaxing but can also be dinner.  Our backyard is a bountiful garden waiting to be harvested, yet to the untrained eye it is just wilderness.

This weekend Ryane Snow and I hosted another workshop, Wildcrafted Edibles.  For myself it was a new experience, as it was for those attending.  Earlier in the week Ryane had dropped off some ingredient for me to play with.  Most items I hadn't cooked with before and were unaware that they lay right in the redwoods.  Stinging nettles, wild fennel, onions, bay leaves and lettuces such as minor's lettuce and red sorrel are some, to name a few.  

Ryane presented a PowerPoint presentation describing the edibles that are often growing in our Northern California forests.  He also explained how they are harvested and their medicinal qualities.  He then took our quests to Van Damme State Park for a little hike.  Along the way he pointed out many of the plants that he had just explained, describing the area as a "giant salad bowl".  Upon returning I had a 4-course lunch ready to serve.

For lunch I started the with a delicious Nettle and sorrel soup.  When harvesting stinging nettles always wear gloves and only harvest the top 4 inches, as they are the most tender.  To remove the "sting" place the nettles in boiling water for a few minutes or until they are completely submerged and slightly cooked.  The second course was a wildcrafted salad of minor's lettuce and sorrel, wild onions and radishes tossed in a huckleberry dressing.  Ryane had given me frozen huckleberries that he had picked last fall.  The entree was a housemade fettuccine tossed in nettle pesto.  And for dessert I served a single scoop of blackberry sorbet, again from stock Ryane had harvested last fall.

All in all, this was another fabulous workshop.  We are doing another workshop April 18-19.  This will be on Chinese Herbal gardening.  I plan to post any future workshops.  All are welcome to join us on these educational and tasty adventures.

Nettle Soup

1# stinging nettles, blanched

1T olive oil

1 yellow onion, small dice

1T wild ginger, peeled and blanched

1T garlic, minced

2 russet potatoes, medium dice

1/2# sorrel

1 qt vegetable stock

1. In a sauce pot, at medium, heat oil and saute onion until browning occurs.
2. Add ginger and garlic and continue to cook until fragrant.
3. Place potatoes in pot and continue to cook.
4. Add nettles and sorrel, then cover with stock.
5. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer.  Simmer until potatoes are tender.
6. In a blender, process in small batches until smooth.

Remember wildcraft edibles are all around us.  Be Careful, Be Educated.

Enjoy.

vegan chef period.

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