Chilaquiles are a favorite way to use leftover tortilla chips in my house, and the wild vegetable purslane (Portulaca oleracea), or "verdolagas" in Spanish, have long been used in Mexican cuisine to accent them. If you don’t know purslane already, you should. This garden weed … [Read more...]
Mint madness
There’s nothing like accompanying your boyfriend to a work meeting expecting to sit idly by and instead being invited to forage the back yard. “I’ll weed your garden while I wait,” I offered to his new web client, glancing hungrily at the carpet of young goosefoot (Chenopodium … [Read more...]
High country angelica
How many times have I hiked the same route never to discover angelica? Probably more than a hundred. Of course, this is very much in keeping with what I have come to expect from wild plants—I almost always find something good when I’m out foraging, but it’s often not what I set … [Read more...]
Thistle flower artichokes
I've been experimenting with the various parts of thistles lately and I just couldn’t help myself--I had to take it a step further, having recently discovered the relationship between thistles and commercially-grown artichokes, which I love and miss from my years in California … [Read more...]
Sweet pickling succulents
Succulents are juicy plants that store water in their leaves, stems, and roots, an adaptation which helps them survive in arid climates or soil conditions. Aloe, agave, sedums and purslane are some examples. Although “dry” is not a word I’d use to describe the high country … [Read more...]
