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...]
Elkslkip green curry
I love Thai curries, and it turns out elkslip or Western marsh marigold (Calthus leptosepala) is a good choice of vegetables for them, because the greens cook down so tender. I used an extremely spicy paste, so I mixed spoonfuls with coconut milk until it was to my liking—and it … [Read more...]
Crazy for cow parsnip
I gathered some cow parsnip a few days ago on June 15th. It’s still young in the high country (at 10,500 feet), so I just took a little—a few snips here and there of furled, unfurling, and newly unfurled woolly green leaves and petioles (leaf stalks), from a community of plants, … [Read more...]
Purslane Rescue Mission
We went to the east coast for two weeks in July, and my sister met me in Maine with a small bag of New Hampshire purslane—that low branching succulent that many gardeners throw in the yard trimmings without a second thought. I promptly boiled it up and served it with butter and … [Read more...]
Tiny Cornucopia of Colorado Wild Edibles
It’s a treat to be home to the quiet of the mountains again. I awoke today to the sweet, silent obscurity of the early morning dark followed by a sunrise of pale yellow behind bulbous, deep purple clouds left over from last night’s rainstorm. It must have rained hard while we … [Read more...]
