My friend’s husband tells tales of growing up in northern Wisconsin next to the Menominee Nation, where as a boy he played with the kids on the reservation. When they got hungry, they’d head to whichever family’s house was hosting that week’s “bouyah," a Midwestern tradition … [Read more...]
Dad’s Creamy Wild Mushroom Soup
My early porcini spot finally started fruiting a couple days ago, a full month behind last year's schedule. My guess is that the mushrooms decided to wait for my parents' arrival in Colorado. After so many trips to check for them, Gregg doubted I'd find any, but there they were, … [Read more...]
Old Places, New Head Spaces
Yesterday we revisited one of our old, favorite hikes on the shoulder of Pennsylvania Mountain above Fairplay, Colorado. We must have done a variation of that hike—sometimes ducking into the forest on game trails to encounter still-open mine holes and long-abandoned cabins, … [Read more...]
Cow parsnip at every meal
I woke up yesterday morning and cooked my very first quiche, in which the principal ingredient was—you guessed it—cow parsnip! We had it for breakfast; we had the leftovers for dinner; and then we had cow parsnip candy sticks for dessert. For me, there is simply no getting tired … [Read more...]