My parents shot me quizzical looks last summer when I announced my plan to gather seaweed in Long Island Sound, off the Connecticut coast. Not only would I collect, but also dry the seaweed at their house so I could take it back to Colorado with me for cooking experiments. I … [Read more...]
A fall for rosehips
Legions of soft, plump, frost-kissed rosehips hang heavy upon their slender, prickly stems. Many are perfectly ripe, slipping off the ends of their branches with a soft, orange gush, leaving a sticky paste to be licked off the fingers. First I made rosehip sauce by cooking the … [Read more...]
Ellen Zachos’ ‘Backyard Foraging’
Did you know that hosta—the large-leaved and oft variegated landscaping plant that the deer love so much—is edible? I had no idea until I picked up Ellen Zachos’ book, Backyard Foraging: 65 Familiar Plants You Didn’t Know You Could Eat (Storey Publishing, 2013). Go figure. The … [Read more...]
Hawks Wings Mushrooms – Free Download
I find and eat a lot of hawk's wings mushrooms (Sarcodon imbricatus) in the Colorado high country, and they have already started flushing this year. I've eaten them marinated and grilled, dried and reconstituted and sauteed with sauerkraut like my Polish grandmother used to do … [Read more...]
Orache is a wild favorite
One of my absolute favorite wild veggies is orache, an herbaceous, annual member of the genus Atriplex that grows in the alkaline soil of Denver, Colorado and surrounding areas. Oraches are salt-loving plants, so in addition to salt playas in landlocked regions, species can also … [Read more...]
