Lately I’ve been powdering my dried wild mushrooms, batch after batch and species after species, then attempting to use the powders in various kitchen concoctions. First were the porcini (Boletus edulis), from which I made a divine sauce, followed by not-so-bad hawks wings … [Read more...]
Yucca and Memorial Day Weekend Go Together Like
On Memorial Day last year we were still snowboarding at A-Basin, the snow drifts in the backyard were up to the life-size metal deer’s neck, and the yuccas down Denver-way waited until late June to bloom. This year, the snow is gone except for a handful of high elevation chutes … [Read more...]
Stir Fry on the Wild Side
Yesterday I experienced the somewhat unique problem of having too many bags of wild edible plants in my refrigerator and not enough “normal” food with which to make lunch. So I improvised—and it worked out surprisingly well. When In Doubt, Stir Fry My most successful stir … [Read more...]
Southwestern Fried Yucca Flowers—Just What the Doctor Ordered?
Late last summer, during a whirlwind west-coast visit, I found myself on an unlikely hike through prickly pear cacti up a Malibu mountainside in a private ranch of rented houses to a pool that was clothing-optional on Wednesdays. (Spending time with my friend Reina is always an … [Read more...]
Aurora Yucca and the Recipes I’ve Tried With It
The yucca around Denver is in full bloom right now, such that when we went to Gregg’s parents’ house a few days ago on June 18, the hillside in the field across the street was covered with spires of the bulbous white and sometimes purplish flowers. Unfortunately, they were … [Read more...]
