When a passerby asked recently if I’d found any chanterelles, I casually told him no, even though my pack was full of them. Hiding your secret spots is all part of living off the wild.

We’re in the thick of our Dungeness crab season here in California, and crab risotto is one of my favorite things to do with them.

Who doesn’t love meatballs? Konigsberger klopse is a classic German meatball recipe that historically uses veal, beef or pork. I made them with wild boar.

I never used to think chicken and dumplings was worth making. But I was wrong, and the dish is even better with pheasant or grouse.

Nothing is quite so driven by hope as the act of gathering food from the wild. Anyone who has ever hunted, fished or foraged knows the feeling that the bonanza could come at any moment.

Wapato, arrowhead, duck potato: Sagittaria is an aquatic tuber of American marshes said to be the equal of a potato. I have never found it. But a friend sent me some, so I got my first tantalizing taste.

Duck season is winding down, and we’re in our groove: Hunting, plucking, dressing and cooking the waterfowl we bring home. Over the years I’ve found uses for every part of the bird.

Snow geese rule the winter skies in Northern California. They are among the hardest birds to hunt — and are among the most challenging to cook.

The winter mushrooms of California’s North Coast are popping in earnest: Hedgehogs, black trumpets, yellowfoot chanterelles and candy caps!