Gruit beer, which is beer made without hops, or with hops as a minor addition, is an ancient practice that deserves to be revived using the wild edible plants all around us.
How-To (DIY stuff)
How to Eat Bracken Fern Safely
Bracken fern lives all over the world. And most every place it lives, people eat it. Yet it’s recently been branded as a carcinogen. That seems to be true, but like all things, the poison’s in the dose.
How to Eat Cholla Buds
Cholla buds are edible, believe it or not. Here’s how to harvest, prepare, store and eat the buds from the cholla cactus, which live in the American Southwest.
Velosa, My Illicit Love
Every spring I have a brief fling with my illicit lover, Amanita velosa. She is the sweetest, most lovely mushroom I’ve ever eaten, and I spend long hours looking for her. Here’s how to safely identify this mushroom, and how to cook it.
How to Render Duck or Goose Fat
Learning how to render duck fat isn’t hard, but there are a few tricks to know. Here’s how I do it with both wild or farmed ducks and geese. We also have a new video showing you the process.
Chaos Theory and Roast Partridge
Roast partridge, grouse or quail is a wonderful idea, but in practice the bird often comes out dry. Pan roasting is a far better way to roast game birds. This is by far the best way to cook upland birds, or small, skinny ducks like teal.
How to Harvest Pinon Pine Nuts
It’s time to harvest pinon pine nuts in America’s West, and here’s what you need to know to find, pick and process your own American pine nuts.
How to Make Prickly Pear Syrup
Here’s how to make prickly pear syrup without the sticky business of scorching and peeling the tunas, as the fruit are called. It’s all in how you strain the juice…