Foraging
Wild Ginger: Delicious or Deadly?
Wild ginger has been used as a food plant in North America for eons, but it also happens to contain a substance that can cause kidney failure. I review the science on the matter.
How-To (DIY stuff)
How to Make Oil Cured Black Olives
Curing olives in springtime? Who knew? But early spring is the time to gather ripe black olives for oil-curing, and I love me some oil-cured olives.
Recipe
Elderflower Cordial
Elderflowers have arrived in NorCal, and the first thing I make with them each year is elderflower cordial. I use this sweet-smelling syrup as a base for cocktails and soft drinks.
How-To (DIY stuff)
Chasing the Clam
I have dug clams my whole life. But nothing prepared me for the thrill of clamming for Pacific horseneck and butter clams. This wasn't foraging, this was hunting. And I love it.
Recipe
Edible Amanitas: Vernicoccora
Sacramento is a haven for amanita mushrooms. Many are deadly. But not all. One, the coccora, is among the finest-tasting mushrooms in the world. But be very careful.
Mushrooms
Morel Sauce with Venison
It's morel season at last, and in celebration, I've revamped one of my favorite recipes for venison and morels. No fresh morels in your area yet? Use dried. They work fine in this recipe.
Foraging
Italian Marinated Mushrooms
Marinated mushrooms are a staple on any antipasti plate. They're not pickled so much as they are preserved. Here's how to do the technique the Italians call sott'olio.
Recipe
Irish Colcannon with Wild Greens
In honor of St. Patrick's Day, here is my take on an Irish classic: Colcannon, basically mashed potatoes with green things. In this case, the green thing is cow parsnip.
Recipe
Scandinavian Nettle Soup
Even though NorCal has not had a rough winter, I am longing for the green of spring. And this nettle soup was exactly what I needed right now.
Pasta, Risotto, Gnocchi
Nettle Pasta
It's nettle season here in Northern California, and as I am on a pasta jag lately, I thought I would make pasta dough with stinging nettles. Seemed like the right thing to do.
Mushrooms
Lies, Lust and a Golden Treasure
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.
Recipe
Arrowhead or Wapato Pasta
Wapato, arrowhead, katniss, 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.
