Recipe
Nettle Soup
A recipe for Scandinavian nettle soup; basically a nettle bisque. This recipe is based on Swedish nasselsoppa, and can be made with any vivid spring green.
Foraging
Acorn Muffins
Acorn muffins. Yep, muffins. You use acorn flour and some acorn grits plus dried fruit to make a helluva breakfast muffin.
Foraging
Acorn Grits
Another way to enjoy "oak nuts" is by making acorn grits. I love these in baked goods and soups.
Foraging
Wild Rice with Mushrooms
Wild rice, wild mushrooms, caramelized onions. What's not to love? This is a perfect side dish for wild game like venison or duck or pheasant.
Pasta, Risotto, Gnocchi
Chanterelle Risotto
A rich, Italian risotto made with chanterelle mushrooms and sweet corn. Simple, yet elegant.
Recipe
Candied Angelica
Angelica is a giant herb that grows wild all over the cooler areas of the Northern Hemisphere. Candying its hollow stems is a great way to enjoy angelica or lovage.
Pasta, Risotto, Gnocchi
Ricotta Gnudi
When I had Chef April Bloomfield's ricotta gnudi in New York at the James Beard Awards, and I had to recreate them, only with my own twist: A sauce of ramps and fresh porcini I found in the High Sierra.
Foraging
Fiddleheads Stir Fry with Pork
Fiddleheads are in season in the East and Pacific Northwest, and these crunchy, pretty looking shoots are one of the hallmarks of springtime. They're featured here in a simple Asian stir fry with wild boar backstrap.
Featured
Junipine Wild Ale
A recipe for a juniper wild ale with pine needles that I call Junipine. It's a red ale fermented with the yeast on the juniper berries.
Pasta, Risotto, Gnocchi
Spring Ramp Risotto
It should be obvious by now how much I love spring onions in all their forms. This light, lovely Italian rice dish highlights whatever wild or store-bought green onion you have on hand, spiked with fresh spring green herbs.
Recipe
Persimmon Bread with Nuts and Fruit
A recipe for persimmon bread gone wild: Hickory nuts, acorn flour, dried lingonberries. It's damn good for breakfast or as a snack.
Mushrooms
Wild Mushroom Bisque
A recipe for mushroom bisque using wild mushrooms. This is basically real, homemade cream of mushroom soup. You can use any sort of mushroom you like.
