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Hunter Angler Gardener Cook

Finding the Forgotten Feast

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Berries, Booze, Sweets and Syrups

A montage of beer, ice cream, cookies and sauces made from wild edible plants

This is the dessert section, although since my favorite dessert is simply wild berries and cream or berries and a simple syrup, there are more wild berries recipes than anything else on this page. I use syrups to make homemade sodas, sorbets, granitas or to flavor ice creams; they’re also great for glazing meats. You’ll also find dessert recipes for wild nuts and a few other random things, like liqueur recipes.

CREAMY THINGS

wintergreen ice cream recipe

Wintergreen Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips

A cooling wintergreen ice cream made with fresh wintergreen berries, studded with bittersweet chocolate chips.

Read More about Wintergreen Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips

Wild mint leaf ice cream

Fresh Mint Ice Cream

A mint ice cream made by steeping fresh mint leaves in cream overnight, giving the ice cream a fuller, more herby mint flavor you can’t get with extract.

Read More about Fresh Mint Ice Cream

wild ginger ice cream recipe

Wild Ginger Ice Cream

Made with wild ginger, you’ll never taste anything quite like it.

Read More about Wild Ginger Ice Cream

paw paw ice cream recipe

Paw Paw Ice Cream

Paw paws are native to the Eastern third of the United States, and have a beguiling, sweet aroma and a rich custardy texture. They make a fine ice cream, too.

Read More about Paw Paw Ice Cream

black walnut ice cream recipe

Black Walnut Ice Cream

This is the best black walnut ice cream you will ever have. I guarantee it. My recipe has a secret to it. Read on to find out what it is…

Read More about Black Walnut Ice Cream

pine nut ice cream recipe

Pine Nut Ice Cream

Almost as good as the black walnut ice cream, pine nut ice cream tastes very Italian. Be sure to toast the pine nuts first.

Read More about Pine Nut Ice Cream

elderberry ice cream

Elderberry Ice Cream

I add a little creme fraiche to the ice cream to make it tangy. This recipe works well with salal berries, too.

Read More about Elderberry Ice Cream

Blackberry panna cotta in a ramekin

Blackberry Panna Cotta

Kinda like a dessert version of a blended blackberry yogurt, only creamier and smoother. This works with any bramble fruit

Read More about Blackberry Panna Cotta

BOOZE

how to make elderberry wine

How to Make Elderberry Wine

I’ve been making fruit wines for close to 20 years, and while my method is not simple, it produces a superior wine you can even give to snooty wine people!

Read More about How to Make Elderberry Wine

A glass mug on a table

Brewing Gruit and Other Herbal Beers

My thoughts on making beer with wild, native ingredients.

Read More about Brewing Gruit and Other Herbal Beers

Junipine Wild Ale

A wild ale brewed with yeast from juniper berries and pine needles. Wonderful stuff!

Read More about Junipine Wild Ale

gose beer recipe

Making Gose Beer

This is a light, slightly tangy and salty beer that is fantastic in summertime. Like a Michelada without adding anything.

Read More about Making Gose Beer

Fir tip ale recipe

Spruce or Fir Tip Beer

An old style of beer updated. Think of it as a really piney, amber IPA. A really good beer. Juicy, with a long finish.

Read More about Spruce or Fir Tip Beer

Myrtle and Mirto

Mirto

This is a Sardinian liqueur made from myrtle berries. It has a completely unique flavor I can’t get enough of.

Read More about Making Mirto, a Sardinian Liqueur

A close up of a bottle of elderberry liqueur

Elderberry Liqueur

A standby in my house. It doubles as after-dinner drink and medicine to boost your immune system. Not bad, eh?

Read More about Elderberry Liqueur

elderflower liqueur recipe

Elderflower Liqueur

This is a similar liqueur you make with the flowers from an elderberry bush. It does not keep as as the berry liqueur, however.

Read More about Elderflower Liqueur

elderflower champagne recipe

Elderflower Champagne

A lighter drink from elderflowers. You can make this like a beer, mead or simple cider. I go through all options here.

Read More about Elderflower Champagne

FRUITY THINGS

Harvesting the Red Huckleberry

How to find, collect and use the Pacific red huckleberry. Yeah, I’m yer huckleberry…

Read More about Harvesting the Red Huckleberry

chinese plum sauce recipe, with Chinese pancakes

Chinese Plum Sauce

A rich, tangy, spicy-sweet sauce made from wild plums. This is like Chinese BBQ sauce, only better. Slather it on anything, but it goes really well with duck.

Read More about Chinese Plum Sauce with Wild Plums

wild cranberry sauce recipe

Wild Cranberry Sauce

Wild cranberry sauce, made with maple syrup. Perfect for the holidays.

Read More about Wild Cranberry Sauce

gooseberry sorbet recipe in a parfait glass

Gooseberry Sorbet

A tart yet smooth sorbet that tastes heavily of wild gooseberries.

Read More about Gooseberry Sorbet

Mulberry sorbet

Mulberry or Blackberry Sorbet

Mulberries, blackberries, really most berries will work with this recipe. It’s my standard for a sorbet.

Read More about Mulberry or Blackberry Sorbet

fig jam recipe

Fig Jam with Ouzo

An adult jam, this is very Greek. Figs cooked down and then laced with Greek ouzo. Opa!

Read More about Fig Jam with Ouzo

BAKED THINGS

A slice of persimmon bread on a plate with a persimmon nearby

Persimmon Bread with Nuts and Fruit

The best breakfast (or dessert) bread I make. Full of all kinds of awesome things

Read More about Persimmon Bread with Nuts and Fruit

acorn cookies make like shortbread

Acorn Maple Shortbread Cookies

Shortbread cookies made with acorn flour. These are full of energy and they store for a long time.

Read More about Acorn Maple Shortbread Cookies

walnut snowball cookies recipe

Black Walnut Snowball Cookies

A family favorite, this is a Christmas cookie with lots of names. Mexican tea cakes is another one.

Read More about Black Walnut Snowball Cookies

fennel cookies recipe

Anise Cookies

I call these “Bacchus Biscuits,” and they are a fantastic cookie that isn’t too sweet. I make them for on-the-road breakfasts.

Read More about Anise Cookies

acorn flour cake

Acorn Cake

Like an Italian chestnut cake, only made with acorn flour. It’s a very moist and a little crumbly cake.

Read More about Acorn Cake and Acorns Around the World

Close up of huckleberry cake in a tart pan.

Huckleberry Buttermilk Cake

A lovely recipe adapted from my friend Heidi Swanson.

Read More about Huckleberry Cake

A tray of huckleberry muffins.

Huckleberry Muffins

Tangy and sweet, I love these with blueberries and currants, too.

Read More about Huckleberry Muffins

SYRUPS

mesquite bean syrup

How to Make Mesquite Bean Syrup

One of the most amazing syrups you can make. Mesquite beans are naturally sweet, so you can reduce this to a stable syrup.

Read More about How to Make Mesquite Bean Syrup

hollyleaf redberry syrup

Hollyleaf Redberry Syrup

Yes, I know. Pretty esoteric. But if you live on the West Coast, this is a common July berry. Mix this syrup with buttermilk for a cool sherbert.

Read More about The Great Hollyleaf Redberry Mystery

A close up of blackberries

Blackberry Syrup

This is your basic syrup recipe for any bramble fruit. It’s good on pancakes, mixed with seltzer or vodka.

Read More about Blackberry Syrup

A bowl of fig syrup

Fig Syrup

It’s a pain in the ass to make, but the resulting syrup is divine.  

Read More about Fig Syrup

how to make elderberry syrup

How to Make Elderberry Syrup

If you don’t like alcohol, make this syrup as an immune booster. Or dessert.

Read More about How to Make Elderberry Syrup

Elderflowers in bloom

Elderflower Cordial

Syrup from the flowers of the elderberry. Like a homemade St. Germain base.

Read More about Elderflower Cordial

Close up of prickly pears

Prickly Pear Syrup

I love this in margaritas. It’s hot cactus on cactus action…

Read More about Prickly Pear Syrup

spruce tip syrup recipe

Spruce or Fir Tips Syrup

A very delicate syrup good in martinis, or to glaze gamebirds with.

Read More about Spruce or Fir Tips Syrup

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Comments

  1. Avatar for JodiJodi says

    November 25, 2019 at 3:03 pm

    Do you have a recipe for venison sausage that incorporates fruit (blueberry, cranberry)? We interested in trying something different this year…

    Reply
  2. Avatar for JaneHJaneH says

    March 21, 2017 at 12:19 am

    Love the list. I would add Highbush Cranberry/Apple Butter. Amazing combination great on toast, ice cream or a spoonful added to plain yogurt. High in everything good for yo.

    Reply
  3. Avatar for Lauri HauerLauri Hauer says

    December 21, 2016 at 4:13 pm

    Good evening, Hank. I seriously enjoy your website. I am just starting to get into making jellies from the wild here in South FL. Can you recommend a book about jellies, thank you!

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      December 21, 2016 at 4:21 pm

      Lauri: I don’t make jelly, so I can’t help too much. Maybe books by Marisa McLellan or Cathy Barrow? They’re very good at that sort of thing.

      Reply
  4. Avatar for Steve SundeSteve Sunde says

    August 10, 2013 at 4:46 pm

    I grew up on the beaches of Puget Sound– so did my dad and grandpa and great grandpa. We forage, fish and hunt. Now I’m in Ashland, OR and have discovered elderberries and turkeys. But– I also found a patch of Oregon Grape like I’ve never seen.
    Aside from schnapps/liqueur — got any ideas? I know it’s considered a powerful medicinal berry– some Salish claim it was a cure for PSP if eaten in quantity– and they were mixed with salal berries, too. But– I’m hoping you may have a contemporary recipe or two.
    Got the book and have given some copies away.
    Thanks!

    Reply
  5. Avatar for Anne PurvisAnne Purvis says

    March 20, 2013 at 9:07 am

    Hi Hank…Like your site quite a lot…there are loads of food-related ones out there,
    and you do an above and beyond excellent job!
    Made the root beer syrup to rave reviews.
    I was wondering if you’ve ever experimented w/ ginger syrup?
    I have a few times…but mystified as to why:
    -the syrup doesn’t thicken like the root beer syrup, tho I use same amount of liquid to sugar ratio as well as boiling time.
    -ginger infusion seems to dissipate flavor-wise, in a short period of time, even tho it’s sealed and refrigerated. (my recipe is sugar, H2O, white pepper…I add lime juice when i’m adding club soda to it for a drink)
    Today i’ll try making it w/ keeping the cover on pot….maybe the oils escaping in steam will ultimately make the flavor dissipate w/time…tho it won’t thicken at all because the water won’t be able to evaporate.)
    Loads of science involved even in the simplest of recipes!
    Any 2 cents from you would be appreciated.
    Anne

    Reply

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Hank Shaw holding a rod and reel in the American River

Hi, my name is Hank Shaw. I am a James Beard Award-winning author and chef and I focus my energies on wild foods: Foraging, fishing, hunting. I write cookbooks as well as this website, have a website dedicated to the intersection of food and nature, and do a podcast, too. If it’s wild game, fish, or edible wild plants and mushrooms, you’ll find it here. Hope you enjoy the site!

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