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Finding the Forgotten Feast

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Unusual Vegetables

crosnes, Chinese artichokes, on a plate
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

Cardoons, salsify, odd greens, beans and other veggies are my specialty: If it is not likely on a typical produce counter, then it’s probably in my garden. You can get many of these odd vegetables at good farmer’s markets, and of course you can grow your own. Linked below are some sources for seeds and sets.

NOTE: I do indeed have some recipes for “regular” garden vegetables, and they are here, too.

A bowl of root vegetable ragu over polenta.

Root Vegetable Ragu with Polenta

A hearty Italian ragout made with all kinds of root vegetables, from the unusual to the mundane. It’s a great late winter-early spring dinner when served with polenta.

Read More about Root Vegetable Ragu with Polenta

fiddlehead stir fry

Fiddleheads Stir Fry with Pork

Fresh fiddleheads stir-fried simply with slices of pork or chicken and some wild onions. Easy and great!

Read More about Fiddleheads Stir Fry with Pork

A bowl of cholla buds.

How to Eat Cholla Buds

Cholla is a cactus in the Southwest with flower buds that are fantastic – they taste like artichoke hearts. Here’s how to prepare them.

Read More about How to Eat Cholla Buds

cardoon risotto recipe

Cardoon Risotto

A subtle risotto made from cardoons, which are an ancient relative of the artichoke.

Read More about Cardoon Risotto

A bowl full of my cardoon gratin recipe

Cardoon Gratin

My go-to dish for cardoons. If you only learn one recipe for cardoons, this is it.

Read More about Cardoon Gratin

Finished crosnes recipe, with peas

Crosnes and Peas

No these are not grubs. They are a small, crunchy tuber called crosnes — pronounced like the old woman — Chinese artichokes or betony (there’s a wild relative of this plant that grows in Florida).

Read More about Maybe It’s a Tuber: Crosne

squash soup with bacon recipe

Squash Soup with Bacon

Butternut or kabocha squash soup. Pretty mundate, eh? My version is made with bacon which gets pureed with everything else.

Read More about Squash Soup with Bacon

Two plates of Japanese seaweed salad with chopsticks.

Japanese Seaweed Salad

Yes, you can make your own seaweed salad, from foraged seaweeds you can find on any North American shore. Here’s how to do it.

Read More about Japanese Seaweed Salad

A bowl of kelp pasta with fish and summer vegetables.

Kelp Pasta

Pasta made with dried, powdered kelp. It has a pretty green color and a lightly briny flavor that goes well with seafood.

Read More about Kelp Pasta with Rockfish

Homemade tomato paste on a plate.

Tomato Conserva

Call it strattu, estrattu or conserva, just don’t call it tomato paste. It’s much, much better.

Read More about How to Make Tomato Paste

Drying Tomatoes Without an Oven

Sacramento has hot, dry summers. Perfect for drying tomatoes without the need of an oven.

Read More about Drying Tomatoes Without an Oven

Meatless spaghetti sauce with pasta in a bowl

Meatless Spaghetti Sauce

This is my go-to tomato sauce with fish. It’s also a winner as a summertime pasta sauce.

Read More about Meatless Spaghetti Sauce

Wild fennel flowers

Wild Fennel

Fennel is one of the garden’s most versatile plants. Here’s how to use every part of it.

Read More about Wild Fennel

sorrel soup recipe

Sorrel Soup, French Style

I grow sorrel in my garden, but it is also a common wild edible. Both kinds work well in my version of Julia Child’s classic French soup.

Read More about Sorrel Soup, French Style

sorrel sauce recipe

Sorrel Sauce

A traditional French sorrel sauce with cream and a little white wine — it’s perfect with fish or poultry.

Read More about Sorrel Sauce

oyster mushroom, oyster plant, pickled oyster recipe

Oyster! Oyster! Oyster!

This is one of my favorite dishes. Oyster mushrooms, oyster plant — salsify — and actual oysters.

Read More about Oyster! Oyster! Oyster!

Fresh fava beans in the pod

How to Cook Fava Beans

How to grow, harvest and process your own fresh fava beans.

Read More about How to Cook Fava Beans

A bowl of winter minestrone

Winter Minestrone

The first recipe I posted to this website, back in 2007. It’s still my favorite winter soup.

Read More about Winter Minestrone, Supermarkets and Brillat-Savarin

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Comments

  1. Avatar for audrey kammerudeaudrey kammerude says

    April 26, 2017 at 11:47 am

    My former mother-in-law used to prepare cardoons with egg & breadcrumbs and fry them 0 OMG they were so good!!!! I havent had them in almost thirty years. I would LOVE to know where I can find them or better yet – grow them myself.

    Reply
  2. Avatar for Refugia CastanedaRefugia Castaneda says

    March 9, 2016 at 2:29 pm

    Please somebody return this reply: I’m looking for Cardoons, Crosnes, and Fiddlehead seeds, tubers for my garden. My email address is ielaunder70@gmail.com Thanks for taking the time to reply to my request.
    Refugia

    Reply
  3. Avatar for Refugia CastanedaRefugia Castaneda says

    March 3, 2016 at 11:51 am

    Doe’s anybody know where I can find bulbs, seeds, plants, to transplant these wonderful wild editable vegetables that Hank is speaking of? Please post site where I can purchase such items. Thanks.

    Reply
  4. Avatar for cindycindy says

    August 4, 2015 at 5:12 pm

    Would like recipes using Jerusalem artichokes. I am growing some.thanks

    Reply
  5. Avatar for Ken RoyerKen Royer says

    March 18, 2014 at 3:38 pm

    Hank love the site. Used to live in Rio Linda. Do you have any recipes/foraging tips on the chicory roots/plants that are all over in the fields there? I drink a chicory blend coffee from Cafe Du Monde and have wondered what could be done with all that chicory at my parents old place.

    Reply
  6. Avatar for LouLou says

    February 8, 2013 at 5:21 pm

    Hank, I love cardoons! (cardun in dialect).

    You have GOT to try the young ones lightly battered and fried. You will
    eat an entire bowl.

    -Lou

    Reply

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Hank Shaw holding a rod and reel in the American River

Hi, my name is Hank Shaw; I’m a James Beard Award-winning author and chef. I started this site back in 2007 to help you get the most out of all things wild: fish, game, edible wild plants and mushrooms. I also write cookbooks, have a website dedicated to the intersection of food and nature, and do a podcast, too. If it’s wild, you’ll find it here. Hope you enjoy the site!

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