Gourmet Foraging

Your local woodlands could become the next supermarket.There are many different kinds of edible, fungi, flowers and even weeds that can be made into both hot and cold dishes.What you may consider a pest or decoration could be an invaluable ingredient.Be on the lookout for these greens.They will definitely add to your table. Melissa Clark of The New York Times Dining section decided to try some of these wild gems,first using sorrel as a fresh alternative to garlic in a sauce for scallops.She grew them on her deck but you can find them in the wild as well.These are tart and pungent, sort of like scallions. However sorrel can be used both as an herb and a veggie.Try it to add color and bite.It works well in a salad too.Ms Clark suggests first trying it with bitter radicchio and arugula for an eye opening combo.It can also be the main ingredient in a salmon sauce.If you want something milder then try basswood leaves.These are actually leaves from the tree of the same name that grow surprisingly and abundantly in many urban areas.The basswood leaves are best eaten raw because they shrink so much during cooking.You can use them in salads but also in place of lettuce on sandwiches.The flavor is very sweet and would be good in a Waldorf or grilled chicken salad. Many people opt for dandelions this time of year.These can be made a variety of ways.The flowers can be dipped in batter and fried while the leaves can be made into salads or omelets.Remember that they make a good substitute for any dish calling for spinach.Wild mustard is another forager's dream.It can be used in place of any of the cabbages since it's part of the brassica family..The one problem is that they can be very buggy.Wash them carefully and then rinse extensively..Some home chefs soak them in soapy water for a good half hour to remove everything. Blanche them to remove the initial bitter taste and serve with butter You could also use them in a mushroom tart for color and flavor or fried with potatoes for a forager's version of the English classic bubble and squeak. Your woods are a veritable grocery store during this time of year.Go out into them and huntvdown some delicious greens.Try a salad or side dish with them and enjoy their fresh ,woodsy flavor.

Weeding Out Your Food

The next time you spruce up your lawn pay close attention to your weeds. Yes, they can be pesky little suckers, ruining a fall landscape, yet they can add to any salad or even cooked dish.It's a delicious walk on the wild side.

It was further explored in yesterday's New York Times Dining section.newcomer Ben Paynter described what wild plants can be used and how restaurants are employing them in different dishes, Foraging is nothing new. Humanity has been doing it since our earliest days, Mostly then it was a tremendous hit or miss deal. Pick a weed  then and hopefully it was not only tasty but non toxic.;Nowwe and farmers are better read and equipped to pick out weeds that will go well in various dishes. Many farms now are just growing weeds  to supply the wave of wild plant chefs.

Many chefs are embracing this natural plant cuisine. Mr.Paynter focused on the ones in Kansas City however trendy New York restaurants  such as Daniel, Gramercy Tavern and Acme are also embracing the foraging craze.Weeds can provide an entirely new facet to cooking and cooks can create some new spins on old classics. Chicory is one of the most popular,It can be used in salads to give them a kind of  earthy coffee flavor. The ever common dandelion is turned into an amuse bouche in Kansas City. Sous chef, Josh Eans turns the petals into a tasty morsel while the stems and the rest of the flowers were battered dipped and fried into a tasty tempura.

Foraging is not only a great way of getting rid of those pesky weeds. It;s also an interesting way to change up your menu. Hit the garden and woods this weekend and start looking for your next culinary creation.

NOTE: If you are thinking about foraging , read up on it first whether on the Internet or on a books solely on the subject. ,Be aware of which  plants are poisonous  and which ones are safe.

Dandelions And Other Blooms For YourTable

Spring is the time when garden become riotous with color. The blooms are so pretty that we instantly pick them , either pressing them in books or making lovely bouquets. Yet flowers can also be used for dinner or dessert as well. They make a fascinating and colorful addition to any main meal, along with cakes and cupcakes. Best of all some have the same properties as fruits and veggies, giving you a much  needed dose of antioxidants and vitamins.

Dandelions are every forager's go to . Nothing quite says Spring like a dandelion salad. You can serve the greens by themselves(make sure they're well washed if you picked them from your yard) or with a medley of Spring greens. The spiky yellow tops , or dent de lions from whence the flower's name comes from can be dipped into a batter and fried. These can b made sweet or savory. Another flower , perfect for salads - and  brightening up omelets is the nasturtium,Their flavor is peppery and slightly sweet. Calendulas can be used to sub in for saffron when making risotto Milanese or paella.

Of course flower, whether the petals or whole look enchanting on cakes and cupcakes. You could even add a cup full of petals to the batter Violets or roses are perfect in a delicate white or yellow cake. Nothing says beautiful like multicolored petals decorating the cake's exterior. The new May issue of In Style Magazine has a cake recipe that is covered with edible flower petals. It's simply beautiful and probably enhances the flavor of the plain cake.  You can also use petals as a surprise filling for teacakes. These would be the show stopper at any bridal shower.

It's Spring and that means the gardens are in bloom. You can always go the traditional route and place your flowers in a vase. However be daring and experimental.Use those blooms to perk up a salad or in fritters. Try them as a new spice or simply to make a cake or cupcake breathtaking. It's the season for tasting flowers and trying new recipes with them.

Dandelions For Dinner

Everyone loves dandelions. Let's face it, they are hard to resist. Their bright, sunny yellow blooms are sweet and look cute as a bouquet or a crown. They're our first bouquet to our moms. Yet Mom could have used them in cooking too. Dandelion may be a weed in the garden but it's a rose in the kitchen. You can make anything with it, from salad to wine to jelly.

The name dandelion comes from the leaves, so deeply toothed it resembled le dent de lion or lion's teeth in Old French. It''s a cousin of chicory, the plant used in making herbal coffee. It's a member of the family Taraxacum and has a long hollow stem and a basal rosette (the yellow bloom part). Harvest the leaves in early Spring or in late Fail before the flowers appear. They will have a bitter taste not unlike chicory and endive. However add them to a salad and they give it a new zing. Add it to miso soup for heartiness and some much needed vitamins. Its' intense flavor will meld with the the soup's milder tasting ingredients.


Unbeknownst to me you can also use the heads or flowers. Dandelion wine is made from them however you can also fry them. Using a simple batter and just hot olive oil you can fry the heads into crunchy little rounds for a summer cocktail party. The flower has an altogether different taste than the leaves and stem. It's sweeter without any aftertaste.

Remember your yard full of dandelions isn't just a future bouquet. They can be made into a variety of different dishes that are not only fum to eat but good for you. Start picking those little bursts of sunshine today!

Spring Foraging Season

This is the time of year when people go for those Spring nature hikes. Yes, it can be invigorating for your mind and body. It could also be beneficial for your stomach as well. There are many different types of edible plants and fungi waiting for you in the woods or even that unused plot of land next to your house. The problem is what's good and what's poisonous? Pick the wrong weed and it could be deadly. Or vice versa. Ignore a funky looking sprout and miss out on the best taste ever.

What do you look for when foraging? Don't fall for scent. Plants that smell like almonds are poisonous and deadly if ingested. Also don't be fooled by lookalikes. There are some poisonous mushrooms out there that look like their edible cousins. Most nettles are perfectly fine to eat. Dandelions, that scourge of so many lawns, are great in salads or fermented as a wine. Japanese knotweed is another tasty weed that you can cook like asparagus. Clover which also grows in abundance both in the wild and in yards is a different addition to salads.It has a sharp crisp taste that would go well with a raspberry or ginger orange vinaigrette.

Mushrooms are another story unto themselves. Pick the wrong kind and you could be the highlight of your 6 PM news program. The mushroom of foraging choice is the morel/he caps have a honey comb type of look and resemble an asparagus tip. They're light grey to yellow in color.Look for these near dying elm,cottonwood or apple trees in the wild. Another "pickable" kind is the black trumpet which looks exactly like one. There is also the hen of the woods which looks like a giant hen and composed of many feather like caps. Its' colors are usually grey or yellow.

This Spring take advantage of the free food of the forest. Start foraging your local wilderness (or back yard) for interesting plants and fungi. You can create some gourmet dishes thanks to Mother's Nature 's bounty.