When I mention my love of foraging to people they generally think one of two things.
- That I’m dumpster diving for food. Although I’ve never actually been the one to pull the food out of the dumpster, I’d be lying if I said I never ate food from a dumpster. You know, when a grocery store throws an entire bag of oranges in the trash because one of them is bad. Yes, I’ve eaten those, but no, this isn’t what I mean when I say I forage. Or . . .
- That I’m a survivalist living on acorns and cattail shoots. I’ve never had either, but I bet you could make some tasty dishes from them.
What I mean when I say that I’m a forager is that I wildcraft food from field and forest, and turn it into food I’d be proud to serve to company. Dishes like dandelion pesto served over ravioli, ramp soup, wild greens salad with pine needle dressing, & garlic-mustard frittata.
And teaberry ice cream, black walnut cookies, and dark-roasted dandelion root coffee with raw cream for dessert.
Food that makes them beg for seconds.
The type of food my friends and I ate just the other night!
What’s your favorite way to serve a food you’ve foraged?
