require some patience for the payoff, yet many wild edibles can be eaten raw or lightly sautéed, requiring very little prep work. Thayer recommends sautéing wild greens with just a little soy sauce, vinegar and garlic. Foraging builds confidence, powers of observation and connections to the natural world. The biggest benefit, says Thayer, may just be the fun of it. “You can experience food and flavors you cannot have any other way. A lot of these foods you cannot buy anywhere, and really, it’s better food than you can buy.”
Simply Wild: Forage Recipes Garlic Mustard Pesto on Crisp-Creamy Polenta Yields: 4 servings Leda Meredith, author of The Forager’s Feast: How to Identify, Gather, and Prepare Wild Edibles, says, “Wild food aficionados may roll their eyes when they see that I’m including this recipe because pesto is used as the go-to recipe for this plant so often that it’s become a cliché. But there’s a reason for that: it’s really, really good.
Connect with Washington, D.C. freelance writer April Thompson at AprilWrites.com.
Beginner’s Tips From Master Foragers
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on’t try to learn foraging; just try to learn about one vegetable or fruit, says Sam Thayer. “Take it one plant at a time. It takes the intimidation out of it.” Find a good local instructor that has a solid background in botany and other fundamentals of foraging, says John Kallas. “Also, get some good books, and more than one, as each will offer different dimensions,” says the author and instructor. Conquer the fear of Latin and learn the scientific names of plants, suggests Leda Meredith. As there may be several plants with the same common name, or one plant with many common names, knowing scientific names will help clear up potential confusion in identifying them. You don’t have to go far to find food, says Deane Jordan. “In reality, there is often a greater selection around your neighborhood than in state parks. In suburbia, you find native species, the edible weeds that come with agriculture, and also edible ornamentals.” Bring the kids: They make fabulous foragers, says Meredith. “They learn superfast and it’s a way to pass cultural knowledge along and instill that food doesn’t come from a garden or a farm, but from photosynthesis and the Earth and the sun.”
Buttered Cattail Shoots With Peas and Mint Yields: 4 servings This is a riff on the traditional English springtime dish of lettuce wilted in butter with peas and mint. The pleasingly mild flavor of the cattail shoots stands in for the lettuce. Stick with just the whitest parts of the shoots for pure tenderness or include some of the pale green bits if you want a sturdier dish. 2 Tbsp unsalted butter 3 cups cattail shoots, chopped ½ cup water 1 cup fresh or frozen shelled peas (if frozen, defrost them first) 2 Tbsp fresh mint, minced Salt and freshly ground black pepper
“You can toss garlic mustard pesto with pasta, of course, but a spoonful added to soup just before serving is also wonderful, as is a smear of it on focaccia or toast. My favorite way to enjoy garlic mustard pesto is on pan-fried polenta that is crispy on the outside and creamy within.” 2 cups fresh garlic mustard leaves and tender stems 3 Tbsp walnuts or pine nuts, chopped 1 tsp garlic, minced (wild or cultivated) ¼ cup Parmesan or Romano cheese, grated ½ cup plus 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided 2 Tbsp butter 8 slices (½-inch-thick) cooked polenta Put the garlic mustard leaves, nuts and garlic into the blender or food processor. Pulse until the leaves are chopped.
Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the cattail shoots and water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often, until the cattail shoots are tender and most of the water has evaporated. Add the peas and cook for 2 minutes more, stirring. Remove from the heat and stir in the mint with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve warm. August 2019
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