I’ve posted just a little bit about using dandelions and field garlic, but those were things we found in our yard. Didn’t have to actually go looking for them. But that all changed yesterday! We decided to set aside some time to go foraging intentionally, and we had some serious luck.
First, we went to a park near our house. Only a few feet out of the car was a tree line and some woods, so I said, “let’s just start right here!” Immediately, we found tons and tons of Japanese Knotweed. This is a big, bamboo-like, invasive plant. The shoots are apparently something like asparagus, while the stalks can be used the same way you’d use rhubarb, or pickle it for a crunchy snack. We haven’t tried it yet, but it’s cleaned and in the fridge!
There were some wild violets growing in the grass along the trees, and I picked a handful with the intention of making some simple syrup. I ended up setting them down on a stump to keep my hands free and forgot about them, but there are plenty in other places. Then, we got crazy lucky and found a handful of morel mushrooms, which are basically the shining star of the spring mushroom world. I follow a few foraging groups on Facebook, and some people find them, and some look for years and don’t have luck. Unbelievably, we found some 10 minutes into the day. But then again, those were the only ones we saw!
We drove to a different park afterwards, with the hope of finding ramps, another spring foraging darling. They have grass-like, green leaves that I think look kind of like tulip leaves, and small bulbs under the ground. The whole plant has a light oniony-garlicky taste. We hiked around for hours looking, and found plenty of other things. Ostrich fern fiddleheads (the only part of the fern that’s edible, and make sure you know that cinnamon fern and a couple others look similar, and are not edible), stinging nettle (which was absolutely delicious when we cooked it up with some butter and salt, but did actually feel like a bee sting when picked it without gloves), and a pheasant’s back mushroom (going to cook that one soon).
Ostrich fern fiddleheads need to be boiled before being eaten
Stinging nettle was one of our favorite finds of the day. We thought the “stinging” part just meant that it had sharp little hairs. But those hairs also have an irritating chemical that stays behind after you get jabbed. Beth said it felt like a bee sting. This chemical is neutralized as soon as the plant is cooked. This reminded us of spinach, with an even nicer, heartier flavor.
Pheasant’s back mushroom, also called dryad’s saddle
Lots of hiking, lots of looking, and we were getting super tired. In fact, we were heading back down a hill towards the trail that led to where we parked the car, having given up on finding ramps. Until…
I look down the hill and see Mark holding one up with a big grin on his face. So exciting, we just couldn’t believe how fortunate we had been to find the two things we most wanted to find on our first trip out. We can see how people get really, really into foraging. Firstly, you just spend a lot of time hiking around in the woods, which we already like doing. But then there’s a bit of a rush when you find just the thing you were looking for, then get to take it home and cook it. The ramps were especially delicious chopped, sautéed, and added to scrambled eggs.
There is so much to find and so much to try, it’s going to be a lifetime of learning. But hey, there are worse hobbies to have.
Mark & Beth's Homegrown Adventure 