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A Good Year For Morels
It’s been a good year for morels… they are even reported to be growing in people’s front yard or back yard or back door. Not mine though. Keith has to go hunt them in the woods. It’s such a good year...
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Berry Season
There is no question that we are well into berry season. Strawberries are the first berries to ripen for us here in the Northern Virginia Piedmont. The most common ones that you are likely to grow or...
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Post Card From The Woods
In season now: pawpaws – ripening along the creeks a creamy luscious fruit redolent of mango, guava and banana…
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More on Pawpaws
This post first appeared – with minor modifications and without pictures – as an article “In season now: our fascinating native pawpaw” in the September 22, 2011 issue of the Rappahannock News. Pawpaw...
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Post Card from the Hedgerow
Trifoliate orange (hardy citrus) grows like an evergreen weed around here. The harvest is ending… What should I make with them this year? (last year I made liqueur)
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Spice From Our Woods
Now is the time to gather the ripe berries of our native spicebush, Lindera benzoin, for use as tea, room fragrance or spice, a plant that has also been used medicinally both by local American-Indian...
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Quince & Apple Tart with Virginia All-Spice
Photo by Molly Peterson (http://www.mollympeterson.com/) for FoodShed Magazine Those who have read my blog for a while know of the fondness I have for quince – that almost forgotten fruit. Most of the...
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A Forager Is Always On The Lookout
When foraging, it is important to always keep one eyes and nose open. It can be hard to see fruiting blackberries in July. At that point everything is green and lush and overgrown. Ripe berries can...
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Sunday’s Walk
Sunday’s walk – a day before the long rain. How fresh and green and vibrant was everything in the cool brilliant day. Shades of green – a case of walking with your eyes up (no morels for me): Brilliant...
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Postcard From The Hedgerow
Basswood Flowers End of season for the blossoms – they are now drying for later uses. The bees love linden too. That’s the other name for basswood aka American linden, Tilia americana. The British...
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Foraging for Wild Summer Berries (and Shrub recipe)
Wineberries – and a few wild blackberries Who hasn’t plucked and munched on a handful of wild blackberries or huckleberries while hiking? Didn’t it feel like a tiny treasure hunt, the taste of wild...
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An Early Taste For Greens
I am not a professional forager, but I do harvest wild plants for eating. The easy ones are summer berries, autumn berries, and pawpaws; the more glamorous ones, morels & chanterelles (although to...
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For the Love of Purslane
When my neighbor went to Turkey a few years ago, she was fortunate to spend time with a Turkish family, and taste true Turkish cuisine prepared at home. She also had a grand time at the Istanbul Bazaar...
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Locust Blossoms: Bottle Spring!
The black locusts enchanting blossoms are melting away in the rain as I write. As everything else this year, they were 10 days to 2 weeks earlier than usual – I generally count on the 2nd week of May...
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Eat the Invasives (Garlic Mustard)
Unless we’ve been diligent in the fall planting for an early spring harvest, our gardens are not always as green as we want at this time of the year. There are however plenty of “weeds” (read:...
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A Way To Prepare Morels
2020 seems to be a good year for morels. Lots of people in the countryside are bringing home nice morel dinner. Chuck it to the last two mild and nicely wet (but not too wet) winters and… to having...
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