5 hours ago, gfron1 said:The instructions are completely accurate, but those of us who take it more seriously will ask why not more specificity...why? because the point of the book is to get people to not be intimidated by foraging, by making PdF, by making chocolate...by cooking. And there are those who will say, but that will lead to failure. I disagree. I think I've found a comfortable line with which recipes can handle some fudging and which need exact.
Speaking of foraging, gfron1, how much explanation do you go into in the book about the 'safety' aspects/basics of same (i.e. the need to be absolutely certain that you are identifying the correct plant, in the correct and safe environment, at the correct time of year, etc. and then always use the correct preparation method ... for instance with things like pokeweed, which must be boiled at least twice)? And to wait (unless you are experienced and certain about a particular plant) at least a week before actually tasting something (reaffirming that you are certain that it is the correct plant) and tasting very sparingly again till you are certain that even if it is a generally safe edible plant (and there are over 120,000 of them in the world but only a few we can buy at the grocery store or even farmer's markets, often for good reason), that you as an individual are not allergic or sensitive to it or some property in it that others may not have a problem with.
Just yesterday I was reading something by a guy named Dan Greene (I think - didn't save the link) and while he encourages people to learn to forage (as I know you do, and I do - I love to do it but it does intimidate me to run across a new plant and not be absolutely certain what I am looking at), he pointed out a few things I didn't know - though you probably do. One in particular (I think it was in his article or perhaps one that his lead me to) was the fact that many plants that are technically the same in the northern parts of the US/Canada never have a chance to differentiate because of shorter growing seasons and may indeed look very different from the same plant growing in the south (and that the southern version may also have more than one growing season per year, and that 'place' is also something one must know about - a cactus may be seen growing in water occasionally or perhaps a water plant may be found in what appears to be a sand hole - but both may be what they appear to be nonetheless). Foraging is often not as simple as it may seem in other words - there are rules and there are rules that may be broken in any particular area. It is critical for people to have a specific knowledge of plants in their own area - and a good guide that also comes from that particular area, not a general one or even a website reference - and, if they are new, to go out if possible with a local expert and to watch them actually taste the plant in front of you - so you gain confidence in the safety of that particular plant.
I am certain you wrote knowledgably about foraging - and with the intent to have people not be scared of it - in fact, I hope, to inspire them to be excited about the whole prospect and what one can do with foraged ingredients - but, I expect it was a difficult section to write, no?
