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dankphishin

By dankphishin
in Food Traditions & Culture

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heidih

heidih

Posted
Posted

The nasturtium seed pods are looking good - will get at least a small batch later today

  • Like 2
Naftal

Naftal

Posted
Posted

Question; Does the root of poison hemlock/queen ann's lace smell like wild carrot? I have no intention of trying to learn the difference if it does, The likely-hood of death, and all that.

"As life's pleasures go, food is second only to sex.Except for salami and eggs...Now that's better than sex, but only if the salami is thickly sliced"--Alan King (1927-2004)

  • 3 weeks later...
gfron1

gfron1

Posted
Posted

I'm trying something new tonight. A pawpaw patch has started dropping some of its fruit (too dry or too wet or something), and so I chopped them into my green mango relish - shallot, garlic, chile, jaggery, salt, cilantro, sauteed cumin and mustard seeds. I am canning it right now and I'll let you know how it is in a month or so.

  • Like 1

Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

BBC Write-up

Smithsonian magazine story

  • 3 weeks later...
suzilightning

suzilightning

Posted
Posted
On ‎5‎/‎27‎/‎2017 at 8:40 PM, Naftal said:

Question; Does the root of poison hemlock/queen ann's lace smell like wild carrot? I have no intention of trying to learn the difference if it does, The likely-hood of death, and all that.

Poison hemlock(Conium maculatum) and Queen Ann's lace(Daucus carota) are two different plants entirely though they DO resemble each other.  Main difference is that Queen Anne's lace's stem is hairy.

The root on Queen Ann's lace is white and does smell like carrots.

 

The last few years we have had volunteer plants appear:  black raspberries and wine raspberries.  Yesterday I picked the first black raspberries -  about 1/2 cup.  Enough for John to wash and eat.  Can't wait for about 2 weeks when I SHOULD have enough to make steamed puddings.

  • Like 3

Nothing is better than frying in lard.

Nothing.  Do not quote me on this.

 

Linda Ellerbee

Take Big Bites

  • 3 weeks later...
gfron1

gfron1

Posted
Posted

The goal at my restaurant is to get to 100% foraged. Possibly not realistic, and certainly near impossible, but we're doing pretty good. Here is a dish we did over the weekend that was pretty darn close.

pate.thumb.jpg.9e4d4b56fce215dcc03cadaaa2706a0f.jpg

Foraged maitake, oyster and chanterelle mushroom pate, pickled blackberry, blackberry syrup, cattail pollen, cattail glass, foraged spice dukkah with Missouri pecans. 100% spiced and salted from forage. Salt from a salinated spring...still working on upping output on this. The glass was the exception since I used kuzu starch but I've been playing with cattail root starch and almost have it clear enough to sub in.  HERE is the topic about the restaurant for anyone not reading it.

 

  • Like 8

Chef, Bulrush & Squatters in St. Louis, MO

BBC Write-up

Smithsonian magazine story

heidih

heidih

Posted
Posted

I see the wild fennel starting to flower in sunny spots and m planning to finally collect pollen this season. Will update you.

  • Like 1
  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...
Darienne

Darienne

Posted
Posted

Has anyone on the forum ever collected and eaten Butternuts?.  I now am the proud owner of (currently) 38 Butternuts.  They are all falls unfortunately.  We can't get up 20 feet to pick them off the tree.  

Now what to do?  I've read up about them online, but as most folks start to dry them in the sunshine...and we've had rain, rain, rain mostly...I am wondering if I could put the nut plus husk in the oven at the lowest temperature in the same way as I dehydrate apple slices, apple leather, etc, to start them off?   Would that safely dry out the husks so that I could remove them more easily?

This tree is very old and the lower half of it is quite dead and so I am prepared to have collected a number of blanks, but if I understand correctly, you must remove the green husks first before you test the shells in water.  

 

(I could add that we had a season of Morels this past spring which was incredible.  Gave them all away to a Morel lover friend.)

  • Like 1

Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

Shelby

Shelby

Posted
Posted
16 minutes ago, Darienne said:

Has anyone on the forum ever collected and eaten Butternuts?.  I now am the proud owner of (currently) 38 Butternuts.  They are all falls unfortunately.  We can't get up 20 feet to pick them off the tree.  

Now what to do?  I've read up about them online, but as most folks start to dry them in the sunshine...and we've had rain, rain, rain mostly...I am wondering if I could put the nut plus husk in the oven at the lowest temperature in the same way as I dehydrate apple slices, apple leather, etc, to start them off?   Would that safely dry out the husks so that I could remove them more easily?

This tree is very old and the lower half of it is quite dead and so I am prepared to have collected a number of blanks, but if I understand correctly, you must remove the green husks first before you test the shells in water.  

 

(I could add that we had a season of Morels this past spring which was incredible.  Gave them all away to a Morel lover friend.)

Had to google.  Found out they are white walnuts?  What do they taste like?  Very interesting.  I've never heard of them.  Sorry I'm no help.  But I do wish I was close so I could be your morel loving friend ;) 

  • Like 2

First eG Blog-Winter 2011

 

Second eG Blog-Summer 2015

 

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Darienne

Darienne

Posted
Posted

I've never tasted one.  Yet. 

 

Didn't even know we had any Butternut trees.  We seem to have at least three.  Actually I am risking the  dreaded descent of ORCA (Otonabee Regional Conservation Authority) by posting anything about our Butternut trees.  They are now an endangered species in my region and subject to a lot of governmental regulations.  Fortunately ours are old, not near any buildings, not planted or chopped down or in any way harmed or modified by us...or it's off to Butternut Jail I believe.  (Try Googling Ontario Butternut trees if you think I'm kidding.)  Neil Young, yes, THE Neil Young owned two properties around the corner from us and although the first one sold quickly, the second one, a piece of land only, was a couple of years in the selling.  Apparently it has four Butternut trees on it, and so building a house on it becomes a real problem.  Who knew?

Come up in the spring and the morels are yours (assuming we have any this coming year...we never had anything like this spring's crop before.  But then we have never had such a year for berries...countered by such a year of no apples.)

  • Like 3

Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

dcarch

dcarch

Posted
Posted

I have a huuuuge one in my garden. it rains nuts like bombs. The tree is so tall, and the nuts are so aerodynamically shaped that it can actually hurt you if you are hit. I actually have to wear a construction hard hat if I am in the area.

 

1. It takes forever to peel off the thick pulp, or you can collect a whole lot in a bucket. The pulp rots very quickly into a black mess. Then use a pressure washer and blast the rotted pulp away. Very quick and easy.

2. "A tough nut to crack". May be they are talking about butternuts. they are very tough. But you can use a shop vise. Very easy to crack.

 

dcarch

 

 

  • Like 3
Darienne

Darienne

Posted
Posted
15 minutes ago, dcarch said:

I have a huuuuge one in my garden. it rains nuts like bombs. The tree is so tall, and the nuts are so aerodynamically shaped that it can actually hurt you if you are hit. I actually have to wear a construction hard hat if I am in the area.

 

1. It takes forever to peel off the thick pulp, or you can collect a whole lot in a bucket. The pulp rots very quickly into a black mess. Then use a pressure washer and blast the rotted pulp away. Very quick and easy.

2. "A tough nut to crack". May be they are talking about butternuts. they are very tough. But you can use a shop vise. Very easy to crack.

 

dcarch

 

 

The rotting pulp sounds revolting...but I'll do it.  And are they delicious?  And did you just eat them as is?   And as for bonking you on the head...think of those poor people living under Osage Orange trees.  xD

  • Like 1

Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

ElsieD

ElsieD

Posted
Posted

@Darienne  i looked up the butternut as i thought they were like the ones i brought back from home once.  (Woodstock, Ont.)  It turned out they were black walnuts.  I had read that they needed to dry so I put them on my balcony.  As dcarch said, these turned into a big crummy mess.  I tried cracking one or two but I couldn't break them open.  I have up, held my nose, cleaned the mess up and threw it all out.  Now I know the black and white walnuts are not the same thing, but they look very similar with that sort of fuzzy husk.  Probably won't help you but I thought I'd mention it.

  • Like 1
dcarch

dcarch

Posted
Posted (edited)

Actually, if you roast them, like clams, many of them will crack open a little, letting you to use a knife to pry them open.

 

They are oily nuts if you roast them. Yeah, they call them "Butternuts". Tasty, but not very meaty. Dieter's nuts. It takes a while to eat a lot, LOL.

 

dcarch

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IMG_8585.thumb.JPG.37c4b5b1dc6c47d18355925c4dd2d22f.JPG

 

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Edited by dcarch (log)
  • Like 4
Darienne

Darienne

Posted
Posted (edited)

Thanks so much for all the information, fellow eGer's.  Wonderful photos, dcarch.

Edited by Darienne (log)
  • Like 1

Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

Darienne

Darienne

Posted
Posted

My butternuts are now up to 58.  It's almost exciting.

  • Like 1
  • Haha 1

Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

kayb

kayb

Posted
Posted

If you can get the green shells off before they rot, and boil them, you can use the resulting liquid to dye cloth a medium brown.Thus, "butternut" as a description of Confederate uniform trouser color in the US Civil War.

 

 

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Don't ask. Eat it.

www.kayatthekeyboard.wordpress.com

dcarch

dcarch

Posted
Posted
6 hours ago, Darienne said:

My butternuts are now up to 58.  It's almost exciting.

58 what?

58 pieces?

You know 5 gallon buckets? I think I have 4 buckets full. :S :/ O.o

 

dcarch

 

  • Like 1
Darienne

Darienne

Posted
Posted
10 hours ago, dcarch said:

58 what?

58 pieces?

You know 5 gallon buckets? I think I have 4 buckets full. :S :/ O.o

 

dcarch

 

58 nuts. for me.  And I was impressed with that.  It's a very old and half dead tree which hasn't dropped anything for several years.  In face, we didn't even know what it was.

 4 5-gallon buckets?  OMG!

  • Like 1

Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

Darienne

Darienne

Posted
Posted

Not too exciting for most of you, but definitely for us, we now have 93 Butternuts on tap.  A big storm two nights ago led to our latest gathering. 

  • Like 2

Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

  • 2 weeks later...
heidih

heidih

Posted
Posted (edited)

I am linking fifi's 2005 blog on foraging because I find it inspirational. It might be new to some of you.  Please note fifi passed away in 2007 

 

 

Edited by heidih
typos (log)
  • Like 1
  • 3 months later...
heidih

heidih

Posted
Posted (edited)

The almost complete lack of rainfall does not bode well for local foraging. However I managed to find a small patch of mallow on the property. I used it as one of the greens in a modified Persian ash reshteh.  

IMG_0543.JPG

Edited by heidih (log)
  • Like 3
  • 1 month later...
heidih

heidih

Posted
Posted

Thinking a greens soup since it is Green Thursday, I wandered out to see what I could include. Found some mallow, wild fennel, dandelion, and mustard. A bit of the raw mustard had a perfect sharpness. 

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  • Like 2
TicTac

TicTac

Posted
Posted

Oh this excites me!

 

The snow has melted and my little crocus's and yellow doodad flowers are popping up, along with tulip leaves and a few others, a sure sign that spring has sprung and soon us North Eastern'ers will be able to forage for delights as well.

 

First up, wild asparagus and ramps!!!

 

Curious to see how my transplanted ramp patch does this year.

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