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[emhghtn]

Project Reflections - Feasting on the Forest

Overall I'm very happy with how my pop-up book turned out. I think the narrative is very cute and poetic, the pop-ups are extravagant, and the recipe cards and little booklets add a great extra bit of fun and information.

However, most of my time was dedicated to constructing the pop-ups, so the rest of book didn't quite live up to the vision I had in my head. If I continue to work on this book in the future I would like to add/adjust a few things:

Because of the paper I chose and that I used white text on mostly dark backgrounds, the ink bled into the text slightly and makes it difficult to read. Text size/weight has to be upped.

Make the spine work better.

Add a cover.

Illustrate or make the endpapers more exciting, same with the title and dedication pages.

Make pop-ups move a bit smoother, some get caught.

Add slightly more detail to pop-up illustrations.

Improve recipe card design.

Add illustrations to booklets.

Potentially add 1 more plant to each season, like I had originally intended.

This was a fantastic class and I had so much fun making this book, even though it consumed tens of hours of my life every week. I also loved learning how to bind hardcover books, and I will use that knowledge forever!

[emhghtn]

https://vimeo.com/378792600

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First version of my recipe cards vs. final version

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Nov 22 Update

I have completed all of my pop up configurations and vectorized them so I can eventually laser cut out all of the pieces (currently at 119!).

Here’s the link to the file for your viewing pleasure.

Within the next few days I am going to finish up the design of the recipe cards, foraging info booklets, title, half title, and dedication pages, along with the cover. Most will probably be fairly simple due to time constraints. (Aiming to complete by Monday November 26).

Then next week I will move onto completing the illustrations for my pop ups, and laying out the narrative on my spreads. (Aiming to complete by Monday December 2).

December 3 to 5 will be printing, cutting, gluing pop ups, and binding, for hand in on December 6. 

Now back to work...

[emhghtn]

Foraging Information

To be included in small booklets on each page.

Foraging Tips

Wild Leeks (Allium tricoccum)

Features

Large, dagger shaped green leaves

Red and white stem

White bulb with roots in the ground

Onion-y aroma

Habitat

Grow among hardwoods, need some sunlight

Cooking Notes

Edible raw or cooked

Look a-Likes

Lily of the Valley – Thicker, waxier leaves, no onion smell, eventual white hanging flowers with floral odour, poisonous – do not ingest

How to Harvest

Ramps take seven years to grow from seed to mature plant, and because of this slow growth the improper harvesting of ramps has decimated populations in some areas. To sustainably harvest ramps, dig slightly into the ground and cut the bulb off right above the roots, leaving the roots intact and in the ground. This allows them to regrow the following season. Even more sustainably, just cut off one leaf from each plant. Never harvest more than 10% of the plants in one area.

Fiddleheads (Matteuccia struthiopteris)

Features

Bright green, tightly curled sprouts of the Ostrich fern

Multiple fiddleheads grow out of one crown/mound on the forest floor

Covered in a brown, papery coating that falls off with age

Deep, U-shaped groove up the stem

A dead, brown fern frond often remains on the crown throughout winter

Habitat

Hardwood canopies near rivers or stream beds

Moist areas but not submerged

Grow best in shade or dappled lights

Cooking Notes

Must be thoroughly cooked, steamed, or blanched before eating

Look a-Likes

There are many types of ferns that are not edible. Do not eat any that are furry, or the brown papery coating is difficult to remove, or there is no or only a slight groove in the stem.

How to Harvest

Harvest fiddleheads while they are between 6-15cm, only picking while fiddleheads are tightly coiled

Can be cut or snapped off

Only harvest 1/3 of the fiddleheads from each crown, or else it is possible the plant may be damaged or die and not regrow the following year. Do not harvest from crowns that have less than 4 fiddleheads growing from it.

Morels (Morchella sp.)

Features

Cap colour ranges from blond to black

Caps are fairly uniform, with ridges and inward pits (honeycomb-like)

Hollow inside from the tip of the cap to the bottom of the stem

Cap is attached directly to the stem

Spore print is light coloured, cream to pale yellow

Habitat

Grow in areas where there are ash, aspen, elm, oak, and apple trees

Grow naturally in pastures, meadows, and orchards, and often appear the spring after a forest fire

Cooking Notes

Cook thoroughly before eating. Avoid soaking or cleaning with too much water, a brush or damp cloth will suffice.

Look a-Likes

Verpa Bohemica – cap is not attached directly to the stem, cap hangs over stem like a skirt. Stem is filled with a cotton-like fluff. Edibility is debated.

Gyromitra species – convoluted cap but no real pits, more wavy. Wider than it is tall. Cap is red, stem is not hollow. Edibility is debated.

Verpa Conica – small, only slightly ridged cap. Cap has skirt-like attachment to stem. Questionably edible.

How to Harvest

Pull or cut from ground (cutting is cleaner).

Daylilies (Hemerocallis fulva)

Features

4 parts of the daylily can be eaten: shoots, tubers, buds, and flowers

Shoots are green, sword shaped leaves that unite in a cylindrical shape at the bottom

Tubers are under ground, small, light brown, whitish flesh

Buds appear before the flower, green, yellow, orange, and cylindrical

Flowers are orange, funnel shaped, growing from an unbranched stem. 6 ruffled petals are mainly orange but also show red and orange.

Habitat

Grow in cultivated habitats, gardens, roadsides, riverbanks, parks, open woodlands and meadows.

Avoid picking daylilies that are next to busy roadsides, as the plant can absorb chemical runoff from the road.

Cooking Notes

Chop up shoots and saute

Cook tubers like a potato

Steam, boil, stir fry or pickle buds

Flowers can be eaten raw, dried, or cooked.

Warning: some people experience intestinal distress when eating daylilies, especially raw, so always sample a small amount first and wait before consuming larger quantities

Look a-Likes

Tiger Lily (Lilium tigruinum) –flowers are spotted, and stem bears many leaves. Do not ingest

Iris shoots may resemble day lily shoots, but the iris leaf arrangement is much flatter and the plant does not have tubers

Cultivated daylilies have many genetic variants to produce different coloured flowers, and edibility is questionable. Stick to the common orange flowers.

How to Harvest

Young shoots (less than 10cm) can be cut off just above soil level to be eaten.

Tubers can be dug up from late fall to early spring. Don’t remove all tumors from a clump if you would like the plant to come back.

Buds can be picked while still green, closed, and firm.

Flowers only last one day, and can be cut and used while open

Black raspberries (Rubus occidentalis)

Features

Berries ripen from green to red to deep purple/black

Smaller fruits than blackberries

Hollow core (like a raspberry) when plucked off the stem

Grow on large, thorny brambles

Leaves have whitish underside

Habitat

Grow in disturbed areas—logging roads, open woods, edges of meadows, streams, lakes, trails, and roads

Cooking Notes

Can be eaten raw

Look a-Likes

Raspberries, blackberries, thimbleberries, and dewberries all look similar to the black raspberry, but fortunately for us, all these berries are edible  

How to Harvest

Wear long pants and if you can tolerate the summer heat, long sleeves. Berries can be extremely thorny.

Pluck berry off stem, should be able to be removed easily if ripe. Collect in a bucket

Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina)

Features

Upright, cone shaped fruit cluster, with small, fuzzy dark red berries

Branches are covered in light, velvety fuzz

Large (1 to 2 feet), green, compound leaves, with oppositely placed leaflets. Leaflets have serrated edges

4 to 15 feet tall, highly branched

Habitat

Hardy, grows in open areas –roadsides, forest edges, clearings

Full sun, tolerates most soil types

Cooking Notes

Can be dried like any spice, or made into a tea or syrup

Look a-Likes

Poison sumac (Toxicodendron vernix) – should not be touched, let alone eaten. Key distinguishing feature is white-green berries.

How to Harvest

Cut off fruit clusters at their base with a knife or sheers

Do not harvest immediately following rain, as flavour diminishes

To find the best drupes, flavour can be tested by rubbing berries between fingers and licking fingers

Do not harvest from highly trafficked roadsides

Riverbank Grapes (Vitis riparia)

Features

Climbing, multi-stemmed, woody vine with forking tendrils and sticky discs that can envelop trees and bushes

Grape vines are thicker and higher than most vines

Deeply lobed, dark green leaves, similar to cultivated grapes. Heart shaped at base. Leaves should also taste like grapes

Fruits grow in hanging clusters that are blackish, dark blue, or purple, often with a powdery coating

Habitat

Grow along roadsides, fences, trail edges, and riverbanks. Need sun to grow.

Cooking Notes

Grapes and leaves can be eaten raw or cooked

Grapes contain large seeds, so they are generally more pleasant to juice or make into jelly than eaten whole

Look a-Likes

Moonseed (Menispermum canadense) – similar leaves, however fruit contains a single flat seed, instead of a round seed like the grape. Grows in shaded areas, and tendrils do not have sticky discs. All parts of this plant are poisonous.

Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus sp.) – has compound leaves with 3 to 7 leaflets on each leaf, instead of single leaf like the grape. Not poisonous, but not pleasant.

How to Harvest

Grapes have sweetest flavour after the first frost. Cut bunches off tree right above fruit cluster, removing any bad/old/wrinkled grapes

Apples (Malus sp.)

Features

Deciduous tree growing 6 to 15 feet tall

Leaves are alternatively arrange, simple green ovals

Fruit can be 1 to 4 inches in diameter, ranging from yellow to green to red

Habitat

Well drained nutrient rich soil and moderate sunlight, can stand alone on roadside or in groups in forest groves.

Cooking Notes

Can be eaten raw, however many wild apples are very astringent and better suited for cider

Look a-Likes

None

How to Harvest

Remove apple from tree by twisting fruit

Fallen fruit may be harvested from the ground, as long as not too old and rotten

Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sp.)

Features

Bright orange, fan shaped bracket fungi, often growing in a shelf formation

Smooth or wrinkled

Yellow or white underside, no gills, just small round pores

Flesh is thick and soft

White spore print

Habitat

Grows on dead or dying hardwood trees, commonly oak but also cherry and beech

Cooking Notes

Must be thoroughly cooked

Some people experience intestinal distress when eating, so sample small amount first

Look a-Likes

Few look-alikes, ensure underside is yellow or white with pores

How to Harvest

Use a knife to cut fungus off tree

Remove tough stem part

Older specimens may be entirely tough and not pleasant to eat

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Bear in the berries.

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Daylilies. Needs some work.

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Cabin in the forest.

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Finished Narrative

Revised and edited narrative, added dedication, and tentative title.

Title

A Forager’s Favourites: An adventure in wild delicacies

Dedication

This book is dedicated to those who are always willing to accompany me on forest adventures, and enthusiastically devour my wild food concoctions. The day may come when my overconfidence results in the misidentification of a plant or fungi, and when we are ill from eating said plant and taking turns running to the toilet, I urge you to remember this thoughtful dedication.

To the readers, despite my previous mention of misidentification, the plants included in this book are truly edible, with few to no dangerous look-alikes. However, I encourage you as a good foraging practice to always consult multiple reliable sources, or an expert, before consuming any plant or fungi.

Spring

As the dark days of winter give way to the shimmering sunshine of spring, the ground trades a quiet carpet of snow for an explosion of new growth. Tips of green burst through the thawing earth as the world awakens from its winter sleep.

Ramps

The first delectable plant of spring reaches up out of the soil for warmth. Wild leeks blanket the forest floor, replacing the leaf littered landscape with rich green.  

Fiddleheads

Ostrich ferns escape their papery coating, tightly curled fiddleheads unfurl into tall feathery fronds.

Morels

Around the aspen and oak trees, those who look closely may stumble upon the convoluted caps of the morel mushroom, a strange but divine sight.

Summer

The tentative tendrils of spring’s hardy plants retreat under the glorious heat of the summer sun. The long hot days beckon lush vegetation to spread its foliage and soak up the season’s ample warmth – and in the process, reveal many tasty treats.

Berries

Along the forest edge and encroaching on tree-lined trails, grow succulent raspberries, blackberries, and even black raspberries. These juicy spoils could fill a bucket, but beware the razor-sharp thorns protecting the syrupy fruit.

Daylilies

Roadsides, ditches, and gardens are coloured orange with the large, vibrant blossoms of the daylily.

 Sumac

The strange, fuzzy berries of the sumac tree ripen to a deep crimson. Its sharp, sour taste can be evoked with a simple rub between the fingers.

Fall

The reign of the relentless summer sun comes to a close, sparking the technicolour transition of the trees from a monotone sea of green to a spectacular show of red, orange and yellow. Happily, many delightful edibles have been lying in wait for just this moment, ready to flourish in the cooler air.

Chicken of the Woods

A beacon in the browning forest, the bright orange and yellow chicken of the woods mushroom appears on dead trees and rotting logs.

Grapes

Grapevines entangle trees and fences. Large droops of fruit turn from green to purple.

Apples

The tastiest, brightest apples always seem to tauntingly linger just beyond the arm’s reach. Luckily, a little ingenuity (or a very large stick) can shake them down for our enjoyment.

Winter

The sun’s rays weaken, the temperatures plummet and all but the evergreens wither to brown and grey. Dreaded as it may be, winter has come. Like the plants hibernating beneath the ground, we too retreat to the warmth and safety of the indoors. From our hearths, we peer out our ice-coated windows and marvel at the cold beauty of the sparkling snow, but never stop dreaming of the tasty treats waiting to be discovered when the glow of spring envelops us again.

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My first pop up experiment.

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Recipes to be included in book

Ramp Pesto

1 handful of ramps

½ cup toasted walnuts

⅓ - ½ cup olive oil

⅓  cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano

Sea salt

Fresh lemon juice

Wash ramp leaves and roughly chop. Add to a food processor with walnuts. Process  until small chunks of walnuts are left.

Add parmesan and slowly pour in olive oil while processing until just combined.

Season to taste with salt and lemon juice.

Use on pasta, in risotto, or for dipping bread (with extra olive oil).

Sauteed Fiddleheads

2 cups fiddleheads, washed and ends trimmed

1 tsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

Salt

Fresh lemon juice

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add fiddleheads and blanch for 8 minutes. Drain  water.

In a frying pan over medium heat, melt butter and olive oil. Add fiddleheads and  when they are beginning to brown, add garlic and cook for a few more minutes  until garlic is golden.

Remove from heat and season with salt and lemon juice.

Ramp Pesto Pasta with Sauteed Morels

2 cups penne

Salt

Olive oil

Handful of morels

1 tbsp butter

¼ cup homemade ramp pesto

Freshly grated parmigiano reggiano, for serving

Bring salted and olive oiled water to a boil. Add penne and cook for around 10  minutes or until al-dente. Reserve ¼ cup pasta water and drain the rest.

Meanwhile, clean morels. Brush off dirt, cut in half (beware of hitchhikers, slugs are  common, just remove them), and wipe any remaining dirt with a damp paper  towel.

In a medium skillet melt butter and sauté morels until dark golden and crispy.

Add pasta back into pot with ramp pesto and reserved pasta water, stirring to  coat.

Serve pasta, topped with morels and fresh parm.

Black Raspberry Ice Cream

1 ¼ cups heavy cream

¾ cup whole milk

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

Kosher salt

3 large egg yolks

½ tsp vanilla extract

2 ½ cups black raspberries (or any combination of black raspberries, blackberries, or raspberries to equal 2 ½ cups)

Heat the cream, milk, sugar and a pinch of salt in a heavy pot until it's just  beginning to bubble around the edges (do not let it boil).

In the meantime, whisk together the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl. Temper the  yolks by slowly whisking in about a third of the hot cream, and then whisk  this mixture back into the pot with the rest of the cream.

Cook the custard over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until it coats the  back of a wooden spoon, about 5 minutes. Make sure not to let it boil. Strain  the custard through a fine mesh sieve and stir in the vanilla.

Puree the raspberries in a blender and strain through a sieve to remove the seeds.  Stir the puree into the custard, cover and refrigerate until completely  chilled, preferably overnight.

Freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker, transfer to a container and put in the  freezer to harden completely. Soften for a few minutes at room temperature  before serving.

Ricotta Stuffed Daylilies

10 daylily flowers, stamen, pistil, and sepal removed (all non-petal  parts)

1 cup vegetable oil

¼ cup tomato sauce, for dipping For the filling:

½ cup whole milk ricotta

1 large egg yolk

2 tbsp chives, chopped

¼ cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano For the batter

¼ cup all-purpose flour

⅓  cup seltzer or club soda

¼ tsp salt

Mix filling ingredients together. Place a tablespoon of filling in the center of  each daylily flower and twist petals around so the filling is fully enclosed.  

Mix batter ingredients together in a small bowl.

Heat oil in a heavy pot or skillet. Dip filled daylilies in batter and fry in oil  until golden, flipping over once.

Transfer with tongs to plate lined with paper towel and drain. Season with salt.

Heat tomato sauce, and serve as a dipping sauce for the daylilies.

Iced Sumac Tea

6 sumac clusters

6 cups cold water

Sweetener to taste

Cut sumac berries off of stem and add to a pitcher. Cover with cold water. Crush  berries slightly with hands. Leave to steep overnight.

Strain berries out of tea, and sweeten to taste with honey, sugar, or a simple  syrup. Chill & enjoy.

Fried Chicken of the Woods

1 large chicken of the woods mushroom

1 ½ cups cake flour

2 tablespoons paprika

2 teaspoons black pepper

½ tsp kosher salt

¾ cup beer (plus more as necessary)

1 egg

Oil for frying

Clean chicken of the woods mushroom by brushing off dirt. Cut off any parts of the  stem that are very tough. Slice into 1 cm thick pieces.

Combine flour, paprika, black pepper, and salt and whisk to combine. Transfer half of  mixture to a large bowl and set aside. Add beer and egg to remaining mixture  and whisk until smooth batter is formed. Set aside.

Heat oil in a deep fryer, or heavy pot to 350°F. Transfer fish pieces to bowl with  batter and turn to coat thoroughly. Let excess batter drip off, then toss in  remaining dry flour mixture until coated thoroughly. Carefully lower into hot  oil. Repeat with remaining fish.

Fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown on all sides, about 3 minutes total.  Let drain on a paper towel-lined plate and season with salt.

Grape Jelly

3 lbs wild grapes

½ cup water

7 cups sugar

½ tsp butter

1 liquid pectin pouch

Prepare  jars using your preferred canning method.

Remove  stems from grapes. In a large sauce pan crush grapes, one layer at a time,  using the bottom of a glass. Add water and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low;  cover and simmer 10 min., stirring occasionally. Strain through a fine mesh  sieve or cheesecloth. Juice should measure 4 cups, but if it is light top up  with water.

Add  juice, sugar, and butter to a sauce pot, stirring to combine. Bring mixture  to full rolling boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in pectin.  Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 min., stirring constantly.  Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.

Ladle  immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of tops. Cover  with two-piece lids, and screw bands tightly (careful, jars and lids will be  hot).

Follow  your preferred canning procedure.

Baked Apples

4 apples

4 tbsp butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Wash and core apples, leaving enough of the core at the base of the apple to  contain the filling.

Combine the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and chopped pecans in a small bowl. Roll  log shapes of the mixture and press enough into each apple to fill the core.

Fill a baking dish with about 3/4 cup water, or enough to cover the bottom. Place  the apples upright in the dish. Bake until the apples are soft and the  filling is browned, 1 hour.

Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

[emhghtn]

Narrative - Draft 01

Some sections are not complete but I’ve included notes on some things I would like the page to say.

1. Spring

As the sun begins to shine stronger and the snow banks melt, tips of green begin to poke through the thawing ground.

2. Ramps

The first delectable plant of spring reaches up out of the soil for warmth. Wild leeks are blanketing the forest floor, replacing the leaf littered landscape with rich green.  

3. Fiddleheads

Ostrich ferns escape their papery coating, tightly curled fiddleheads unfurling into tall feathery fronds.

4. Morels

Around the aspen and oak trees, we may find the convoluted caps of the morel mushroom, a strange but divine sight.

5. Summer

The days grow longer and the sun hotter, but along with that appear more tasty treats.

6. Berries

Along the forest edge and encroaching on forest trails, grow succulent raspberries. Bring a bucket, and beware of thorns!

7. Daylilies

Bright, colourful, beautiful

8. Sumac

The strange, fuzzy berries of the sumac tree begin to ripen to a deep crimson. Rubbing it with our fingers, we can sample its sharp, sour taste.

9. Fall

The leaves begin to transition into a spectacular show of red, orange, and yellow. Although summer is at its close, the edibles that enjoy cooler temps flourish.

10. Chicken of the Woods

A beacon in the browning forest, the bright orange and yellow chicken of the woods mushroom appears as shelves on dead trees and rotting logs.

11. Grapes

Stains hands red.

12. Apples

Reach up and grab. Shake?

13. Winter

The temperatures drop and the plants go into hiding. Dreaded as it may be, winter has come. As the snow begins to fall, we retreat inside, enjoying the beauty of the cold, but dreaming of the spring.

[emhghtn]

Term Project Timeline

Project goals for the coming weeks:

Nov 1

Finish writing narrative

Figure out pop-ups

Storyboard each page

Figure out illustration style

Nov 8

Draw 4/12 pages

Write recipes

Write identification guides

Nov 15

Draw 4/12 pages

Figure out binding/construction

Nov 22

Draw 4/12 pages

Create recipe cards

Create identification fold out

Nov 29

Draw cover and end papers

Begin construction

Dec 6

Final construction/refinements

[emhghtn]

Experimental Book

I wanted to create a book that explored alternative materials and formats.

My first attempt was to make a back and cover out of wood.

However after cutting my 1/4 inch birch plywood to size, it splintered unattractively and my father informed me we currently didn't have a drill at home for me to make the necessary holes in it for binding. I had to move onto cardboard, and I punched holes in it and used grommets to protect the thread.

I used a variety of fabrics as pages, to provide different colours, patterns, and textures. The book opens at the middle from both the left and right, and is held shut by a ribbon in a corset-bound fashion.

I coptic bound the book together, but found it very difficult because of the flimsy qualities of the fabric. I am proud of the experimental qualities of this book, but overall it could have been executed a little neater.

[emhghtn]