#spring forage

[starchbean]

First herb forage journey of the year

Went to the commons to pick garlic mustard and nettles (not pictured, still gotta clean it)

Got a sprig of a budding tree and some cedar too, for fun

[kayakingintheeyeofthestorm]

Backyard Foraging by Ellen Zachos

Sorry about the poor quality. Never done this before.

I recommend this book. I’ve found a few plants in it that I’ve encountered many times in my life but never knew they were a food source for humans. I would have been a lot less hungry in my life if I did.

[lindagoesmushrooming]

Morchella conica

[bekkathyst]

I’m taking full advantage of the unseasonably warm weather. Here are some snippets of the lovely Spring feast I made 🌸

[allium-girl]

Honeysuckle Ice Cream

[mbhfphotos]

Morel Mushroom Morchella sp.

Western Washington, April 26 2023 Photo Mary Howerton

[musubiki]

some healer oscar + madam springs concept doodles!!

[tanuki-kimono]

Springtime antique outfit, featuring a delicate irotomesode showing little birds among budding wild plants* (bracken, dandelion, horsetail, etc.). OP paired it with a glimmering strawberry obi.

*those could be referencing sansai (lit. "mountain vegetables", ie. edible plant foraged in the wild), as bracken and horsetail for example are a springtime delicacies in Japan:

[ahedderick]

Foraging

Monday I picked dandelions and violets to experiment with flower-flavored syrups. It was time-consuming, but I just felt like trying something new. I have done violet jelly before, although the results were mediocre.

The first step after separating the petals from the greens was to pour boiling water over each kind and let them sit for a day. The violets had a greenish-blue extract by evening, and by morning it had settled into a deep blue. I tried adding a couple of drops of lemon juice, which shifted it to blue-purple. Violets have the same pigment, anthocyanin, as red cabbage, and it is pH sensitive. I am curious why my tap water (from a well) would have a pH of 9(ish), but I'll go ahead and blame limestone.

I cooked the dandelion first, adding sugar equal to the amount of liquid (1.25 cups). I cooked it for a while and then bottled it when it seemed like it had thickened up (the bubbles start to PLOP instead of 'pop', if that makes sense).

Here it is, compared with honey. The color is virtually the same!

Then I started with the violet. As I heated it, the color shifted BACK to greenish-blue. I added a little more lemon juice, and it ended up weirdly purple from some angles and blue from others, depending on how the light hit it. It's also DARK, too dark for me to photograph and show you much color. When it cooled down it a) turned a steely blue-grey and b) crystalized.

That. that is NOT what I was going for. It also doesn't really taste like anything. Just 'sweet'. Drat.

[lake-lady]

Collecting 3 kinds of violets for wild violet jelly today! Pictured are long spurred and blue marsh violets, not pictured are a few sweet white violets I found as well :) 💜

[sidewalkchemistry]

Homemade Rose Petal Jam (Vegan)

[lindagoesmushrooming]

[oliviarosaline]

Eastern Redbud Tree

Cercis canadensis

This small tree in the legume family showcases lovely pink blooms in spring and is native to much of eastern North America. They grow in a variety of habitats, but prefer well-drained slopes in woods without many other plants to compete with. Its flowers are pollinated by carpenter bees and other bees with long tongues, and the leaves provide food for several caterpillar and moth species. The flowers on this tree are also edible and contain beneficial anthocyanins, a group of antioxidants.

March 19th, 2024

St. Charles County, Missouri, USA

Olivia R. Myers

@oliviarosaline

[allium-girl]

Peach Mead Recipe with Summer Roses and Elderflowers

[mbhfphotos]

Morel Mushroom Morchella norvegiensis Washington, April 11 2023 Photo Mary Howerton

[umiagawa]

Dandelion Blossom Fritter.

(Ingredients):

20-30 Fresh Dandelion Blossoms

1 Egg

1/2 teaspoon Corn Starch

1/3 teaspoon Salt

Vegetable Oil

1. Soak the dandelions for 10-15 minutes to remove the dirt and debris. Turn them up side on a kitchen paper to dry completely.

2. Whisk egg, salt and cornstarch together.

3. Heat up oil over medium-high heat. Dip the blossoms in the egg wash; fry on both sides until golden. Serve immediately.

Hope you enjoy this simple wild edible recipe.