Spring Foraging

By Nicole Sugerman

A foraging how-to might seem a little off-base in this newsletter, because foraging is not farming. However, I think it is wholly relevant. For me, being a small-scale farmer is entirely based around the belief that me, my community, and my world will be healthier and happier if and when we create a local food system based around self-determination and community autonomy. Fostering community self-sufficiency with regard to our food supply involves not only actively growing as much food locally as possible, but learning to eat and use the plants that already grow around us. So, I have compiled an incomplete list of some of the wild foods I am foraging at this time of the year.

Mulberries
I forage for mulberries by looking at the sidewalk. A good tree will have ripe, dark, big berries staining the ground; some drop their fruit prematurely, and some have small, poorly defined berries. The other key to mulberry success is finding a tree with branches low enough to reach! I just scout for a while—there are enough mulberry trees around that one is sure to fine some that are reachable.
While the mulberry is not the most flavorful or sweetest berry, it can be a delicious addition to pancakes, muffins, or over ice cream. Here is a recipe for my favorite thing to do with mulberries:

Mulberry Pie
3 cups mulberries
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon milk
-Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
-In a large bowl, mix berries with sugar and flour. Place mixture into bottom pie crust. Dot with butter and then cover with top pie crust. -Crimp edges, cut slits in upper crust, and brush with milk. Let pie rest in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
-Bake pie in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake for an additional 30 minutes.
-Remove pie from oven and let sit on wire rack until cool.
(from: allrecipes.com)

Stinging Nettles
Stinging nettles are a little difficult to harvest, but are well worth the effort. Highly nutritious, nettles can be eaten as a green vegetable or used medicinally. I even tasted a nettle mead that a homebrewer made last week. Harvest while wearing gloves, because the sting does last a fair while. When cooked or dried, nettles lose their sting.

Nasselsopa, Scandinavian Nettles Soup:
• 10 cups washed nettle leaves
• water to cover
• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
• 3 cloves finely chopped garlic
• 1/4 cup chopped chives
• 2 cups chicken or beef stock
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. white pepper
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 2 cups light cream or half-and-half
• 2 hard boiled eggs, chopped or cut into slices, for garnish

Harvest a plastic bag-full of fresh stinging nettle leaves, about 10-12 cups, and wash.

Use slotted spoon to carefully place washed nettle leaves in large saucepan, without touching them. Add water to cover, and bring to a low simmer. Blanch leaves for 10-15 minutes, until tender (Note: they’ll be safe to touch once blanched!)
Place blanched nettles with one cup cooking water into food processor and chop finely (don’t puree them). Discard the rest of the cooking water.

Heat butter and flour together in saucepan over medium-high heat to make a light roux. Lower heat to medium, add chopped red onion, garlic, and chives, and sauté until onion is opaque.

Whisk in stock, salt, white pepper, thyme, and nutmeg, stirring until roux is well-incorporated. Stir in processed nettle mixture, then gradually whisk in light cream or half-and-half. Heat until warmed through, about 10 minutes.

Pour into soup bowls, garnish with chopped or sliced hard-boiled eggs, and serve.
Yield: 4-6 servings.
From: http://scandinavianfood.about.com/od/souprecipes/r/nettlesoup.htm

Nettles Tea:
Soak fresh or dried nettle leaves in boiling water. This tea can be used to treat asthma, allergies, urinary infections, regulating blood sugar, and intestinal problems.

Chicory Root
I have been excited this weekend to see the first chicory blossoms, alerting me to the fact that I should begin to harvest chicory root. Nina and I first made chicory coffee two years ago together, and the result was delicious. Chicory has long been an additive to coffee to ‘stretch’ the coffee in lean times, but is also delicious on its own. You can harvest your own chicory roots by digging up the flowers that grow by virtually every roadside (be sure to watch for soil contaminants!) It is a deep blue flower that grows on a long, dark green stalk.

Chicory coffee:
Wash the roots and cut into thin discs. Place in a 300 degree oven and roast until completely dry. Roots will have an aroma of chocolate. Grind in your coffee grinder, and drink mixed with coffee, alone, or in herbal mixes.

How to harvest Black Walnuts

http://www.wikihow.com/Harvest-Black-Walnuts

1. Collect the nuts that have fallen. Some walnut trees are very tall so picking them off the branches is out of the question. Plus, picking them can sometimes damage the tree limbs, so just wait for them to fall and gather them up. Be sure to wear heavy duty rubber gloves as the cheap disposables will not work.
2. Get the green hull off of the walnut. As black walnuts ripen, the husk changes from solid green to yellowish green. Walnut juice leaves a dark stain, so wear gloves or use tongs when you handle unhusked walnuts. Press on the skin of the walnut with your thumb; ripe nuts will show an indentation. Removal can be done by just taking a small jack knife and cutting around the hull and peeling off, or you can lay them on the driveway and run over them with your car! It often is just as easy to roll them under your foot until the hull is cracked open, pick them up and peel the hull off. For an easy way to separate the hulls, put them in water. The hulls float, the nuts don't.
3. Dispose of the hull in a garbage bag or place somewhere in a pile in your yard to decompose. Do not place them in your compost pile as it is uncertain what they could do if used on a garden for food. The stain on them is pretty pungent and strong.
4. Lay out your brown hard shell nut to dry. You can lay them out on a layer of newspapers to dry for a few days or longer. Some people leave them for much longer. The dryer the nut, the easier the nut meat is to remove. You also can store them in the shell in a dry, squirrel proof area. Do not lay them out where the squirrels can find them. They will take every one they can.
5. To crack open your nuts you can use a hammer or a vise. The vise does not do as much damage to the walnut meat inside. This part can be a bit tricky and can take some time. If you don't have time on your hands you will not like doing the harvesting of these nuts. You cannot be in a hurry in this step or you will damage the nut meat.
6. Pull the nut meat out. If you can and if it is stubborn, you can use a commercial nut pick (usually can buy these and the nutcracker around holiday season in grocery stores or any time of the year in cooking supply stores). If you are just using the nuts for a black walnut cake, it does not matter if they are broken up badly. This is perfect for the cake.
7. Dispose of the nut shell in whatever manner you prefer. Remember these things are really hard and can be sharp so don't leave them where someone can step on them.
8. Eat the nut fresh or save for later. Some species of walnut trees have different flavors. Some are stronger than others.