Foraging

[Octave]

The foraging season is in full swing here at the moment - last night we made a frittata with Lamb's quarters, a bit of wild garlic, and the few morels that have popped up thus far. Fiddleheads are showing up alongside ramps this week, which calls for a hot pan, good olive oil, and fresh bread. Boysenberries are next...

Greens are a great place to start. Purslane, lamb's quarters, sheep sorrel, chickweed... you can make a nice salad from a short walk with a large basket, these days.

[j44ke]

I spent 2/3rds of yesterday yanking garlic mustard before it goes to seed. Already with the flowers. That was amazingly fast. Two wheelbarrow loads. I dump it on a tarp and fold it over and let it cook in the sun. More today. Last year I think every third plant in the woods was garlic mustard. Picking our battles and trying to keep the front several acres around the house a bit less densely swarmed.

Meanwhile, that cannot be the only morel on the property, but it sure seems like it. I scoured the ground until my eyes watered.

[ides1056]

Garlic Mustard and Bishop's weed. Oy. PIA squared.

[Too Tall]

Well Jorn, if you have never had Ramps you have lived a life worth living. Trust me, people make a fuss even hold festivals over the stuff. Plant some of THAT pal and you can gloat to friends your curated yard full of flavor ;)

[spopepro]

Well Jorn, if you have never had Ramps you have lived a life worth living. Trust me, people make a fuss even hold festivals over the stuff. Plant some of THAT pal and you can gloat to friends your curated yard full of flavor ;)

Oh yeah, ramps. What do folks do with them here? I pretty much always just give them a quick fry in a healthy amount of good olive oil and then mix with chevre. That stuff on great toast is nearly everything that I could want in life... but I'm always interested in other ideas for the 3.5 days in a year when ramps are popping.

[j44ke]

This is our ramp patch. We make pesto. Ramps + walnuts + lemon + olive oil + parmesan cheese (good stuff with a bite to it). If you only mix in parmesan when you need the pesto, then you can successfully freeze the mix of the other ingredients and have ramp pesto for the rest of the year. We also stir fry them, occasionally grill them, though not so much any more as we've learned not to take the whole ramp, just the leaves starting at the purple neck of the plant. Leave the bulb in the ground and you will be rewarded year after year with increased density and health of your patch. But grilled ramps with the bulbs are pretty yummy. Some of what you see in farmer's markets are taken from lands not owned by the harvesters though, so it is a good idea to ask about the origin.

[ides1056]

Ramps are a definite human repellant, though, wayyyyyy stronger than garlic.

Or maybe I cook them incorrectly.

I just use the leaves, though.

[Too Tall]

Ramps are a definite human repellant, though, wayyyyyy stronger than garlic.

Or maybe I cook them incorrectly.

I just use the leaves, though.

Noooope, they are quite strong.

[rydesteel]

Came across these while walking the dog. Fairly sure it's Chicken of the Woods but I'll to turn a section over to check if it has Gill's then it's a Jack O'Lantern or something like that.

[JoB]

I'm not a confident mushroom ID person so take this with the appropriate grain of salt but looks like a chicken in the woods. Around here the jack-o-lanterns are the closest one to CoW, but still not that close.

Let me know how you prepare them - people in my house don't really like them because, ironically, the consistency of a mushroom that isn't like a mushroom is somewhat off-putting. I've been drying mine for when I next make Ramen.