Before I ever saw a nettle, I felt its sting. I was walking through a grassy field with sandals on, and felt a sharp sting I thought might be a yellow jacket or red ant. When I looked down, I saw an unobtrusive plant, whose stems were covered with slim, innocent looking hairs.
Today my copy of Mia Wasilevich’s Ugly Little Greens arrived. Well actually it didn’t arrive, I had to chase it down because I moved recently and the book went to my old address. For the past three days I’ve been waiting to dive deep into this book, after being teased for months by photos of mouth watering foraged food that…
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When I moved from the temperate rain forest of northeast PA to the high desert of NM, I knew foraging would be more challenging. I’ve discovered some delicious things that grow in this climate, but after more than two years, I hadn’t found stinging nettles. Until Sunday.
Most people think of flowers as the mere precursors to fruit, not to be celebrated except for their beauty and scent. Not true!
Spring is for elderflowers, and these blooms are good for a lot more than flower arrangements. As pretty as they are, the thing I like most about elderflowers is making elderflower champagne. The magic ingredient is the natural yeast in elderflower pollen. This allows for fermentation without adding packaged yeast.
