What would we do without lemon juice? It’s an essential ingredient in both cooking and mixology, two of my favorite activities. Unfortunately, many of us can’t forage for lemons. Fortunately, those of us who don’t live in citrus-friendly climates, can probably forage for wild grapes, and the juice of unripe grapes makes an excellent lemon juice substitute called verjuice.
Next time you’re at the farmers’ market or in the produce section, look around for purslane. (In Spanish markets, you may find it labelled verdolagas.) This is the very same purslane that grows in between the vegetable rows in your garden, and between the pavement cracks in your driveway. The only difference is that store bought purslane has been washed, trimmed, and…
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If you’ve ever tasted teaberry gum, you already know the flavor of wintergreen. It’s a subtle, minty flavor, more complex and sophisticated than peppermint or spearmint. Wintergreen was once such a popular tea plant that it was given the common name teaberry (hence the name of the gum). I prefer to use it in ice cream and cocktails, both of which…
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Let me start by saying that even though spruce tips are a springtime treat in my neck of the woods, I’ve harvested them as late as August at 12,000 feet in the Colorado Rockies. It’s less important what the calendar says and more important what the spruce tree says. If the tips of the branches are light green, soft, and…
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I once paid $34 for a big bag of pink peppercorns. That’s embarassing to admit, but I needed the spice for a class I was teaching, and I can’t forage for it where I live. But if you live where winter temperatures stay above 10 degrees Fahrenheit, you may be able to harvest this pricy spice on your morning walk.