Japanese knotweed (aka Fallopia japonica) is a prolific and aggressive weed, and most gardeners hate it with a white-hot, searing passion. Not me. I celebrate a good patch of Japanese knotweed. It grows in sun or shade, in roadside ditches, on steep embankments, in wet soils, back yards, city parks, and up through sidewalk cracks. In other words, it’s hard to…
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Two years ago I went to Denver to forage with my theretofore e-friend Butter Wilde. (I’m notorious for inviting myself to visit people, so beware.) On a rainy afternoon, we were distracted from our morel hunting by the scent of plum blossoms. It was so intense I knew it had to be captured in a cocktail.
Chorispora tenella is commonly called musk mustard, blue mustard, purple mustard, and cross flower (after the cross formed by its four, pale purple petals). I like the name musk mustard, because the foliage has an earthy, musky flavor, which my pal Butter Wilde describes as mushroomy. I agree: the taste is a combination of mushrooms and horseradish. It’s also a tender,…
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If you’ve ever tasted gin, you know what juniper berries taste like. The flavor is sometimes described as citrusy and evergreen, sometimes as reminiscent of rosemary. Juniper fruit has both bitter and sweet overtones. It’s complex, and useful for flavoring much more than gin.
Have you ever asked yourself, “What does HERE taste like?” Foraging for local herbs and spices lets you add unique flavors to all sorts of dishes; combine your favorites in an easy foraged dry rub.