Ramp-ness has Arrived—Ramps / Wild Leek / Allium tricoccum = same plant w/ many names.

Ramps need to be protected, replanted, and if harvested, to do so with care and consciousness toward these ends. Ramps take time to develop: production from sowing seed to root harvest can take 5 to 7 years.

They are slow growing Native American perennials of the “onion family’ who are endangered in some regions

If you find a well-established colony, harvest should be less than 5% of the plants. Another recommendation is to harvest only one leaf from several mature plants. This approach leaves the roots intact so the plants are not killed. My handful oframpleaves was harvested in this manner.

I encourage those of us that are able to plant this lovely, tasty friend so we can regenerate this resource, since zealous harvesting may cause it to become endangered.

If you can, plant seeds as they mature later in the season to create new patches. And if an area is super abundant and ramp congested, thin it a touch and dig up by the root to replant and create more abundance.

Ramp seeds found in the fall after their leaves have died back.

I'll preserve these ramp leaves in salt making a kind of bouillon to eke out through the year.  More about + recipe for making old school bouillon here: https://bit.ly/3nhC2o4

#Ramps #AlliumTricoccum  #SpringForaging #Foraging #WildEdible #WildFood #ForagingAndFeasting #InTheWildKitchen #WildFoodHealthBoosters #DinaFalconi #OnlineForagingCourse #OnlineCourse #Botanizing #PlantIdentification #SustainableHarvest

Greetings WILD LETTUCE! Glad to see you reappear in early spring! = Happy salad bowl!

This Native American, hardy annual, scientifically named Lactuca canadensis, is sprouting wide basal rosettes, with tender leaves that make excellent salad.

I also refer to it as: “Native ancient WILD SALAD known as food for the nerves”.
Learn to identify, harvest & eat it with our free video lesson over on our Youtube channel: Wild Lettuce Video < click here to view.

TO HELP with ID, harvest and use, here is our Wild Lettuce illustrated page from Foraging & Feasting: A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook by Dina Falconi (me), illustrated by Wendy Hollender. More about our book on our site: www.foragingandfeasting.com The two photos are from the free wild lettuce video lesson.

Qualities:
Hearty lettuce flavor w/ slight bitterness. Eat raw or cooked. This is the tastiest of the wild lettuces, with just a hint of bitterness.

Like its cousin escarole, it can be added to soups and sautés; cooked with olive oil and garlic; simmered in broth; or tossed into fish stew, among other options.

Therapeutics:
This species of wild lettuce (Lactuca canadensis) is a mild relaxant, nerve tonic (nervine) that feeds / restores and calms the nervous system.

Offers mild pain support. Not a strong sedative like other species of wild lettuce. Note this plant can be eaten without causing drowsiness or addiction. It has nothing to do with opium.

Tasty wild lettuce (Lactuca canadensis) in mid spring! Eat it raw or cooked.

Nettle Love: The Stinging Gourmet Vegetable + Frittata Master recipe

Nettle love is when you can't get enough of this newly emerged, freshly cooked, wild vegetable. This perennial plant of the Urticaceae family is one of the first to show up once spring arrives. And it's so easy to prepare: just saute or steam it. Or substitute nettle for kale or spinach in your favorite cooked recipes. I love to make frittatas, and nettle frittatas are one of my favorites (see recipe below). 

Nettle leaf has a rich, hearty (meaty), deep-green flavor. It is a blood-building, vitamin- and mineral-rich tonic food, especially high in calcium, magnesium and iron. Nettle is fiery. Use it to support circulation and resolve wet cold conditions in the respiratory system. It supports kidney and adrenal function and is used for improving skin, hair, joints, allergies and arthritic conditions. In addition to all these gifts, let's not forget the place nettle has as a gourmet vegetable to be eaten with breakfast, lunch or dinner. However, keep in mind that too much can be irritating/ stimulating to some enthusiastic nettle eaters (myself included). One serving a day hasn't caused any harm yet.

To help with identification and harvest, here is our Spring Nettle Plant Map from our book Foraging & Feasting. Remember to wear gloves when handling nettle to protect yourself from its sting — unless you want to (be clear about this) engage in urtication therapy, considered a topical treatment for congested, stiff muscles and joints. 

Spring Nettle Plant Map from our book Foraging & Feasting: A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook by Dina Falconi; illustrated by Wendy Hollender

Frittata Master Recipe

Serves 4

Frittatas offer another great way to feature wild flavors while making a wholesome delicious meal. Serve them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner — or any time of day. A dish somewhere between an omelet and a crustless quiche, frittatas are simple to prepare. This basic recipe allows you to combine various wild greens, aromatic herbs, and cheeses to create satisfying frittatas with the seasonal offerings from fields, gardens, and farmers’’s markets. 

• 5 tablespoons fat of choice: butter, olive oil, lard, bacon drippings, etc.
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 cups of wild vegetable of choice*, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons strongly flavored aromatic fresh herb, finely chopped, or 2 teaspoons if the herb is dried: wild bergamot, oregano, hardy marjoram, thyme, savory, etc.
• 6 large eggs, preferably organic and pasture raised
• 1/3 cup heavy cream, crème fraichefraîche, or whole milk, preferably organic and grassfed
• 1 cup grated cheese (cheddar or Colby type cheeses weigh about 3½ oz), preferably organic and grassfed
• 3 pinches salt to equal 1/4 teaspoon, or to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

* Some scrumptious wild choices: leaves and tender stems of nettle, yellow or broad-leaf dock, lamb’s quarter, amaranth, dame’s rocket, purple dead nettle, mallow; day lily shoots; and wild mushrooms.

1. In an ovenproof, heavy bottomed, 9 inch pan, such as a cast iron pan, heat 3 tablespoons of fat over medium-low heat.
2. Add onion and vegetable and sauté until tender, stirring occasionally; put the lid on the pan if needed to keep the vegetables from drying out.
3. Once the vegetables are tender, add the strongly flavored aromatic herbs and 1 pinch of salt, and sauté for 1–2 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix eggs with cream or milk, 2 pinches of salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.
5. Stir sautéed vegetable mixture into egg mixture.
6. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of fat in the pan, add the egg-vegetable mixture, and cook over medium-low heat for about five minutes, until the bottom of the frittata is cooked.
7. Turn oven on to broil, sprinkle the cheese over the top of the frittata, and place in the oven about 4 inches away from the broiling flame. Broil the frittata until it puffs up and browns, about 5–7 minutes.
8. Serve straight from the oven. Cold leftovers are delicious too.

Eggs from the "feral" flock of hens who live in our edible forest chicken yard.

Golden Eggs From Pastured Hens: While all eggs provide a good source of complete protein, all eggs are not equal. Taking the effort to buy the best eggs available — ideally from pastured hens given free range to eat grass, weeds and bugs outside in the sunshine, and fed naturally grown, non-genetically modified grain — is well worth the effort. These eggs are truly nutritious, full of vitamins A, D, E, and K2, and contain a balanced fatty acid profile (omegas in the right ratios). So getting to know who has the best eggs in the neighborhood is worthwhile knowledge indeed.

Sheep Sorrel: Lovely sourness returns in full swing

In these early fall days, I like to gather the vibrant shimmering leaves of sheep sorrel. The rain and cooler weather makes them large and plump; perfect for adding to salad. This sour, slightly sweet, and refreshing plant is the diminutive relative of garden sorrel or French sorrel. All of them belong to the Rumex genus of the Polygonaceae family. Sheep sorrel (Rumex acetosella), a weedy perennial found in many parts of the world, boasts a good amount of vitamin C with refrigerant (cooling) and astringent qualities. Look for it in fields, gardens, lawns, disturbed ground, forest edges..... it's common and prolific. Use in: wild green pesto, dip, wild green goddess dressing, soup (think shav or shtshav), beverage; topping for fish or meat loaf. For more information and to help identify the plant, see the plant map below from Foraging & Feasting: A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook by Dina Falconi; illustrated by Wendy Hollender. 

From Foraging & Feasting: A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook by Dina Falconi; illustrated by Wendy Hollender.

Comfrey: a very useful yet controversial friend.

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) of the Boraginaceae family offers many gifts, ranging from food and medicine for us humans (if we dare, please see cautionary note below); as fodder for animals; and as a soil enricher referred to in permaculture as a dynamic accumulator. Right now this perennial plant flourishes, lush, vibrant and green in the landscape, making it a perfect time to gather its nutrient dense leaves for food and medicine. Dry the leaves for a mineral rich, soothing tea or use to make a topical healing oil. The smaller, younger leaves can be eaten as a cooked vegetable aka potherb: tasty in soup, quiche, frittata, etc. Or feed the leaves to your compost pile; brew them into a green manure tea for feeding plants; or if you have goats, feed some to them— they will love it.

From the book Foraging & Feasting: A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook by Dina Falconi; illustrated by Wendy Hollender .

Click for more on pyrrolizidine alkaloids.

Day Lily Harvest

#DayLily's beautiful blossoms can be eaten now! Raw or lightly cooked, they offer a mild flavor with a mucilaginous effect. I love to tear the flower into smaller pieces and add it to salad or to garnish w/ it. The the long flowers buds and wilted flowers can also be eaten lightly cooked. Originally from Asia, and now widely spread throughout the landscape, this perennial's Latin name is Hemerocallis fulva of the Xanthorrhoeaceae family. BTW, occasionally may cause vomitting or diarrhea if eaten in large quantities by sensitive individuals.

The Day Lily Plant Identification Page from the book Foraging & Feasting