Spruce tips. The Scandinavians have always loved them. The season for these is really short, so when you can find them, grab a bunch and give em a go. They smell awesome: bright, citrusy and fresh. Their texture is soft and chewy. They are widely available, easy to harvest, and delicious. The only challenge can…
Pickles, Preserves, Etc
Dried Mushroom Duxelles
One of the simplest, and most approachable recipes. A duxelles is a classic way of using mushrooms, it involves cooking a bit of shallot (or ramps!) in a pan, then adding mushrooms and cooking them down in their own liquid the exude, adding some herbs, then chopping them finely. As one of the most delightful…
Ramp Leaf Pesto
One of the greatest parts of ramps are their leaves, they’re big, beautifully elliptical and a deep shade of forest green that screams “Spring is here!” As far as wild plants go, anyone can go out and identify and dig them, since they’re easy to spot and reek like garlic. But, with how popular ramps…
Wild Mushroom Confit
Traditionally, confit denotes meat that has been marinated in salt and herbs, then slowly and gently cooked in its own fat, the end result being a nice and meltingly tender piece of meat. For this preparati0n I use the word confit to express the end result and texture, soft juicy, and full of flavor. Hands…
Crunchy Pickled Fiddlehead Ferns
As the fiddlehead ferns are starting to dwindle in our areas in Minnesota, facing a commercial fridge packed full of them means I need to work quickly to preserve some for the coming months. When I pick a large amount of something, I usually set aside a nice amount to preserve, whether it be by…
Pickled Morel Mushrooms
Never heard of pickling morel mushrooms? You’re missing out. Drying morels is great, their flavor gets concentrated and rich and they make a wicked sauce. There’s a bit of a trade off in their texture though, which happens when you dry any mushroom. After drying, mushrooms get a bit more chewy, and just aren’t as…