Foraging with the Wild Man

My treasures from foraging in Prospect Park

Ready to Forage!

Foraging with 'Wild Man'. It's something that has interested me since I first caught wind of it a few years back. Steve Brill, botanist and self-proclaimed forager, lives in Westchester and offers foraging exhibitions in local parks and wildlife areas in New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey. It is his business, but clearly also his passion. His vast knowledge of wild plants and sense of humor combined makes the tour not just any old walk in the park. On these outings, he identifies and gathers wild and native edibles that are found growing in our public spaces and offers advice on their uses and recipes, as well.

Such a beautiful day in Brooklyn!

For those of you who know that I live in New York City, this may sound like a joke--what would I forage to eat in NYC? Rocks? Birdseed? Old bagels in trash cans? Probably, but all it took was a quick call, a desire to spend the day in the one of our many urban green spaces like Central Park or Prospect Park, and $15 to the Wild Man (and an ambitious foraging buddy--thanks, Sarah) and I was foraging real edibles!!

Flowers are popping up everywhere!

I was shocked and amazed at how many things are already growing in the chilly northeast in early March. Some forage-able items were year-round like things that came from trees, but we managed to find a good amount of tiny, tender green sprouted leaves of various sorts and even spotted some tiny early enoki mushrooms.

Witch Hazel in it's purest form!

I love the contrast of Brooklyn buildings in the background here.

As we entered the Prospect Park, immediately someone in the group spotted green! We had come upon chickweed popping up all over the hillside right at the Grand Army Plaza entrance! It was freshly sprouted and tiny, but it was there! Then we came upon such a beautiful tree-like shrub unlike any I had grown up with. Despite being somewhat un-usable to the amateur forager, this witch hazel tree was still such a sight to behold amidst the still bare branches that it was nestled among.

The Wild Man himself

As we hiked and noticed plants and green sprout-y things, the Wild Man would identify edibles and assist in finding enough for everyone in the group to take home, when appropriate. It is worth noting that in plants that need their greens to regenerate, he would identify and discuss the plant, then instruct us not to take them for the sake of their survival in the park. He also entertained the group with plant-inspired stories and played his instrument, the "Brillophone", which was apparently invented by his father and involves air moving through a round mouth and clapping cupped hands--you have to see it to believe it. At lunchtime, we stopped to munch on whatever snacks we brought along. He was generous and shared some delicious sour rye bread that he made by harvesting wild yeast from the air and fruit leather that was so delicious that he made from oliveberries in Central Park. Yep, this guy was a character, alright. All in all, it made for a fun and satisfying day. Check out Wild Man Steve Brill's website for booking a foraging day, ordering books, or just checking out his delicious vegan recipes featuring foraged ingredients. http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/

Northern Bayberry Leaves

Here are some other things we foraged and their uses:

Gingko nuts: about the size of acorns and can be roasted and eaten. They had an interesting flavor to rice or salad that tastes like a combination of green peas and Limburger cheese. Whoa, right?

Daylilies: have a flat shoot and are light green in color. Has a string bean taste with a mild onion bite. The tubers are also edible and taste radish-y. Both are great in stir-fries.

Garlic Mustard Greens: beautiful tiny leaves that look like heart-shaped mint leaves. They have a fresh garlic bite and the wild man recommends making pesto with them.

Kentucky Coffee Tree: huge green pods the have big beans in them. The recommended usage is roasting the beans and grinding them. Then, making a hot chocolate-type beverage with soy milk, carob chips, cocoa powder, soy lecithin, stevia, and a bit of orange extract.

Common Spice Bush: a large bush that has fragrant twigs that are reminiscent of allspice. Can be used in sweet or savory dishes.

Black Birch: a tree with wintergreen flavored twigs that offer a mild aspirin-like effect. Apparently, aspirin is derived from elements from this tree. The twigs make a nice minty tea, but also are the best for teething babies since they have a pain killer effect.

Northern Bayberry: leaves of this tree were dried, but still hanging on. They are the native, wild version of bay leaves.

Mugwort: powerful Chinese herb

Common Thistle: cook in soup/smells like parsley

Sassafrass: the tree that is used in the making of natural root beer, has medicinal uses, as well

Garlic Chives were everywhere!

Wild Salmon and Asparagus with Garlic Chives

4 6-8 oz wild salmon fillets, rinsed and patted dry
2 T white wine vinegar
1/2 t minced garlic
1 T Dijon mustard
1 T extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 t sea salt
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
1 bundle thin asparagus stalks, trimmed and/or peeled at the bottom
1/4-1/2 cup snipped garlic chives (regular chives work if you can't find them!)
1 lemon, cut into wedges


Place fillets in a shallow bowl. Mix vinegar, garlic, Dijon, oil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and reserve half of the mixture. Pour other half over fish. Cover and chill for 30 minutes to 6 hours.

Preheat oven to broil and line a broiling pan with foil to prevent a mess. Toss asparagus with reserved marinade and transfer to lined broiling pan. Remove fish from marinade and pat fillets dry. Arrange on lined broiling pan and sprinkle generously with snipped garlic chives.

Broil 8-10 minutes or until fish is just done in the center. This is approximate and depends on the thickness of your fillets and also on your oven. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

Stilton: Britain's Historic Blue

Close-up of a cylinder of Stilton

Stilton, both a sharp creamy cheese and the name of a town in England, has, little by little, captured the attention of the whole world with it's piquant, moldy, creamy delightfulness. It is versatile and pairs great with wines, ales, fruits, veggies, and meats. Stilton is made in a somewhat chilly climate and so is a natural winter hibernation treat.

Like Champagne in France, the government of England oversees the use of the name Stilton so not just anyone can make a blue cheese and call it Stilton. It is an EU Protected Food Name and has its own certification trademark. In fact, the government has approved only six producers as Stilton cheese makers and it can only be produced in three counties.

The region around the town of Stilton has been producing what they call Stilton, but the actual cheese has changed and evolved over the last four centuries. As early as the late 17th century, there is documentation of this historic cheese's production and popularity. It is unclear if Stilton always had blue veins coming out from the center or was sometimes a white aged cheese (there is still such thing as 'white stilton' but it is not the traditional Stilton we are talking about). The cheese has evolved and today is guaranteed to be produced according to a legally binding recipe. It is also guaranteed to have been produced within the three government-approved counties: Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Nottinghamshire.

Stilton cheese is one of winter's great pleasures. A loyal follower suggested I do a posting involving mulled wine, stilton, port/winter comfort foods. Stilton, to me, is a great starting point. Starting with the star of the show and choosing a "supporting cast" of wintry accompaniments is a guaranteed win for comforting snacks!

Pick up a nice piece of Stilton at a reputable cheese shop and head to the wine shop for a deep red, port, or even a malty ale. Pair with your favorite chutney, winter fruit, and bread and let the wind blow outside.



Some thoughts on Stilton:

On a cheeseboard, serve at room temperature to enjoy full flavor and texture (68 F, 20 C).

Like a true Brit, serve with Mango Chutney and Port.

Unlike many artisan cheese, Stilton freezes very well.

Stilton gets melty when warm and goes great with potatoes, meat, vegetables and crumbles great on salads.

Some accompaniments I like and suggest are fresh or dried figs, dates, quince jam, fig preserves, roasted kumquats, mango chutney, and apple-raisin chutney (try Stonewall Kitchen Farmhouse Chutney).

Beef Brisket Burger with Stilton, Chips, and Cornichons!

An informative site on the cheesemaking process, the producers, and some very English recipes:
http://www.stiltoncheese.com/

So whether or not you are snowed in, consider enjoying some stilton, bread, and wine this weekend. The winter won't last forever, even though sometimes it feels like it. There are only so many more weekends to enjoy these hearty, decadent eats before the sun reappears and we are out greenmarket-ing for salsa fresca ingredients.

Cheerio!

The Botany of Desire

What a pleasant surprise I had a few weeks ago when my friend surprised with me an invitation to a screening and discussion of The Botany of Desire at The Asia Society. It is one of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors (Michael Pollan) that was recently made into a PBS documentary, directed by Michael Schwartz and airs for the first time on PBS October 28. We were lucky enough to view the screening and attend the Q & A with Michael Pollan, Michael Schwartz, and Daljit Dhaliwal (of Worldfocus on PBS). They also had a Q & A with the audience and I got my copy signed by the author himself!

A refreshing look at our relationship to food, the author suggests and supports how plants control us, versus us controlling them(via agriculture, genetic modification, globalization, etc.), which is our tendency as humans. He does this by choosing four different plants and dividing his argument into four sections: apple (sweetness), marijuana (intoxication), tulip (beauty), and potato (control). In parentheses are the means by which the plant controls us without us necessarily realizing it.

In recent years, food films have tended to be exposes of our corrupt food industry and tend to preach about what we, as a society, are doing wrong and sort of guilt us into changing our habits. The Botany of Desire is truly a different flavor of film. While Michael Pollan may be a plant lover and locavore, he doesn't present his research from a preachy viewpoint or simply tell us what we are doing wrong which is why I consider him to be more of a food spiritualist and philosopher. Instead we are taken on a journey to the soil, if you will. We join the plant's side of things and seethrough the plant's eyes how humans have changed plants' states of being over the past few centuries.
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If you haven't read it and have any interest in food, gardening, plants, or science, I consider all of his books to be "must- reads". If you are not up for getting the book and reading it (though you would really be missing out), check out The Botany of Desire on PBS October 28!

Click here to learn more or buy the DVD:

http://www.pbs.org/thebotanyofdesire/

Food, Inc., among other things

Where have I been, you may ask? Why haven't there been any new postings for awhile? Well, the last two weeks of my life have been jam packed with culinary adventure and flavor! I haven't been blogging about food because I have been seeing it grow, touching it, smelling it, cooking it, thinking about it, tasting it, and renewing my appreciation for that which sustains me. This month I am truly running the culinary gamut here, there, and everywhere. I'm not sure if it's because the summer is winding down and I feel, as I do every year, that I haven't done everything I wanted and my favorite season has flown by too fast. Maybe it's that late summer is just the best time to go on picnics, visit a farm, read an Anthony Bourdain book, or sit in an air-conditioned movie theater. Here is what I have been up to.

Last week, I visited Blue Hill Farm and Stone Barn Center near Tarrytown, NY. I've been picnic-ing in McCarren Park, seen Food, Inc. in the theater, and started reading "The Nasty Bits", by Anthony Bourdain. Yesterday, I spent the day on Martha's Vineyard and tonight on Cape Cod, I will be making ceviche with striped bass that Will, Tommy, Emily, and Jay have caught on their charter boat today. It's been a fun, delicious, food-centric time and I would love to share some highlights with all of you.

Last week, Sarah B. and I finally were coordinated enough to get out of Greenpoint together on a weeknight and go see Food Inc.--a movie by Robert Kenner and featuring Eric Schlosser (author of Fast Food Nation) and Michael Pollan (one of my favorite philosophy-driven food writers/food spiritualists).

Together, with a colorful assortment of others, they talk us through the raw truth of the food industry with clear, straightforward facts in a well put-together structure. Honestly, most of what they presented were things I already knew, but they explained things clearly and backed up the general facts with background stories. We meet factory farmers and sustainable farmers and are generally put off by the conventional food industry--because of both the products they are producing and what the corporations are doing to the farmers that produce for them .

What I was mostly impressed with is the tone of the movie. While food activists can be passionate about their cause to the point that skeptics often are turned off by assumed extremism, this documentary-style film tells us the truth in such a way that is not intimidating or too preachy, but does not sugar-coat the message. The message is loud and clear.

The consensus: LOVED IT LOVED IT LOVED IT Go and see it asap, before it is out of the theater. It could change your life.

http://www.foodincmovie.com/

Stay tuned for the next installation: Blue Hill Farm at Stone Barn Center, followed by Cape Cod/Martha's Vineyard cuisine complete with recipes, and a late summer picnic menu!