Now that you know how to forage, let’s go over some tasty recipes to make with your edible wild food! for your newly-found food!
Chapter 9: Forager Recipes
Even though wild foods aren’t widely used, they’re not alien foods that require special tools or appliances! Food is food and most wild plants and herbs can be consumed raw. For some, this is actually the preferred method of consuming them. There are other plants you must cook first before you can eat them. All of this applies the same as with the same vegetables you normally purchase in stores. Most recipe cookbooks use all types of plant parts – the roots, fruits, flowers, and greens. You can substitute most of the foods with wild plants, with only a few exceptions. There are so many ways you can use the roots and flowers of a plant to make vinegar, pickles, tea, butter, jelly and honey. The easiest way to eat some plants is as they are. When you want to go a level above that, you will surely be in for a treat.
9.1 – Drinks and Homemade Snack Recipes
Wild Leek Pickles
image via Steamy Kitchen
PICKLES
Plants that have a crispy and crunchy texture to them are perfect for making pickle with! The best plants to make pickle with are Jerusalem artichokes and wild leeks.
Jerusalem Artichoke Pickles
2 cups cider vinegar
¼ cup of sugar
1 tbsp. of salt
1 cup of water
1 cup of scrubbed tubers (unpeeled)
Boil the water, salt, sugar, and vinegar together and place the tubers in a sterile pint canning jar. Begin to pour the solution over tubers then seal the jar and once the jar is cool, put it in the fridge. Let sit for a month before eating.
Wild Leek Pickles (Bulbs)
1 tbsp. of salt
2 tbsp. sugar
2 cups of clean wild leek bulbs
1 cup of water
1 cup of white vinegar
Mix the salt, sugar, water, and vinegar in a pot and bring to a boil before adding in your leek bulbs. The leeks should boil for two minutes. Begin to pour both the leek bulbs and pickle juice into a sterilized jar and allow the jar to cool before capping and popping it in the fridge. The longer you can keep the mixture in the fridge without opening it, the better it will be. However, you should wait a minimum of two weeks. The shell life of this is half a year.
SOUPS
Soups are an incredibly easy, heart dish to make. Just about anybody can make this on their own with little effort. Soup is a comfort meal around the world where the only difference in cultures is whether you serve it before or after the main course. Most soups are green based although there are animal- and fruit-based soups too. Try out a couple of these veggie soups; the more you can make, the merrier.
Cream of Sheep Sorrel Soup
One egg yolk
½ cup of cream
1 tbsp. of butter
2 cups broth
2 cups sheep sorrel leaves (chopped)
Begin by sautéing the sheep sorrel leaves in the butter and keep it to the side. In a separate pot, boil the broth and then set that aside as well. Mix the egg yolk and cream and add it to the hot broth. Add the sautéed sheep sorrel leaves right after. Heat your soup up by a low to medium heat and serve.
Stinging Nettle Soup
One qt young stinging nettle shoots, snipped leaves, and tender stalk tips
4 cups vegetable stock
Boil the stalk and mix it with the nettle greens (remember to wear gloves), then simmer it for fifteen minutes. Season it for taste. If you are not fond of the texture, try pureeing it. You can optionally serve it with a scoop of sour cream.
Curly Dock Soup
One qt curly dock leaves
1 tbsp. butter
Salt/Pepper for taste
½ cup water
¼ cup cream or 1 tbsp. sour cream on top (not required)
Chop the dock leaves and cook them in water for ten minutes. In a blender, puree the leaves with salt, pepper and butter. Heat the mixture and eat it. Cream or sour cream is optional.
POTHERBS (COOKED GREENS)
Potherbs are simply greens that you cook on a stove. Simply saute them with a little bit of butter and seasoning, and serve! Plenty of wild plants are a perfect example of this. Not to mention, it is fairly quick to make too.
Dandelion Greens
Handful of dandelion greens
Water, as needed
Add a handful of dandelion greens in a pot filled with a generous amount of water and set it to boil for about 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes are up, taste the greens. Dandelions are meant to taste bitter. However, if it is too bitter for you, drain the water and do it all again. The drained, cooked dandelion greens can be eaten just like that, or you can drizzle some dressing over them. Alternatively, you can sauté the dandelions.
Milkweed Buds
1-quart clean milkweed buds
2 quarts water
Bring water to a boil and add the milkweed. Let boil for 5 minutes. Drain the water and add another pot of fresh boiling water for about a minute or two and drain it again. You can eat as is or with butter, lemon-butter sauce, salt, and pepper.
Wild Greens Quiche
One 9-inch pie crust baked at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes or until it turns a golden brown color
1 quart processed spring greens (chickweed lamb’s quarter, dock, wintercress, milkweed, and watercress)
1 cup milk
3 eggs
1 cup grated cheese (Parmesan)/2 tbsp. reserved for topping
Salt/Pepper for taste
Add the processed greens in the pastry shell. Beat and mix the eggs in a bowl with the milk, grated cheese, and salt and pepper. Blend the mixture together and put it on top of the wild greens. Sprinkle the leftover Parmesan on top and bake the quiche for half an hour. The oven should be at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Let cool and serve.
BREADS
Persimmon Black Walnut Bread
2 cups persimmon pulp
½ cup black walnuts (chopped)
4 eggs
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (unsifted)
3 cup sugar
One tsp. vinegar
2 cups whole wheat flour
Two tsp. Baking soda mixed with 2/3 cup water
1 cup vegetable oil
1 ½ tsp. salt
One tsp. Nutmeg (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix all ingredients, except for the walnuts, into a bowl and blend it. Beat the mixture at a swift speed for about four minutes and then pour the walnuts in. Stir the mixture once more and then pour it into three greased loaf pans or one bundt pan for about an hour.
Cattail Pollen Bread
1 cup cattail pollen (sifted)
¼ cup melted butter
One egg (beaten)
1 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
2 tbsp. sugar
2 ½ tsp. baking powder
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and sift the dry ingredients together. In a different bowl add the wet ingredients, mix them, then add the dry ingredients to it and stir – do not beat. Scoop out the mixture into a greased pan and bake for 25 minutes or when the bread separates from the pans’ edges. Add butter or jam.
Acorn Bread
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup acorn meal, finest powder grade
1 cup flour
Four tsp baking soda
¼ cup butter
¼ cup sugar
½ tsp salt
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Sift the dry ingredients together. In another bowl, beat the egg then add the butter and milk and mix everything. When the wet ingredients are well mixed, add the dry ingredients and stir until it has a smooth consistency. Scoop out the batter and add it into a greased 8- or 9-inch baking pan for 20 minutes.
Preparing the acorn meal – Leave the acorns inside for a few days before you plan on making the dish. You will want to shell the acorns then boil the shelled nuts while replacing the water when it becomes rusty colored. Boil the nuts for about two hours. Put the drained nuts on a cookie platter in the oven to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Once it dries, grind the nuts in a meat grinder. You will have two forms of acorn textures: a fine powder and tiny bone hard pieces which make for good burgers.
Wild Garlic Butter
¼ pound soft butter
1 tbsp. field garlic leaves diced
Six field garlic bulbs that are cleaned and pressed
Cream the butter and mix it with the field garlic bulbs and leaves. Mold the butter into a shape you like, set it on wax paper, and pop it in the fridge to chill.
BEVERAGES
You can make tasty beverages out of the leaves, fruits, roots, and flowers of a plant. Sumac and Mint are one of the most popular teas that come from wild plants.
Sumac Lemonade
Four large red Sumaccones
1-quart water
Sugar for taste
Mix the Sumaccones together with water in a sealed jar and shake it for ten or so minutes. Strain the liquid and add sugar for taste and drink this once it is cool for the best flavor. You can optionally add liquor.
Mint Tea
A handful of mint leaves
Hot water
Sugar for taste
Gather your mint leaves and add them to a pot of boiling water and allow it to steep. Sweeten the tea with sugar for taste. You can drink this either while it is hot or let it cool in the fridge.
Rosehip Tea
1 tbsp. rosehip, chopped
Hot water
Sugar for taste
Pour a cup of boiling water over the chopped rosehips. Allow it to steep for fifteen minutes and drain it. Use sugar to sweeten for flavor.
Once you collect rosehips, air them out on paper towels or ventilated trays.
Linden Flower Tea
Handful of linden flowers
Boiling water
Basswood honey for taste
Pour boiling water over the handful of linden flowers and cover for five or more minutes. Use the honey for taste.
Collect linden flowers when they open fully on a day that does not contain much moisture. Dry the flowers on ventilated trays or a paper towel.
9.2 – Entree Recipes From Scratch
Fiddlehead Ferns
image via Google
ENTREES AND MEALS
There are tons of wild plants that can serve as entrees. The plants added into most dishes are stand alone and very filling, or you can pair them with other dishes.
Jerusalem Artichoke Croquettes
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup bread crumbs
One dozen Jerusalem artichoke tubers scrubbed
One egg yolk
Salt/Pepper/Herbs for taste
Boil the tubers in a pot of hot water that is slightly salted. Keep it in there long enough to loosen the skins and drain the water. Remove the skins and mash the tubers, then allow them to cool. When they are chilled, mold the tubers into a ball shaped mass and add the bread crumbs, egg, then coat with breadcrumbs once more. Fry the batter in oil at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the croquettes on paper towels, season them for flavor and serve.
Acorn Burgers
2 cups acorn “grits” (refer to acorn bread recipe note)
Hamburger buns
1 egg
One tsp salt
Oil
2 cups water
One diced medium onion
Ground pepper
Soak the acorn grits in water for half an hour and drain it. Mix the softened grits with the egg, onion, salt, and pepper. Blend the ingredients well and mold them into burger patties. Oil your pan on medium heat for sixty seconds and add your patties. Allow them to cook for five minutes on both sides and serve on a whole wheat bun.
Sautéed Fiddlehead Ferns
24 fiddlehead ferns that are recently picked
One tsp. Coarse salt
2-3 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tbsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Fresh ground pepper
Remove any dry substances that appear like sheaths on the fiddlehead ferns. Add them in a filled bowl of cool water then incorporate the juice and salt. Pour the ferns into the bowl and push them into the water a few times to clean them. Allow the ferns to drain on a paper towel. Add hot water to a pan and place a steamer rack on top to steam the fern. Keep them covered for 4-5 minutes until they are tender. Scoop butter into the skillet and let it melt. Place the fern in the pan to cook on both sides for one to two minutes. They should have a nice golden brown color to them. You can add salt and pepper for flavor and serve.
Morels and Chanterelles
1 pound of washed morel mushrooms
½ cup shallots, finely chopped
¼ cup Madeira wine
½ cup heavy cream
Cheese Totelloni
3 ounces of Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
2 cups of chicken stock or low sodium (canned)
1 pound of chanterelle mushrooms cut lengthwise
½ tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp. fresh tarragon, chopped
¼ cup olive oil
Two tsp.Salt (more for pasta water)
8 tbsp. or 1 stick unsalted butter
Warm oil and four tablespoons of butter in a pan on medium heat. Pour in the shallots and saute for about 5 minutes. Add your chanterelles and morels slowly and continue sautéing until the liquid has drained. This step takes about ten or so minutes. Add the Madeira, using a wooden spoon to scrape off any bits in the pot. Pour the stalk, salt, and pepper, allowing it to simmer for five minutes. Add the tarragon and cream, then stir it. Allow it to simmer until the sauce is somewhat thick and reduce it to low heat. Add the last four tablespoons of butter prior to stirring, then remove from heat. Next, fill a pot with water and add some salt. Place on burner on high heat until it comes to a boil. Add the tortelloni one by one – up to twelve – as they continue to cook. It should take about five minutes to cook them all. When you are ready to remove the tortelloni, use a slotted spoon before you separate them in different bowls. Spoon sauce over the tortelloni and add tarragon and Parmesan as a garnish before you serve it.
Spaghetti with Ramps
8 ounces of ramps, fresh with leafy green tops that are separate from the roots
1-2 tbsp. red pepper flakes, crushed
Coarse salt
2 tbsp. dry breadcrumbs
1 pound linguine or spaghetti, dry
3 tbsp olive oil
In a pot, heat 6 quarts of water with about two tablespoons of salt. Allow it to boil prior to adding the spaghetti and cook it. Use a skillet and warm up the olive oil over medium heat and cook the ramps until they are tender. Season your ramps with salt and red pepper flakes. Keep stirring your food until they start to wilt. Remove the water from the pasta and put the pasta in a skillet. Gently toss the mixture to coat the pasta with the ramps liquid. Divide the pasta among plate and drizzle it with olive oil before adding the breadcrumbs. This meal serves approximately four people.
Leek, Potato & Morel Gratin
Zest from half a lemon
½ cup chicken broth, low sodium
Coarse salt
Two medium leeks that have white and light green parts. Cut them diagonally and make ½ inch slices. Rinse them
Three medium potatoes
2 tbsp. softened and unsalted butter
One garlic stem trimmed into ¼ slices
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup of freshly washed morel mushrooms
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and apply butter to the bottom of a quart-sized baking dish. Allow the morels, green garlic, cream, and broth to simmer. Assemble the grating you need. Begin to peel and cut the potatoes into 1/8- inch slices and place them in the dish. Let them slightly overlap. Use half your leeks and salt them to taste. Put half of the cream mixture on top and repeat the step again starting with the potatoes. Use aluminum foil to cover your dish before you bake it for about forty minutes. Once that time passes, uncover the dish and let it continue to bake until the potatoes turn a nice golden color. Once they do, you’ll also see that most of the liquid has been absorbed. Allow it to cook for another 20 – 25 minutes before you take it out of the oven. You will want it to cool outside the oven for about fifteen minutes. At this point, you can sprinkle some lemon zest on your dish before serving. This meal feeds approximately ten people.
The Foragers Bible
Table of Contents
Get the next chapter before anyone else by keeping in touch!
Sign up for our daily newsletter here!
Have Instagram? Don’t forget to follow @HomemadeRecipesOfficial.
Click here to Like Us On Facebook.
Click here to Follow Homemade Recipes on Pinterest
The post The Foragers Bible [Forager Recipes ] appeared first on Homemade Recipes|1000's of FREE Homemade Dinner Recipes.