If you come home with a bounty of greens, wash them well in clean water. Greens gathered near waterways can be infested with giardia, a nasty intestinal parasite carried by beavers and other animals and passed into the water with their feces. Soil can carry a number of germs and bacteria, not just on tubers but also on the leaves and stems of many plants. Fortunately, a good scrub with plenty of clean water will remove them.
In general, avoid collecting plants from heavily trafficked areas, along roadsides, and from other potentially polluted spots.
The next issue in harvesting is protecting not you but the plant. Don’t harvest any plant on the rare or endangered list. If any plant is locally scarce (not necessarily endangered but just not abundant where you live), take small amounts from as large a grouping as possible. Leave behind enough of the plant that it can reproduce.
About Nettles
If you’ve ever come into contact with stinging nettles, you’ll undoubtedly recall with dread the swift, nasty rash that they caused when they touched the skin. However, you might be very pleasantly surprised by how mellow and delicious nettles are when they are cooked. They lose their characteristic prickle and taste like a mild, tender spinach.
Wearing long sleeves and rubber kitchen or gardening gloves, pick whole nettles when they are very young, or pick just the small-leaved tops of more mature plants. Using tongs, swish the nettles in a bowl of cool water, then drop them directly into a pot of boiling water. Do not touch the nettles or try to chop them or work with them until they are cooked.
If you exercise common sense and take the time to learn about the foods in your area, foraging is a wonderful way to get closer to nature and understand more about our place in it. You probably won’t ever need to rely on the woods, pastures, and streams to provide you with all you need for sustenance, but it’s good to know where there is a ready supply, free for the picking.
Look for these favorite wild foods:
• Apples
• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Cattails
• Cherries (wild)
• Crab apples
• Dandelions
• Daylilies
• Elderberries
• Fiddleheads
• Fox grapes
• Lamb’s quarters
• Leeks (wild)
• Milkweed
• Nettles
• Raspberries
• Rose hips
• Violets
• White pine (for tea)
Rose Hip Jam
4 cups rose hip pulp
5 cups sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1. For the pulp, collect ripe rose hips, preferably just after the first frost. Wash and stem the hips. In a medium-sized saucepan, cover rose hips with water; simmer until soft, about 15 minutes. Run pulp through a food mill or sieve.
2. Combine the pulp, sugar, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer until the mixture reaches 220°F (104°C). Ladle into hot jars.
3. Adjust lids and process in a boiling-water-bath canner (see page 80) for 5 minutes.
Yield: 2 to 3 pints
Harvesting Dandelions
It is likely that your neighbors will be delighted should you ask to collect dandelions from their lawns (providing their lawns haven’t been sprayed). Be sure to gather from environmentally clean areas at least 50 feet away from busy roads and where no pesticides have been used. Roots will be easiest to harvest after a good rain or a few hours after the yard has been watered. If your neighbors don’t live on a busy street and don’t spray their lawns, ask permission to collect dandelions — then bring them some dandelion wine to show your gratitude.
Should you live where dandelions simply don’t grow, such as in a high-rise apartment building, check your local supermarket, farmers’ market, or health-food store. Nowadays many retail grocery stores carry dandelions in their produce departments.
Leaves. Dandelion leaves are best collected in the spring before the plants flower. People who claim to dislike the taste of the greens have very likely collected the leaves after a plant has flowered, when the greens have turned bitter. If you wash the leaves before drying, be sure to dry them well to discourage mold. Cut the leaves at their base with a knife or snap them off with your fingers. After the plant has seeded, there will be a new growth of leaves later in the summer and these also can be collected. Avoid leaves that are yellow and wilted.
About Rose Hips
In late fall, after the leaves have dropped, snip the partially dried orange-red rose hips from your rosebushes. Trim off and discard both ends; cut the remainder into thin slices. Dry the slices according to your favorite method.
Dehydrator: Spread slices thinly over trays and dry at 110°F (43°C), stirring occasionally. Dry for 12 to 18 hours, or until crisp and hard.
Outdoors: Spread slices over trays in a thin layer and allow to dry in a well-ventilated, shady area for two or three days, until crisp and hard. Take the trays inside at night.
Oven or homemade dryer: Spread slices thinly over trays. Dry at 110°F (43°C), stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 18 to 24 hours.
Rose hips are a good winter source of vitamin C. Rose hip tea benefits from the addition of other herbs, such as lemon balm and mint. To make rose hip tea, cover 1/3 cup dried rose hips with 1 quart cold water. Cover and slowly bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Strain liquid, mashing the hips with a fork to extract all the vitamin-rich juice. Drink hot or cold with a spoonful of lemon juice and honey or sugar.
Flowers. When collecting flowers, it is helpful to have small children with you — they’ll love to help. Spread the blossoms on a large cloth to allow some of the insects to crawl and fly away before you bring them inside. For appearance and efficacy, use the flowers the same day that they have been collected.
Roots. There is a wonderful tool called a dandelion digger (available at gardening supply shops) that you can use for digging the deep dandelion taproots. To obtain large roots, gather plants that are at least two years old. The best roots will be found in unmowed patches of land and in soil that is rich and loose. Here a root is likely to be single and juicy. (In poorer soil, the root tends to be forked and tough.) The plant is most effective in its fresh state. Roots from older plants will be leathery to eat but can still be used for medicine and in teas.
The ideal times to collect roots are in early spring before the plants flower and then again in fall after the first frost.
Spring-harvested roots are sweeter than those taken in the fall, as they are higher in fructose and less bitter and fibrous. But they must be collected before the flower buds are big, or all of their energy will go into producing the blossom, depleting the root. From September to February is also a good time to collect the roots, when the plants are highest in inulin, which imparts a sweet taste. Spring roots are higher in taraxacin, which stimulates bile production, and fructose, a simple sugar, than are fall roots.
A dandelion digger is good for digging out any plant with a deep taproot, not just the dandelion.
Fall-harvested roots are more bitter and richer in inulin, which makes them more of a therapeutic medicine. This combination is partly because during the growing season, the fructose (also known as levulose) in the roots converts to inulin. The winter freeze then breaks down the inulin back to fructose, which sweetens the spring roots.
Dandelion Coffee
One popular beverage is a dandelion “coffee” made from the dried and roasted roots. This drink tastes rich and earthy, similar to coffee but without the caffeine. It is nonaddictive and much kinder to the stomach. Dandelion roots tend to be more bitter in summer and fall and sweeter in spring.
• To prepare the roots: Dig the roots (20 should give you enough for a small supply) in the fall and wash well, using a vegetable brush to scrub them. Slice the roots lengthwise and allow them to dry in a warm place for two weeks.
• To roast th
e roots: When dry, roast them for 4 hours in an oven heated to 200°F (93°C). An alternative is to roast the dried, sliced roots in a cast-iron skillet, stirring constantly, until they are dark brown. Cool completely before storing in a glass jar. Roasting dandelion roots releases aromatic compounds and converts the starch inulin into fructose, sweetening their taste.
• To brew: Simmer 1 heaping teaspoon of the root in 1 cup of water, covered, for 10 minutes, then strain. The resulting dark, rich beverage will help you feel warmer. If you want, you can also use the roasted roots as a coffee substitute by percolating or using the drip method.
• To enjoy: You can drink this as you would coffee with cream and sugar or with honey and milk.
Dandelion Wine
Dandelion wine, believed to be of Celtic origin, is regarded as one of the fine country wines of Europe. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, it was not proper for ladies to drink alcohol; however, dandelion flower wine was considered so therapeutic to the kidneys and digestive system that it was deemed medicinal even for the ladies.
3 quarts dandelion blossoms
1 gallon water
2 oranges, with peel
1 lemon, with peel
3 pounds sugar
1 ounce fresh yeast or
3 packets instant yeast
1 pound raisins
1. Collect the blossoms when they are fully open on a sunny day. Remove any green parts; they will impair the fermentation.
2. In a large pot, bring the water to a boil and pour it over the flowers. Cover and let steep for three days.
3. Peel and juice the oranges and the lemon, save the peels, and reserve the liquid.
4. Add the orange and lemon peel to the flower-water mixture and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, strain out the solids, then add the sugar, stirring until it is dissolved. Allow to cool.
5. Add the orange and lemon juice, yeast, and raisins to the liquid. Put everything into a crock with a loose lid (so gas can escape) to ferment.
6. When the mixture has stopped bubbling (two days to a week), fermentation is complete. Strain the liquid through several layers of cheesecloth and transfer to sterilized bottles. Slip a deflated balloon over the top of each bottle to monitor for further fermentation. When the balloon remains deflated for 24 hours, fermentation is complete. Cork the bottles and store in a cool, dark place for at least six months before drinking.
Flower Fritters
Although daylilies aren’t strictly wild plants, so many have escaped from gardens that they abound in fields and on roadsides, so they are fun to forage. Basil flower stalks, small clusters of sage leaves, and nasturtium blossoms may also be prepared this way.
2/3 cup flour
½ teaspoon salt (or more)
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
1 egg yolk
1/3–½ cup beer
Vegetable oil (for frying)
12 daylily flowers
1. Line a plate with several paper towels. In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, and cayenne. Add the egg yolk; mix until well blended.
2. Add beer, a little at a time, whisking constantly, until the mixture is the consistency of thick pancake batter.
3. Heat about 2 inches of oil in a deep skillet. Drop a little batter into the oil; when the batter starts to brown, reduce the heat to medium. Pick up a daylily by the stalk and swish it in the batter to coat the whole flower except the part you’re holding.
4. Place the batter-covered stalks in the hot oil, a few at a time. Fry until brown on both sides, turning once.
5. Transfer the fritters to the paper-towel-lined plate; serve immediately.
Yield: 12 fritters
Fiddleheads
If you know where to find them, fiddleheads are best picked fresh. Increasingly, though, they are available in specialty markets and at farm stands. Looking like fuzzy green spirals, they are the tightly furled fronds of the ostrich fern. They have a flavor reminiscent of asparagus.
Preparing fiddleheads takes a little care. Soak them in water for a few minutes, then ruffle the curled ferns with your fingers to release as much of the fuzzy brown coating as possible. It will come off in small particles and should be skimmed off the water and discarded. Blanch the cleaned fiddleheads for 2 minutes in boiling water; immediately refresh them under cool water, then drain thoroughly. Place the fiddleheads in a fresh pot of boiling water for 2 more minutes, then drain. Boiling the fiddleheads in two changes of water is thought to remove a certain heat-labile toxin that can make some people sick.
Blanched fiddleheads are delicious when sautéed with butter and garlic, cooked in an omelet, or added to pasta or soup. They may also be served with a light cream or cheese sauce.
Making Maple
The days are longer, but it still isn’t spring. After being cooped up by the woodstove all winter, it is delightful to rouse yourself and trundle off into the maple grove to set the taps for the first flow of sap.
Later, the smell of wood smoke mingled with that of the sweet boiling sap will fill you with the happy expectation of pouring your own dark golden syrup over fresh hotcakes or fritters.
After the last of the syrup is bottled, the maple grove will continue to give pleasure with leafy summer shade followed by a dazzle of orange foliage. Your homemade syrup will continue to bring the joy of natural sweetness to your table and those of your lucky friends.
The basic process of making maple syrup is extremely simple. All you do is boil maple sap down — way down. It takes about 9 gallons of sap to make 1 pint of syrup. If you intend to sell the syrup you make, there are some further steps, such as filtering it and grading it, but these are not necessary for making a delicious product for home consumption.
The equipment for making syrup can be as simple as two or three spouts, some large tin cans, and a kettle. Or it can be as complicated as a full-scale sugarhouse with evaporator, finishing rig, and holding tank. Here you’ll find the steps to make only a couple of quarts of syrup; for this, you’ll have to invest very little in equipment.
Maple Trees
First of all, your part of the country has to have sunny days and freezing nights in early spring or your maples won’t yield any sap to mention. Where is the climate right? In virtually all of New England; in most of New York State; in western Pennsylvania; in a broad sweep of the Midwest, especially Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin; and in parts of Canada.
Syrup
Next, you must be able to recognize a sugar maple. Most people who grew up in the city or suburbs cannot. (Maple syrup expert Noel Perrin admits that years ago, he paid a neighbor’s teenage son three dollars to walk through his newly bought woods with him, pointing out the sugar maples while he marked them with red paint.)
Norway maple
Red maple
Sugar maple
In winter and spring, however, it can sometimes be hard to tell, so if you’re going to tap maples in a woodlot, identify them the fall before you plan to start.
To help you identify sugar maples, you’ll need to recognize two other maples, so you know which trees not to tap.
The Norway maple is usually planted in yards as an ornamental tree. It has the same classic maple leaf as a sugar maple — the leaf that is on the Canadian flag. But the leaf of the Norway is about twice as wide as a sugar maple leaf and much larger altogether. The bark has a fine, diamond-shaped pattern that sugar maples lack.
The other common variety is the red maple, also called swamp maple. In the fall, it’s easy to tell one from a sugar maple: It is among the first of all trees to turn color, and it becomes bright scarlet. A sugar maple will turn pink to yellow to orange several weeks later. Also, red maples have small, saw-toothed leaves, while the edges of a sugar maple leaf are smoothly curved.
Step by Step
Tapping. The right day to start is a sunny one when the temperature is at least 40°F
(4°C) after a freezing night. Depending on where you live, such days will begin to occur anywhere from late February to late March. If you tap too early, your spouts will dry up before the season is over. A tree usually closes off the flow of sap in four to six weeks. This becomes a problem if you tapped on a freak early warm day that is then followed by a couple of weeks of cold weather, during which no sap runs. On the other hand, if you tap too late, you miss the early runs. A good rule of thumb is to tap about one month before the last snow is usually gone. If the snow in your area is typically melted away by April 10, you should tap around March 10.
Maple Syrup Supplies
• Spouts. You’ll need one to five spouts, which are usually available in hardware stores in sugaring country. They come in four or five varieties; look for spouts that come with precast hooks, but any of the metal spouts on the market will work just fine.
• Drill. A hand drill with a 7/16-inch bit is best, though you could probably get away with a 3/8 or ½-inch bit.
• Containers. You’ll need several, including sap buckets; plastic gallon jugs, such as those that cider and milk come in; or even coffee cans, though you would have to empty them rather often. A large plastic pail for gathering the sap is also helpful.
• Heat. Boiling the sap down requires plenty of heat for a long period of time. The simplest way is to put it into an ordinary cooking pot on the kitchen stove or woodstove, but the sticky steam may be a problem in the house. Most people prefer to do their boiling in the yard on an outdoor fireplace.
Spout
Drilling holes for the taps
Collecting sap in a plastic jug
You’ll need one to five spouts, a drill, and a hammer. In each tree, drill a hole about 2½ inches deep and about 2 feet above the ground. Gently drive in the spout with the hammer — if it’s a hookless spout, remember to put on a hook, facing outward, before you do. Use several light strokes to tap in the spout. If you drive it in too hard, you will split the bark and a good deal of sap will leak out through the split and be lost. But if you drive it in too lightly, it may pull out under the weight of a full container.
The Backyard Homestead Page 35