March 17, 2021.Reading time 12 minutes.
Note: This recipe was originally shared at Gather Victoria on Patreon. It was originally a recipe for Imbolc but for reasons that will soon become apparent- I thought I’d share it here for St. Patricks Day! St. Patrick was said to have driven all of the snakes out of Ireland – which is odd. While […]
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March 19, 2020.Reading time 15 minutes.
The wild spring greens are here! Jam-packed with “nutraceuticals” known to have antiviral, antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, immune supportive and immune-stimulating properties, they’re absolutely free and grow abundantly outside your front door. And they’re delicious. From mild and sweet, tart and citrusy to peppery and oniony, wild greens add all kinds of flavour to your everyday meals. […]
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September 29, 2019.Reading time 9 minutes.
One of my favourite herbs is the peppery hot wild mustard and I think it’s peppy flavour pairs perfectly with savoury potatoes and melted cheese – as in this Wild Mustard Tart. The fact that I dribbled the sweet sagey warmth of coastal mugwort infused honey (recipe here) over the top makes it just plain irresistible. […]
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April 11, 2018.Reading time 13 minutes.
Words cannot say how much I love Garlic Mustard. Not just because of its velvety emerald coloured leaves, not because it is one the most versatile nutritious greens you can possibly eat, not because it is one of oldest food plants and possibly the oldest “spice”, and not because its green garlicky aroma fills me […]
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February 24, 2018.Reading time 9 minutes.
Before we get to what’s cooking I want to express my deepest gratitude to our Gather Patreons. Thanks to you we are nearing our funding goal of $1,000.00 and so I’ve been starting to lay the groundwork for the seasonal e-cookbooks I’ve promised y’all. And while I’m wildly grateful and excited to be having such […]
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February 16, 2018.Reading time 5 minutes.
Photo by Yam Magazine: Gather’s Wild Spring Salad. Today I drove up to the University of Victoria Community Garden to check out what was growing. I’m giving a walk there in March focusing on the wild edibles of spring. And by wild I mean the weeds that grow at the fringes of the garden, between […]
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February 11, 2018.Reading time 9 minutes.
Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is a foraging favourite, so it doesn’t need much of an introduction. I probably don’t need to tell you that it has been a beloved spring tonic since time immemorial, or that many consider it the most nutritious of all wild plants, jam packed with vitamins, minerals, even protein. But aside from […]
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December 15, 2017.Reading time 7 minutes.
Picture a patch of grass three feet by three feet beneath you. Then imagine you are a Greek Granny with a basket in hand, who is foraging for the over eighty kinds of wild greens that appear in the hillsides and fields each spring. You fill your basket with the young leaves of dandelions, dock, […]
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October 25, 2017.Reading time 11 minutes.
Every year I fall for a particular plant and start to use it in practically everything. This year I’ve been bewitched by the deep smoky, earthy and sagey flavour of Suksdorf sagewort or coastal mugwort. Of all the mugworts I know, our native suksdorf sagewort has to be one of the most deliciously aromatic -and […]
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September 26, 2017.Reading time 10 minutes.
I just love this cheese! Brimming with vitalizing nutrients and gut healthy probiotics, this beautiful “Boursin” yogurt cheese is not only a show stopper at parties, it’s absolutely delicious, easy to make, inexpensive, and really, really good for you. You can make creamy spreadable version (like cream cheese) which is what I’ve pictured here or […]
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August 30, 2017.Reading time 6 minutes.
It may still be as hot as blazes out there but soon cooler weather and increasing rain will yield a nutrient-rich bounty of returning greens and mushrooms! This creamy & cheesy dish will help you take delicious advantage of both, plus it’s so packed with vitamins, minerals, and critical nutrients, it could be considered a veritable […]
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June 2, 2016.Reading time 7 minutes.
These egg cups were inspired by Jennifer’s upcoming nuptials. Because ever since she and my brother announced their upcoming wedding, the women in the family and invited close friends have been “watching their weight”. Including me. Normally I don’t pay much thought to the extra padding one accumulates around the middle (from consuming too many […]
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March 23, 2016.Reading time 9 minutes.
“A bomb of flavour. Pungent, piquant and powerful all at once.” – Hunter Angler Gardener Cook We’ve been eating kimchi (fermented vegetables) in our family forever. Derived from the Korean word “shimchae” which means “salting of vegetables “ it most commonly features napa cabbage, radish, scallion (or cucumber) garlic, ginger and fiery red-hot pepper as […]
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March 12, 2016.Reading time 8 minutes.
Love gnocchi? Then try Wild Garlic Gnudi! This oh so simple to make, lesser known “naked pasta” is just bursting with flavour, not to mention protein, vitamins, minerals and healing properties. And if you love the green, oniony taste of chives, scallions, and leeks like I do, then Allium vineale, paired with a salty cheesy […]
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January 20, 2016.Reading time 4 minutes.
It was such an unseasonably warm winter up here in the Pacific Northwest that we’ve literally been swimming in wild greens. And while it seems wrong to benefit from the ill-gotten gains of climate change, you still gotta trust mother nature to know what’s right – right? So if she wants me to feast on her […]
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September 16, 2015.Reading time 8 minutes.
Betwixt and between – is how you might describe this time, halfway between late summer and true autumn. This is the time when cooling weather and beginning rains cause the wild greens to regenerate and grow vigorous. This is the time of year when the leaves of plants fill with solar energy as it goes […]
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June 30, 2015.Reading time 10 minutes.
Fresh, vibrant, tangy, zesty, spicy and garlicky are only some of the adjectives used to describe wildcrafted pesto. But how about spell-binding? From dandelion, garlic mustard, sorrel, and lemon balm, these “weeds” and herbs not only have a long magical history, but they can also be transformed into tasty and nutritious sauces, dips and condiments—and […]
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