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Spring: Wild Greens Galore

The spring foraging season is all about the greens! Spring presents us with a cornucopia of delectable wild greens that are both abundant and off-the-charts nutritious. This is a traditional time to integrate wild green foods and juices into meals as a way to cleanse the body after a winter of heavier foods. Depending on your region, look for fresh greens like chickweed (Stellaria media), wintercress (Cardamine spp.), dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), daylily (Hemerocallis fulva), and stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) from January through May.

Fern and Francine Hedgeworthy of Thistlebottom Dell harvesting daylilies from the village hedge

Daylily Greens Garlic Butter Sauté

I anticipate the arrival of daylily greens every year in early spring! They’re fantastic cooked up with little more than butter, garlic, and salt. Note that some people have daylily allergies, so try a small portion the first time, prepared from cooked greens. (Raw daylily is more likely to cause a reaction.) Please read this article for ID tips as it’s easy to confuse many poisonous plants for daylily.

Pecan Feta Wild Greens Pesto

Whirl this pesto together with whatever array of greens is handy to you, and combine them with salty, savory additions like toasted pecans, feta cheese, and tahini. Perfect for keeping in the fridge as a snack; fancy enough to serve as an appetizer course at dinner.

Wild Greens Pâté

Herbal pâté is a thicker, creamier variation on pesto. Made with wild greens, this is one of my all-time favorite condiments (especially when stinging nettles are added to the mix!). I spoon it onto eggs, crackers, veggies, and grain dishes. You can also try this vegan version featuring black walnuts and nutritional yeast from our friend, Asia Suler, of One Willow Apothecaries.-

Wild Greens Bagel-

Wild Greens Bagel

One of my favorite breakfast dishes—a heart-friendly, wild foods/herbal version of the classic toasted bagel. This recipe features violet (Viola spp.) leaves and flowers, plus chickweed greens—which are high in antioxidants, bioflavonoids, and soluble fiber.

Wild Grape Leaf Dolmas by Dina Falconi

I love spicing up traditional dishes with wild foods flair. These dolmas, wrapped up in tender wild grape leaves, are a popular finger food at my house. I especially like to mince dried wild fruits in with more savory ingredients.

Wild Spring Green Tabouli; photo by Danielle Prohom Olson

Wild Spring Greens Tabouli by Gather Victoria

Serve this regional take on classic tabouli as a delicious and mineral-rich side dish, or as the base for a light entrée. (Poached egg and kimchi on top, anyone?)

Summer: Foraged Berries and Blossoms

Summer’s wild foods dishes are loaded with the antioxidant gifts of flowers, mushrooms, and berries. This is hands-down the most colorful season to bring foraged foods to the table. This is also a prime-time window for food and herb preservation. Dry, freeze, jam, ferment, and infuse your extra harvests—your pantry will be a wonder come winter.

Stuffed Daylily Blossoms

Stuffed Daylily Blossoms

These appetizer-sized blooms will likely be the most beautiful dish on any table you set. Colorful, tantalizing, and savory, few will be able to resist their novelty and floral allure. Daylily petals are lightly crunchy and succulent, which pairs well with the creamy filling in this recipe.

Cherry Chipotle Nopales Salsa

Cherry Chipotle Nopales Salsa

This sweet and savory salsa is high in bioflavonoids, with its array of vibrant rainbow colors. Nopales (Opuntia spp., Cactaceae) are an important medicine and traditional food in Mexico, Central America, and the Southwest.

Wild Fruit Ice Cream by Dina Falconi

Homemade ice cream has it all: high-quality creamy sweetness that you can tweak to suit any dietary preference. I personally like using raw cow’s milk (or coconut milk) and local honey when I churn up a batch. Dina’s recipe is perfect for any of summer’s wild berries.

Dark Magic Reishi Truffles by Asia Suler

These chocolate reishi (Ganoderma spp.) truffles are decadent AND loaded with antioxidant, adaptogenic medicine. Reishi mushrooms are gathered in the summer months, but can be dried and saved for making treats any time of the year.

Nettle Seed Salt by Rebecca Altman

I try to always have this condiment on hand. The simple combination of salt, seeds, and lemon is tasty and medicinal; nettle seeds nourish the adrenals and kidneys, and can impart a boost of energy (sans caffeine!).

Nasturtium and Sumac Hot Sauce; photo by Danielle Prohom Olson

Nasturtium & Sumac Hot Sauce by Gather Victoria

Any pantry benefits immensely from a good jar of hot sauce. Even if you yourself do not partake, you’ll be glad you prepared a batch the next time you host Taco Tuesday or set out fixings for the burrito bar.

Dandelion Flower Fritters by Mountain Rose Herbs

This is an old-time classic that every child will be excited to try! I like to serve piping hot dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) fritters alongside a homemade dipping sauce à la plain yogurt blended with lemon juice, garlic, and fresh herbs.

Fall: Wildcrafted Comfort Foods & Drinks

Whereas summer’s harvest is bright and bold, I find the wild foods of fall to be softer, sweeter, and more earthy. This is the season for gathering ripening tree fruits, savory nut meats, edible roots, and sun-browned seeds. Again, this is an abundant time for putting up any foraged surplus to nourish you through the frosty months of winter.

Spiced Hawthorn Pear Persimmon Brandy

A warming, lightly boozy concoction that can be made alcohol-free by substituting apple cider for brandy. This beverage blends some of fall’s tastiest fruits and herbs into a cold season tonic that will have you feeling ready for crisp nights and wood stove fires.

Foraged Chai Masala by Ellen Zachos

This wild chai features spicebush (Lindera benzoin) and juniper (Juniperus spp.) berries, wild ginger roots (Asarum canadense), and spruce needles (Picea spp.). Local, regional, and domestic substitutions are 100% acceptable! According to its creator, this chai is “freakin’ amazing.”

Burdock Root Roast by Colleen Codekas

Burdock root (Arctium lappa, A. minus) is a classic food herb whose flavor is earthy and sweet—somewhat like a carrot or parsnip. This simple recipe really lets burdock shine. Consider switching out the olive oil for other fats that have a higher smoke point (like ghee or coconut oil), and adding more root veggies to the mix—I like carrots and sweet potatoes.

Raw Persimmon Pudding by Wild Abundance

This creamy, raw pudding is one of my favorite fall treats—and it’s so easy to whip up. Make sure the persimmons (Diospyros virginiana) you gather have sweetened up properly; they are extremely high in mouth-puckering tannins until well and fully ripe!

Chanterelle Stuffing with Pine Nuts by Hank Shaw

Stuffing is one of the most comforting foods to put on the table at special fall feasts. Add delicacies like chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius) and pine nuts (Pinus spp.), and you’ve got a masterpiece!

Black Walnut Butter by Woodland Foods

If you’re willing to crack all the nuts needed for this recipe, you’re in for a treat (that’s rich in magnesium). The author doesn’t specify which plant oil to use—I prefer coconut.

Winter: The Wild Feast Continues

Yes, there are wild foods to forage throughout the winter months! Admittedly, I tend to do more foraging in my pantry than in the hedgerows this time of year, but if you know what to look for, you’ll be impressed by the nourishment available during the cold moons. Rosehips (Rosa spp.), edible roots, seaweeds, certain mushrooms, hardy greens, and many conifer needles can be gathered through the hard frosts of winter.

Conifer & Wild Berry Winter Syrup by Gather Victoria

Nothing calls to mind the sweetness of winter like the comforting aroma of evergreens. Conifer needles can be stirred into a decadent spread of recipes, including this vitamin C-rich syrup. Take by the spoonful, or drizzle over yogurt or cream.

Juniper Berry Sauerkraut; photo by Miss Wondersmith

Sauerkraut with Juniper Berries by The Wondersmith

I consider sauerkraut to be a year-round staple, but I especially appreciate its probiotic benefits in winter when my diet tends to be heavier. Juniper “berries” (Juniperus spp.) are a traditional addition to krauts, and I love the piney flavor they impart. Gather in late fall to early winter—use fresh or dried.

Herbal Bone Broth by Ritual Kitchen

Another winter essential. Bone broth (or veggie broth) can be amped up with the addition of herbs. This recipe offers up plenty of possibilities, from nettles to rosehips to burdock roots.

Rose Hip & Cranberry Compote by Rosalee de la Forêt

Vitamin C is strengthening to the immune system, and this recipe is loaded with it! Take care with foraged rose hips: they need to be split and de-seeded before they can be eaten as food (tiny hairs that irritate the throat surround the seeds). They can be used whole when taken as tea.

Oyster Mushroom Udon Soup by Fat of the Land

Winter is soup season! Various species of oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) fruit throughout the year, and I’ve collected many nice harvests in the heart of winter. You can also rehydrate dried mushrooms for this recipe.

Homemade Maple Syrup by Wild Abundance

Maple syrup is made from the sap of sugar maple trees (Acer saccharum). Don’t have any near you? Other trees can be tapped, including hickory (Carya spp.), birch (Betula spp.), walnut (Juglans spp.), and other species of maple (Acer spp.).

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Hungry for more?

These recipes are just an amuse-bouche at the wild foods feast served up by Mother Earth. Visit the following resources we’ve whipped up for more inspiration: