BLOGS

Osoberry (Oemleria cerasiformis) is a native coastal berry shaped like a small deep purple plum. They are perfect in recipes for shrubs or vinegar syrups which are made with very ripe fruit. Add a soda water if you want a non-alcoholic version or Prosecco if you want to start the party. One really neat First…

A lot of guests on my wildcrafting tours in Vancouver have been asking me to put together a seasonal foraging chart to tell them what wild plants to pick in which month. So here you are:) To come out on a foraging instructional field trip with our guides or join one of our online foraging…

If you think someone may have eaten a poisonous mushroom: stay calm. In British Columbia, call the 24h hotline of DPIC (Drug and Poison Information Center) at 604-682-5050 or 1-800-567-8911, and contact your physician or local health care provider. Elsewhere, search for your local poison information center. Make a note of where the mushroom was…

I love wild twists on old favourite recipes, this one is spectacular. This recipe was passed on to me from my friend Chef Eddy. The original recipe was radicchio marmalade from Cin Cin Restaurant in Vancouver. Our twist is to use foraged dandelion greens and flowers instead of radicchio. Serve with duck or on buttered…

This is a great recipe for any wild mushrooms that you find from chanterelles to wild oyster mushrooms. It’s particularly great with morel mushrooms too. And it’s vegetarian of course:) The recipe I make isn’t true ratatouille really because I add the ricotta, you can make it without the ricotta mixture but you’ll be missing…

Wild oyster mushroom growing on alder wood in BC in Spring… the hunting begins:) Notice the fine gills that run down the stem and how the mushrooms don’t have much of a stem, these are defining traits of Pleurotus ostreatus.

One of the most delicious spring treats, chocolate cake with wildflowers, specifically flowering currant in my area (Vancouver, BC). Ribes sanguineum is one of the most fragrant sweet, sage like blossom and is great in sweet as well as savoury cooking. This recipe is so quick and easy it will boggle your mind. Substitute fresh…

I love salty crispy fish skin, but it’s so easy to mess this step up.  Here are foolproof tips for frying the perfect fish.  Trout is a good fish to experiment with as it’s affordable and a fairly thin fillet, so the skin is all important. The key is pre-seasoning your pan: Get a stainless-steel…

What is Falernum? It’s a tropical liqueur originally from the Caribbean that is used in Tiki cocktails. It’s base ingredients are lime peel, cloves, ginger, almonds and sometimes allspice and it’s delicious. I made a variation of this recipe for my 2020 Tiki event to serve at the jungle location (cocktail recipe listed under the…

I first tasted this delicious soup in Chiang-mai, Thailand and fell in love. The recipe below is from Chef Lin (Panphailin Puntira) who runs Love Chiang Mai cooking school and was my amazing teacher on several trips to the area. My favourite version of this soup features wild local mushrooms. In Thailand (Late October) pickers…

For your food loving friends or family, any of our unique culinary experiences can be presented as a gift. You can choose a specific food experience like our mushroom trips, online foraging courses, secret suppers or get a general Swallow Tail Culinary Adventures gift certificate for any amount and let them choose their own fantastic…

Witches butter is an edible wild fungi. Nutritionally, it is made up of polysaccarides (carbohydrates) and is being studied for it’s immune boosting properties. If you get stuck out in the forest it’s one of the few edible mushrooms that can be eaten raw. Always grows on dead wood and is commonly called a ‘jelly…