foraging

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…

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…

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…

Sea lettuce – (Ulva lactuca) – This bright green seaweed grows in thin sheets in the mid-intertidal zone, so it’s easy to pick at low tide.  A very clean tasting seaweed, not fishy, great in seaweed salad or add to ramen, congee or risotto for a colourful note of the sea.  Great firm texture.  Can…

Chaga (Inonotus obliquus ) is a superfood aptly named the ‘gold’ of the forest. Find it growing on older, dead or dying birch trees in BC.  It’s a wild mushroom that’s as hard as a rock, but can be smashed into small particles to make into tea. This is an ancient medicine used by cultures…

Furikake I love harvesting bull kelp, it makes a salty snack with tons of umami. Here are some tips to harvesting your own and one of my recipes for using the blades of the seaweed. Harvest some bull kelp blades, rinse them and dry roast them in the oven at 150F till just brown (er)…

Geoduck are called the king of clams for a reason. When they are eaten raw and fresh from the sea they have an almost crunchy texture and have a briny and slightly sweet flavour. These big beauties are the laughing stock of the sea, but amazingly can go for $60/lb. If you on the Pacific…

Many of us love berry picking around Vancouver. Blackberries, huckleberries, salmonberries, thimbleberries, raspberries there are so many in summer it can be quite exciting for people like me that love a free lunch. Here is a list of some common berries that you may find alongside the edible ones. Twinberry (Loricera involutcrata) – Mildly toxic…

There are hundreds of species of bamboo, all of which are edible. Some are better than others, many species only grow tough, bitter shoots, which must be cooked for a long time to be edible. Black bamboo (Phyllostachys nigra) grows well in our lower mainland (BC) climate and is very tasty, just make sure you…