Fall is officially upon us and its bounty beckons us to fields, wood edges and forests bursting with edible wonders! This time of year is always a mad scramble to capture the incredible amount of wild foods that are at prime before winter makes an unwelcome appearance.
The first half of August has been an absolute bolete bonanza! Kings, Summer Ceps, Porcini, Bicolors, Bouillons and Painted Boletes (just to name a few) are covering forest floors. A change to cooler nighttime temperatures have also encouraged numerous fall mushrooms to begin fruiting earlier than normal.
Chicken of the woods scampi is on the menu for me tonight. One of my favorite ways to enjoy this beautiful wild mushroom, it’s an easy dish that will have your guests begging for more.
This week’s downpours are sure to urge a wider variety of mushrooms to begin fruiting over the next few weeks. Chanterelles, Black Trumpets, King Bolete’s and Milk Caps all favor wet conditions and should make for some great finds in August. Soon, elderberries will begin ripening along with wild cherries. Sumac, wild mustard, sweet fern and bay leaf all beckon, ready to be made into delicious seasoning mixes.
My hands have been permanently stained all week, alternating between bright yellow from the pollen coated elderflowers in full bloom to deep purple from ripe, juicy mulberries. And, my cupboards have reached maximum capacity, with over 200 jars of canned jams, jellies, sauerkrauts and pickled delights.
June truly is a forager’s paradise! As lilacs and magnolias die back, new edible flowers welcome warmer temperatures with their sweet smelling blooms, including black locust (pictured above), elderflower, dame’s rocket, beach rose and linden. Seasonings and herbs like peppergrasses and mints beg to be added to salads, pickles and wild crafted cocktails or mocktails. And salt marshes explode with succulent, salty treasures including samphire. orache, sea beans and beach peas.
For the first time this year, I’ll be offering an exclusive forage followed by all things ramp tasting on May 2 in Framingham. The season’s first forage and wild food picnic on May 23 in Lynn will also feature a heavy dose of ramp dishes.
Early spring features numerous delicious wild greens and herbs like garlic mustard, spring onions, alehoof, mugwort, sorrel, and box elder. Tasty tubers are also prime for picking, from day lilies and burdock to Jerusalem artichokes. And the first edible flowers like dandelion, violets and magnolia brighten landscapes and dinner plates.
In fields, crab apples are begging to be picked and jammed, baked or made into vinegar, Kousa Dogwood fruits are ripening and black walnuts are causing mild concussions to unaware passersby. Many spring plants are rejuvenated by fall’s cooler temperatures and begin sprouting again – garlic mustard, wintercress, bittercress, dandelions, field onions and nettles urge our bodies to eat more greens before the winter freeze.
Fall is here! School is back in session. The sun is setting an hour earlier. And night time temperatures have dropped by double digits, signifying the beginning of a new foraging season. September is a true bounty of fantastic wild foods.