Eating in the Wild

Ask me how I've been spending some of my free time this fall and you're likely to hear everything from picking grapes in a ditch to cleaning my kitchen after canning wild cherry syrup. That's because fall is one of the best times of the year for gathering and processing wild edibles and, this year, my fascination with them has been rekindled by a dear friend. Week after week, we gather and sample different types of nature's bounty.

Early in the season, mulberries find their way into breads, cakes and other wonderful desserts. Later, the discovery of a few high quality wild black cherry trees leads to a thick syrup that loves to be paired with everything from pancakes to ice cream. Wild grapes that hang densely on the vine are transformed into canned grape juice concentrate to be reconstituted as grape juice, grape syrup and even wine. Nuts from hickory, oak and walnut trees are sought in the later season -- although our dry spell has made them few and far between. Various types of sumac can be used to make everything from tea to lemonade. Even things like the pollen of cattails can be used like flour in baking recipes. It's amazing what you find when you arm yourself with a good wild edibles field guide and a little time in the great outdoors! (By the way, a field guide is a must -- safety and sanity require it. I highly recommend A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants.)

Now you might be wondering where one can find all of these goodies. No doubt it may seem like you'd need to live in the country or be hiking along some long-forgotten trail in the woods. However, nearly everything I've gathered can be found along the roadside, in abandoned lots or tucked in areas of low brush or small out-croppings of trees and bushes. To start you out on a wild edible adventure, I'm offering you a recipe that's chock full of just that. However, you can easily mix and match grocery store standbys for any of the ingredients that you are unable to find in the great outdoors. Enjoy!