Category: Recipes

Wild Black Sage + Turkey Tail Mushroom Tonic

May 2nd, 2019

One of my favorite pairings of local wild flavors is the complex minty aroma of black sage (Salvia mellifera) with the rich heaviness of cacao. Its been a crowd-pleaser in my black sage truffles from last year, but I wasn’t in the mood for a heavy chocolate dessert. Instead, I opted to infuse some freshly dried black sage into my daily mushroom tonic routine.

This could absolutely be modified depending on what species of sage you have available… even mint would be a refreshing and uplifting substitute. See below recipe for health benefits of black sage and turkey tail mushrooms.

Wild Black Sage + Mushroom Tonic Recipe

Ingredients:
Handful of dried black sage leaves
1 cup of milk (I used macadamia nut milk)
1 tablespoon of cacao powder (I really like to use my Mushroom Tonic here for added benefits)
1 teaspoon of concentrated Turkey Tail mushroom powdered extract
Sweetener of choice (my choice is a few drops of stevia extract)

Process:
Combine the sage leaves and milk into a pot and simmer on medium low for 5-10 minutes, not allowing it to come to a boil.
Strain the leaves from the milk and compost.
Combine warm infused milk with remaining ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Black Sage health benefits
Much like other mint family plants, black sage is rich in rosmarinic acid and flavonoids that are known for their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. This plant is helpful for the respiratory tract during colds and flu, and can be a “savior” as its genus name Salvia implies, for sore throats when used as a gargle. Its close relative, garden sage, has been researched and found to enhance cognitive activity and protect against neurodegenerative disease.

Turkey Tail mushroom health benefits
This common forest mushroom that grows on dead and decaying trees has been studied the most studied fungi for its anti-cancer, anti-fungal and anti-viral (herpes, HIV, chronic fatigue syndrome) properties. Pharmacetuical extracts of the fungus known as PSP and PSK are used in cancer treatment and has shown efficacy against stomach, colorectal, lung, esophageal, nasopharyngeal, breast and cervical/uterine cancers. It is also used to help reduce the harmful effects of chemotherapy and boost the immune system with regular consumption.
Wild Nettle Soup (vegan)

April 5th, 2018

Welcoming springtime also means the onset of weed season. While many reach for their choice of mass plant destruction (with herbicides being of greatest concern), there are gentler and more sustainable ways to manage the green overgrowth in our yards and public spaces.

Many of our wild plants that find their way into our gardens and every crack and crevice in the concrete are full of nutritional and even medicinal benefits. For example, the ever resilient dandelion is an excellent blood cleanser and liver detoxifier while also being a fantastic source of vitamin K, A, potassium, calcium, iron and rich with antioxidants.

One never forgets stinging nettle once they encounter it as it brushes against bare skin. This prickly annual green has 2-3 times more nutritional value than either spinach or kale, which are considered some of our top green superfoods. It can be made into many foods most especially soups and pestos.

My yard has a small patch of it, everywhere else there is mallow and sow thistle… maybe a few dandelions. As I wander our country neighborhood, I notice that other folks had a bit more luck as I would call it. My introverted self hesitates to knock on someone’s door to ask if I can harvest their weeds… sure to be met with an awkward silence and then the stuttering of explaining myself. So alternately, I posted on our local social media (NextDoor… have you heard of it? Pretty handy for us shy introverts who want the inside scoop for neighborhood going-on’s.) My intriguing post started off with “Got weeds..?” and then inquired more about nettle and how to identify it. Quickly I received responses such as “why in the world I would want such a nasty plant” and “please!!! take as much as you want!!” Therefore, an opening to introduce myself and my work appeared to a whole new audience… Hint to herbalists and foragers: don’t be afraid to hit up your neighbors for unsuspecting herbs and wild edibles! Because chances are, you’ll definitely make some new friends. You get local free food/medicine, they get their yards weeded. Its a win-win.

Medicinal Uses of Nettle:

Nettle leaf is a potent revitalizing and nourishing diuretic herb, helpful in situations affecting the urinary tract and adrenals. It assists in reducing excess mucus such as with hay fever or seasonal allergies. When treating allergies with nettle, it is best to start treating with fresh nettle tincture or freeze-dried capsules a month or so before the onset of allergy season. Topically, the fresh plant can be used intentionally to sting the skin surrounding an arthritic or painful joint or area in need of healing.

I tried many different nettle soup recipes this season and came up with my own version that I was rather happy with. If you try it, I’d love to hear your feedback!

Wild Nettle Soup Recipe (vegan)

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons oil (I prefer avocado or coconut oil for their health benefits)
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic (or more if you’re a garlic aficionado like myself!)
1 quart vegetable stock
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Cayenne to taste
Salt to taste
1 large red potato, diced
1 pound nettles, blanched
1/2 cup cashews, soaked for 1-2 hours, but not necessary

Instructions:
1. Cook onions in oil until soft and translucent in a large soup pot. Add garlic, thyme and cayenne, cook briefly another minute or so.
2. Add the stock, salt, potatoes and nettles. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 15-20 minutes until nettles and potatoes are tender.
3. Adjust spices and salt to taste.
4. Add cashews.
5. Transfer to a high speed blender and blend, in batches if necessary until smooth. If you want a super silky soup, you can strain through a fine mesh strainer.
6. Transfer back to soup pot and warm until ready to serve.
Fermented Raw Nut Cheese & Wild Spices

September 16th, 2017

Shelling Pinyon Pine Nuts

My fermented raw nut cheeses have been quite a crowd pleaser (for vegans and non-vegans alike, which is a total win!) and with so many requests for the recipe and process, here it is! My first go at this I used some wild harvested pinyon pine nuts which, let me tell you, was the most laborious adventure I’ve encountered yet. Those things are challenging to shell by hand… especially when you need TWO cups full. Ok, if I didn’t live in the modern world, that would just be life and that’s how you eat.

Here’s the process… and you can replace the cashews/pine nuts with your nut or seed of choice, such as almond, pumpkin or sunflower seed, macadamia, walnut, etc. One of my favorite things about gourmet raw food recipes is that they are so flexible so that modify to your taste or the seasons! If you’re a forager, by all means, try it with pinyon pine nuts… the flavor is incomparable!

Fermented Cashew & Pine Nut Garlic Cheese with Wild Sage Spices

1 cup pine nuts
1 cup cashews
2 cloves of garlic
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup spring water
2 tablespoons avocado oil (or substitute your favorite oil)
Probiotic powder or water kefir
Salt to taste

Wild Sage Spices

1 tsp dried white sage
1 tsp dried black sage
2 tsp dried garlic
Salt to taste

Soak the nuts in filtered or spring water for 2-3 hours. Drain and rinse.

Combine all the ingredients for the cheese in a food processor, but ideally a high speed blender will achieve a beautiful, silky smooth texture. Adjust salt if needed.

Next, drain the cheese. Use a cheesecloth to line a colander that fits inside of a bowl to catch the liquid and pour the cheese into the cheesecloth and cover. The excess liquid will seep through the cloth in order to create a thicker, more solid cheese.

Allow this to sit in a warm area for about 2 days in order to ferment. Transfer to the fridge on day 3. On day 4, transfer to a plate and dehydrate (or put into a low temp oven) for a few hours in order to form a nice crust.

Mix ingredients of spice blend with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Sprinkle on top of cheese and enjoy with crisp raw veggies or crackers. Yum!
Prickly Pear Mead [Recipe]

September 7th, 2017

Probably one of the most delicious fermented brews that I’ve enjoyed is Prickly Pear mead. Okay, maybe technically its called a “melomel” because it is fermented honey and fruit. But, technicalities aside, with prickly pear fruit in season now, its a great time to make use of this delicious abundant native fruit here in Southern California (and throughout the United States and Mexico).

The process of creating this beautifully hued indulgence is pretty easy, but remember that sanitation is crucial. You don’t want any harmful critters growing in your brew.

Prickly Pear Mead/Melomel

A Note About Equipment: You will need a fermenting vessel. I used a 5 gallon carboy from my local homebrew shop. An airlock is quite helpful. While making mead is probably one of the oldest practices of beverage brewing, sanitation is very important. Be sure to thoroughly wash all equipment that comes in contact with your brew. Some people recommend sanitizing with bleach, but I find that hot soapy water works just fine.

Ingredients for 5 gallons:

20 lbs. raw unfiltered local honey (I used black sage honey)
6lbs. prickly pear fruits
2.5 gallons spring water
Pectin enzyme (see notes below)

Process:

First things first… HOW do you get past those evil spines and glochids (the irritating hairlike spines) to use these delectably sweet little treasures? When harvesting, you can use a small broom or brush to vigorously brush away the spines which is quite effective. Also, rolling them around on the ground can be helpful too.

However, I’m all about saving time and energy when possible, so, these were harvested with tongs and tossed in a bag and stored in the freezer. When it was time to juice them, I put them in a large bowl and allowed to defrost. As they came to room temp, I used a potato masher to mush them up a bit and then poured off the juice through a strainer into a jar.

Prickly pear will lose its flavor if boiled, and many recipes will suggest boiling for 30 min or more, but I’m not about to risk losing this incredible flavor. In order to pasteurize the juice, I put it into a pot with the water and simmered at about 160° for 15 minutes or so. (Next time I’m considering just using raw juice…?) Once, cooled, I added the raw honey (it must be raw because that’s where you get your natural wild yeast!) and mixed it well. I poured this into the 5 gallon carboy and attached the airlock.

* From what I’m learning, since prickly pear is high in pectin (which is why it makes a fantastic jelly like my mom makes), it will need a pectin enzyme in order to clear later on in the process. I’m still experimenting with this and will update this post when I have more information, but ideally, I’d like to keep this brew as natural and “wild” as possible.

Within a few hours or so, the brew was ferociously fermenting—the airlock giving off a CO2 bubble every few seconds! This will ferment for at least 6 months and then can be fermented again, or, just enjoyed at any point along the way.

Fermenting is a journey and there are no hard-fast rules. Sometimes there are happy accidents, sometimes you get to feed your compost pile with a stinky mess, OR, you end up with an awesome concoction that your friends and family will honor you for.

Happy fermenting! 😀
Pickled Purslane

September 4th, 2017

I love it that people call me up and invite me to inspect their overgrown yards to search for lunch! There’s always SOMETHING edible growing… even through the crevices of the sidewalks. Here was a yard full of some of the most succulent and dense purslane and dandelion that I’ve seen in a while. In fact, it was the most green ANYTHING I had seen in a while here in the late summer of Southern California as we battle this unrelenting heat wave.

Purslane is an excellent plant source to get your omega 3s, especially if you don’t care for fish (like myself). It contains more than twice the amount of omega-3s than any other leafy green, including kale. It’s also loaded with protein, calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, folate and vitamin A, C and E.

A closer look at the nutritional profile of purslane:

20 kcal
2g protein
3g carbohydrates
65g calcium
2g iron
68g magnesium
494g potassium
1,320g vitamin A
21g vitamin C
13.10g vitamin E
383g omega-3

What’s up with these Omega-3’s??
Omega-3’s are an essential fatty acid that our bodies need in contrast to the abundant Omega-6’s that are found heavily in the standard American diet (think seeds, processed oils and fats). These necessary fats are crucial for their role in eye, skin, and nervous system growth and maintenance. Omega-3s are anti-inflammatory, lower HDL cholesterol and triglycerides, reducing many factors of heart disease. The body needs a healthy balance of both 3’s and 6’s to function properly and other rich sources of omega-3s can be found in kale and wild greens as well such as shepherd’s purse and spiny sow thistle.

How to Prepare Purslane

These rich green leaves are thick and succulent with a very mild and pleasant flavor. They have a high water content and don’t wilt too quickly so that they’re still in good shape when you get home from harvesting… much unlike dandelion greens which are usually pitifully limp and wilted at that point.

Their interesting three dimensional structure makes for an unusual element when eaten raw in salads, but can also be cooked and sauteed much like any other green. Consider replacing the spinach, kale or other cultivated greens with purslane in any recipe. The stems can be rather thick, creating a crunchy and textural element that could be used in many other ways. They are especially wonderful when fermented, either pickled alone with some flavorful spices or added to a sauerkraut. I prefer simpler and less complicated recipes when I’m preparing foods, so here’s an easy way to create a basic fermented food using an unusual ingredient, but definitely room for experimentation.

Pickled Purslane Stems

2 lbs purslane stems
5-8 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp red chili pepper flakes
6 cups of water
3 tablespoons non-iodized salt

Thoroughly clean a large container with hot water and soap.
Wash the purslane well and drain, pull the leaves from the stems and save for use later, or munch on them as you work! The leaves will keep well in the fridge for a few days and are convenient to add to other dishes .

Mix together the stems along with the garlic (whole or chopped), and red chili and pack into jar. Create the brine by combining the water and salt until the salt is completely dissolved. Pour the brine over the stems, ensuring there is at least 1/2 inch of brine at the top.

Allow to ferment for at least 4-5 days. Taste test along the way to find the length of time that tastes best to you!
Toyon Berries: A sign of the season

December 23rd, 2016

I’ve been fascinated by this little berry for a few years now. Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) is a California native shrub in the rose family that bears fruit during the winter months, most notably around Christmas time. They were used by the native Chumash tribes as food, but after a bit of research, I have not found any spectacular nutritional or medicinal information for them. There is one study speculating that these berries contain specific compounds that may be effective against Alzheimer’s disease.

So, what to do with them? They grow quite abundantly around here and I can tolerate a few as a quick trail snack, but their strong astringent and bland taste leaves a lot to be desired. In order to draw out the sweet, tart, and cherry like flavor and overall palatability, they need to be dried or cooked. I took some time to harvest plenty this year so that I could try out a few experiments. The web didn’t reveal many exciting recipes except a cider and a fruit leather. Neither one seemed too exciting.

First, was to clean and dry them in the dehydrator. Dried, they look quite a bit like goji berries. And the flavor is a bit reminiscent of them as well. Once dried, I took a bit and used the spice grinder to reduce them into a powder/flour. I took a taste of the powder and it was amazing! I could probably just eat it straight like that.

I tried the cider recipe I found online and… it was quite disappointing, unfortunately. Which is fine, I had other ideas.

If you know me, I have a thing for raw foods (one of these days I’ll get to writing a post about that too). When possible, I make an effort (or lack of effort??) to consume foods in their most natural and raw state. A lot of wild foods taste and are digested better when cooked so my modern theories get tested and challenged quite often. But, when I find an opportunity to create something raw from a foraged food, I get pretty excited. One of my favorite seeds to eat are chia seeds and they are quite versatile to use in a variety of foods. They combine well with fruits and sweets as well.

So…. I made some very simple raw chia + toyon bars. Potentially, you could forage the chia seeds to make this a completely wild harvested snack, but today’s chia was foraged from the local Whole Foods. Unfortunately I did not measure out my ingredients when I did this (its a bad habit I’ve gotten into). However, here’s my best guess:

foraged toyon + chia bars

1/4 cup toyon finely ground toyon flour (from previously dried berries)
2 tablespoons chia seed
1 tablespoon water
(optional: honey or other sweetener)

Mix all ingredients well until it forms a thick, dense dough. Shape into bars and place on dehydrator sheet. Dry until desired texture. Less time and its still soft like a cookie and more time it will be a bit crunchier.

I was very pleased at the results. It was naturally sweet and a bit tangy/tart, but I felt that it didn’t need any extra sweetness. Of course, you could add pureed dates or honey to give it a natural boost of sugar, but I try to keep my sugar intake low these days.

The dried berries are also delightful when added to a granola… here is my chia and hemp seed cereal with apples, pumpkin seeds, cacao nibs and toyon berries on top. I’ll definitely be making more of the bars soon because it is so ridiculously easy. Well, compared to processing acorns which was my last project, yes, this was drastically less labor intensive.

If you are local, join me at the monthly Forager’s Gathering event on January 22 and I will have some for everyone to sample! See the facebook event page for more details.
Gratitude, Harvest & Jojoba

November 24th, 2016

It’s that time of year when the northern hemisphere begins to slow down, contract, and rest. An ideal time to reflect and take in all that has happened throughout the year. The celebration of death during Halloween swallowed up all that no longer serves us, transforming that energy into the seeds of something new for the coming cycle. Taking a bit of time to pause and be grateful for everything that has come our way or moved on, leaving us in this moment with just what we need. Nothing more and nothing less.

I’m here in Arizona, just north of Phoenix, visiting my parents, enjoying the dryness and subtle energies of the desert. With access to a decent amount of land here, I’ve been exploring what is available and ready to be harvested. I have found an abundance of jojoba nuts, even though they are slightly past their season.

Jojoba, Simmondsia chinensis, is a native perennial shrub found in the Sonoran desert throughout southern Arizona, southern California and northwestern Mexico, bearing nuts somewhat resembling little acorns. These nuts are a rich source of a prized oil that is commonly used in cosmetics and have been used in native traditions for quite some time. Despite their decent size and abundance, from my research, they weren’t necessarily used as a food source by indigenous people, most likely because of their high content of tannins. However, I did learn about making them into a coffee-like beverage.

So after gathering a few handfuls of what was left on the bushes that I encountered, I shelled them and roasted them for thirty minutes at about 300 degrees. After cooling, ground them into a somewhat coarse powder. The oils quickly made it into a thick meal that easily sticks together.

I combined about a teaspoon of the powdered jojoba to a cup of hot water and let it steep as I would a tea for about 10 minutes and then strained. The resulting beverage definitely had a coffee aroma and taste, however much lighter and quite delicious.

Thank you for reading, I appreciate your support and feedback. For a great resource on plants in the Southwest region, be sure to check out John Slattery’s book on Southwest Foraging.

Have a wonderful season of gratitude and abundance.

~Jess

References:

E. Barrie Kavasch. (2013). Native Harvests: American Indian Wild Foods and Recipes. Courier Corporation.

D.J. Undersander, E.A. Oelke, A.R. Kaminski, J.D. Doll, D.H. Putnam, S.M. Combs, and C.V. Hanson. (1990). Jojoba. Alternative Field Crops Manual. Retrieved from: https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/jojoba.html. ^.

Slattery, J. (2016). Southwest Foraging: 117 Wild and Flavorful Edibles from Barrel Cactus to Wild Oregano (Regional Foraging Series). Timber Press.
Prickly Pear Foraging &…Ice Cream!

August 18th, 2016

Just look at all those evil microscopic spines…Ready to cause pain and suffering for hours.

Last week I spent some time in Arizona visiting my family while taking some time to get rebalanced and find my center again. Going home is always good for that, right? And what better way to do that than in the enchanting desert full of radiant sunsets, captivating monsoon storms and the intense, relentless heat. It’s kinda like a week-long session of hot yoga.

It has been a while since I’ve experimented and worked with plants and herbs. It seems that the drama has been all-consuming lately, just trying to get back on my feet and function has taken up all of my energy for the last few months. The plants have taken a bit of a backseat while I work through all of this, but I know they are patiently, and maybe even eagerly, awaiting my return.

My mom has been making jelly from the prickly pear cactus fruits for many years. It is always a hit, especially as gifts and such during the holidays. I don’t eat much sugar in my diet and I’ve seen how much white sugar goes into this stuff so I have always wanted to find other ways to enjoy the fruit in a fun and creative way.

With a bit of inspiration from Mom, I decided to experiment with a Prickly Pear ice cream. Of course, if you know me, its going to be a dairy-free, organic, low sugar and raw vegan version!

First, a little more about these delicious cactus… Prickly pear, also known as Indian fig opuntia, Barbary fig, cactus pear, Opuntia ficus-indica are well adapted to dry and arid environments. The flavor of the O. ficus-indica is known to have a similar sweet taste to that of a watermelon which translates to its excellent use in jams and jellies. Indigenous people have been using this cactus as a food and other functional uses for centuries but it also has medicinal properties as well. Recent studies have found that the fruits and flesh of the O. ficus-indica have significant amounts of vitamin C and substantial anti-oxidant properties. One study determined that the vitamin C obtained from the cactus fruit decreased damage to lipids while simultaneously improving antioxidant effects and the body’s redox balance (1), compared to vitamin C supplements which do not decrease the body’s oxidative stress. In other words, you’re better off getting your vitamins from whole foods than popping a multi-vitamin. Although further studies are needed, it was also found that the Arizona cactus pear exhibited anti-cancer properties and prohibited cancer cell growth (2).

Now, on to the exciting and delicious part…Begin by harvesting your fruits using kitchen tongs or other suitable tools, carefully avoiding the spines. Here’s my mom and oldest daughter getting to work in the front yard.

Using kitchen tongs to collect the prickly pear fruit of O. ficus-indica

First things first though, how can you possibly get past those maddening, nearly invisible spines known as glochids? One way is to hold them over a flame such as a campfire or a gas stove burner. In my case last week, however, my dad decided that a huge gas torch from the garage would do the job best. It certainly removed the spines nicely! Nevertheless, I’m sure any sort of flame would be just fine. 🙂

Once the glochids are thoroughly burned off, you can now handle these once offensive fruits much easier. (Though, I won’t promise that there will not be a stray glochid that will lodge itself in your skin and irritate you for hours, its just the risk we take for delicious wild food!) Slice them open and you’ll find a mass of rock hard seeds. These must be separated or you’ll likely chip a tooth trying to eat them, although they are edible if you were to grind them to a powder. Scoop out the flesh and seeds and place into a blender or food processor. Blend for about a minute then separate the seeds by pouring through a fine mesh strainer.

Now you have your prickly pear juice ready for your recipe! I know there are many other ways to process these cactus fruits, but I am a strong advocate for minimally processing whole foods and consuming them in their raw and natural state. So many nutrients are lost during the heating and cooking process so I prefer not to do so whenever possible. More on that in another post!

Prickly Pear Raw Vegan Ice Cream

1.5 cups prickly pear juice (see processing tips above)
1 cup unsweetened coconut yogurt
2 cups cashews (soaked for 1-2 hours, preferably)1/4-1/3 cup coconut nectar or honey (or for sugar free, I like to use stevia extract)
dash of salt

Combine all ingredients into a high speed blender, such as a Vitamix. Be sure to taste-test it at this point and adjust the sweetness according to your preference. Though, keeping in mind that once frozen, it won’t taste quite as sweet as it does at this point. Place into a commercial ice cream maker and follow the manufacturers directions. Alternatively, it can be placed in the freezer for a few hours, but won’t have the same texture and fluffiness of ice cream.

I had rave reviews from everyone who tried it. I feel like the flavor was lost a little, but it sure presented beautifully with its bright color. Besides, who can turn down a good healthy dose of vitamin C and antioxidants with their ice cream?

References:

(1) Tesoriere T, Butera D, Pintaudi AM, Allegra M, Livrea MA. Supplementation with cactus pear fruit decreases antioxidative stress in healthy humans: a comparative study with vitamin C. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004;80(2):391–395.

(2) Zou D, Brewer M, Garcia F, et al. Cactus pear: a natural product in cancer chemoprevention. Nutrition Journal. 2005;4:25. doi:10.1186/1475-2891-4-25.