uvlocalvores : field notes

Monday, May 5th was a beautiful day for foraging with Jim Merkel at Kye Cochran’s farm in West Hartford, VT. Her wetlands, meadow, woodland and neighbors’ hillside offered dandelions, stinging nettles, yellow and curly dock, plantain, violets, burdock, marsh marigolds, fiddleheads and wild leeks. We were treated to a chorus of peepers and spotted a foraging moose. We learned identification, nutrition and medicinal qualities of local plants, gathered our meal and prepared a feast. Our salad of dandelion, plantain, violet leaves, and wild leeks was delicious. There were many cooked greens, fiddleheads, a soup, dandelion quiche, mint and strawberry leaf teas, and yummy whole wheat bread and rolls made by Kye. A wonderful cooperative effort! Thanks to Jim for sharing his knowledge, to Kye for sharing her wonderful property and her kitchen, and to Rachel Strohm for sharing the following photos! Thanks also to all the foragers who joined in so enthusiastically!

Here’s a good dressing for a wild edibles salad; the sweetness of the dressing is a good accompaniment to the tang of the greens.

Maple Vinaigrette Dressing
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1 teaspoon dry mustard
one-half teaspoon dried basil
one-quarter cup apple cider vinegar(UVFCo-op carries local cider vinegar)
one-third cup local maple syrup (I used Grade B)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
a little ground pepper

Put all but olive oil in a jar, put lid on and shake it. Add olive oil and shake. Refrigerated, the dressing will keep for several weeks (unless you make a habit of delicious salads such as last night’s, in which case you will use up the dressing long before the expiration date!)
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Here’s a basic recipe for quiche from “Laurel’s Kitchen” cookbook. It can be used for making Dandelion-Onion Quiche. (And for many other veggies as well.)

“Laurel’s Kitchen” Quiche
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3 local eggs, slightly beaten
1 3/4 (1 and three-quarters) cups warm local milk
one-half teaspoon salt
pinch pepper
pinch nutmeg
three-quarter cup grated local cheese

one cup cooked vegetables

uncooked 9-inch pie crust
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine eggs, warm milk, salt and pepper, and cooked veggies. Spread the cheese evenly in the bottom of pie shell and pour milk/egg/veggie mixture over it. Sprinkle with nutmeg and dot with butter (I forgot to dot with butter so it would appear to be unnecessary.) Place pie on a cookie sheet. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until set. If the middle is not quite set, don’t worry; quiche needs to stand 10 minutes before serving and should be firm after that.

For the Dandelion-Onion Quiche chop an onion or some wild leek and saute in olive oil or butter for a bit then added the chopped dandelion. Add some salt, pepper and nutmeg and cook until the dandelion seems ready (you’ll want a cup of cooked dandelion-onion mixture) , then add the veggies to the milk/egg mixture. For cheese, I used a combination of Grafton Cheddar and Neighborly Farms cheddar with green onion.

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Here are some ideas and recipes (*starred items) for those wondering what’s a Localvore to eat for breakfast in January.

Breakfast:

Eggs and homefries
Cheddar Omelet or Souffle*
Farmers Diner Sausage and Bacon
Stonewall Farm Sausage
Trukenbrod Whole Wheat Toast
Pancakes: potato*, apple, squash/ pumpkin or cornmeal* pancakes
Cream of Cornmeal Hot Cereal*
Butterworks Oatmeal
Wheat Berry Porridge
Egg, Potato and Onion Frittata (Spanish Tortilla)
Butterworks Maple Yogurt and local apples
Cornbread
Hot Apple Cider

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*Cream of Cornmeal Hot Cereal

( Water can be used instead of milk or a combination of the two.)

1 cup milk to 1/4 cup local cornmeal equals one serving

Directions:
Heat the milk almost to the boiling point. Add cornmeal and stir for several minutes. Add a sprinkle of salt if desired. Reduce heat and cover pan with lid. Simmer on lowest heat for about 5 minutes until it thickens and reaches the consistency you like. Add a little maple syrup. Yum!
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*Localvore Potato Pancakes (breakfast for 2 - or a hungry one!)

(This is a quick and tasty recipe and can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or supper.)

2 local potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 local egg
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 T. local whole wheat flour
2 slices local onion
salt & pepper to taste
local butter and/or oil

Put 1/2 of the potato and everything else in a blender or food processor. Blend to a batter, slowly adding the rest of the potatoes. Drop by spoonfuls in heated frying pan or griddle (greased with oil/butter.) Cook to a golden brown. Delicious served with homemade applesauce and/or Butterworks yogurt or Vermont Butter & Cheese Creme Fraiche!
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*Cornmeal Pancakes

1 c local cornmeal
1 T local maple syrup
1 tsp salt
1 c boiling water
1/2 c Butterworks whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 local egg
1/2 c local milk
2 T melted local butter

Combine cornmeal, syrup and salt in bowl. Slowly stir in boiling water; cover, and let stand 10 minutes. Mix flour with baking powder; set aside. In small bowl, beat egg, milk and butter until smooth. Pour into cornmeal batter, along with flourmixture, stirring quickly only until combined. Meanwhile, slowly heat griddle or skillet. To test temperature drop a little cold water on hot griddle; water should roll off in drops. Use 1/4 cup batter for each pancake; cook until bubbles formon surface and edges become dry. Flip, cook 2 minutes longer, or until nicely browned on underside. Serve with butter, warm maple syrup and/or homemade applesauce.

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*Cheddar Souffle

This is an easy, no-fail souffle and is delicious!

1/4 cup local butter
1/4 cup local flour
1/2 tsp salt
Dash cayenne
1 cup local milk
8 ounces local sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
4 local eggs, separated

Melt butter; blend in flour, salt and cayenne. Add milk all at once; cook over medium heat, stirring until mixture thickens and bubbles. Remove from heat. Add cheese; stir until cheese melts.

Beat egg yolks until very thick. Slowly add cheese mixture, stirring constantly; cool slightly.. Beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Gradually pour yolk mixture over; fold together well.. Pour into ungreased 1 1/2 quart souffle dish or casserole. For a top hat that puffs in the oven, trace a circle through mixture 1-inch from edge and i inch deep. Bake at 300 Degrees for 45-50 minutes or until knife inserted off-center comes out clean. Immediately bring to table and break apart into 3- 4 servings with 2 forks. Serves 3-4. (Note: Make sure that oven rack is set such that the souffle can rise.)

Pat

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