I won't lie. 
You aren't gonna win any favor serving these at your stuffy cocktail party.This is something you share with your best friends - the ones who won't lie to your face and tell you that your dirt-like decoction is to die for. They're the ones who would as likely say, "Ew, this is gross... let's go get some beers." Don't get me wrong... it's not unpalatable. It's not even gross if you're accustomed to earthy herbal tea.
Fresh stinging nettle is one of our most nutritious wild foods and makes a great cooked green, and it's also a perfect addition to fresh hand-made pasta. Since it keeps its bright green color after cooking, it makes a beautiful and healthful pasta.
One of the best ways to eat ramps is with cheese and I believe this may be one of the best ramp and cheese recipes I've eaten. It's usually the first thing we eat after we dig ramps and it's something I look forward to all year.
Ramps and white cheddar soup is fairly easy to make, doesn't require a lot of ramps and makes use of both bulbs and greens.
- What are ramps?
- Tools for harvesting
- How to sustainably harvest
- How to store
- How to cook
- Ramps & Watercress recipe
Ramps, ramsons or wild leeks, are one of the earliest wild edibles to emerge, a
Here's another recipe that Cindy made for the Wild Food Weekend last month. The crackers make a great medium for incorporating super nutritious wild seeds into a meal. And making crackers means there's one less thing to buy. You can also crush and freeze them to use later as breadcrumbs in other recipes.
The watercress cheese actually seems to taste better after 3 days. Just be sure the water is clean wherever you forage for watercress.
This is by God the best chili I've ever tasted, and I'm really not even much of a chili fan. Cornbread fan, yes, and the cornbread is damned good, too. My mom comes from South Georgia farm country and cornbread is a staple around here.
Cindy, on the other hand, moved to the South from Connecticut, but she's given over to most our ways. It took her a little longer to realize that the virtue of cornbread lies not in the sweet, but in the savory.
Making stuffed blossoms is a pretty and delicious way to use wild edible flowers.
Watercress (Nasturtium officinale) is a water plant that can be found throughout the United States, southern Canada, Europe and Asia. It's actually native to Europe and Asia.
Watercress grows in shallow running water where it normally forms dense mats. Its stems usually have 3 to 9 small oval leaves and grow 4 to 10 inches high. It flowers from April to October. Watercress flowers are small and white and occur in long clusters like many other mustards.