NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/977334
40 NEBRASKAland • MAY 2018 Later on, when I became a chef, that early experience of hunting for wild foods formed the basis for the kind of ingredient-driven cooking that I do. Why should someone learn to forage? It feels like a superpower to be able to look at the landscape around you and find delicious food. The act of foraging requires slowing down and paying attention to the details of life around us. It can start a process of seeing the landscape you thought you knew with fresh eyes. A simple walk in the park will turn into an adventure as you start to become familiar with the wealth of tasty weeds, berries, flowers and trees that we are unwittingly surrounded by. What are some wild foods in Nebraska that most people overlook or don't know about? I sing the praises and possibilities of nettles to anyone that will listen. They are one of my favorite foraged foods and one that is abundant all over Nebraska. The multitude of uses for nettles never ceases to amaze me. Cook it like spinach, make it into pesto, dry it into nutritious tea, steep it in water to make a powerful fertilizer for your garden. Purslane is another favorite green of mine as well. It is full of omega-3 fatty acids and makes a delicious addition to mixed green salads. Is it possible to forage year-round? Nebraska has three great seasons of foraging possibilities. The spring brings morels, wild asparagus and nettles; summer has mulberries, wild plums, walnuts, purslane and milkweed; and the autumn has puffballs, oyster mushrooms and chicken of the woods (wild mushrooms). In the depths of the cold Nebraska winter, the best thing to do is to enjoy your well-stocked larder, full of the fruits of your earlier foraging. Are there ways to preserve what you forage? If so, what are some year-round staples in your larder? A dehydrator is a wonderful tool to help preserve the bounty of your foraging. I usually dry a few bunches of nettles to mix into herbal tea blends. If you are lucky enough to find a bumper crop of morels, the dehydrator comes in handy for preserving them. I've also made jams and shrubs out of mulberries that I've collected. Shrubs are a type of drinking vinegar that was popular in colonial America and is currently experiencing renewed popularity. I make a syrup with apple cider vinegar, sugar and mulberries and add it to sparkling water or cocktails. Below is Birrell's recipe for foraged nettle pesto as well as the spring recipes of the other contributors – Jane Sparks, Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley and Clayton Chapman – who we will highlight in future issues. Be sure to pick extra nettles and hang them in a dark, dry place or use a dehydrator to preserve them for Birrell's nettle tea next winter. Foraged Nettle Pesto Yield: 4 cups • 6 cups fresh nettles • 1 ⁄3 cup toasted pine nuts or walnuts • 1 ⁄2 cup grated Parmesan cheese • 1 ⁄2 cup roasted garlic • 2 to 3 lemons, juiced • Salt and pepper to taste • 1 1 ⁄2 cups extra-virgin olive oil Fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil. Using tongs, submerge nettles for 1 to 3 minutes, depending on size and age of nettles, to remove the sting. Larger and older leaves should be cooked 2 to 3 minutes longer. Remove and plunge into a bowl of ice water for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the nettles from the ice bath and squeeze out the excess liquid. Place all ingredients except olive oil in a food processor and blend. Slowly add oil in a steady stream until emulsified. Taste and adjust seasoning. Nettle pesto will keep for two weeks in the refrigerator or up to six months in the freezer. – Abigael Birrell Dakota Harvest Lamb Saddle with Spring Peas, Nebraska Ramps, and Breakfast Radish The saddle is my favorite part of the lamb. It is traditionally the cut from the back of the eighth rib all the way to the hind leg and consists of the loin and the tenderloin. This recipe includes both cuts, but also includes the rack. If you would like to substitute out just the rack or Ar Ar Ar A e t wh what A A de bo bo bo bo bo bo boun un unty ne ne ne ne ne ne ne ne ne ne ne ne nett tt tt tt tt tt tt t le le le les en en en en en en en en en en en en en en e ou ou ou ough g co co co co co co co co co co come me me m s an an an an an an an an and d sh ar ar ar ar ar ar ar are e e a Am Am A e I I m m Abigael Birrell Nettles – the general term used to describe about 40 plants from the Urtica genus – are readily found in spring and summer markets yet remain on many people's "to avoid" list. There is, of course, the "stinging" descriptor, and that tends to elicit fear in the minds of many home cooks.