What are some of your favourite picnic foods and memories? Please share them with us at TEAM Resources at team@producer.com or Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2C4. We will add your name to a draw that will be made Aug. 31 for a picnic hamper.
Foraging for wild food is quickly becoming a favoured source of new flavours and nutrients.
Before hitting the trail, take time to prepare, find a mentor who is well versed in wild foods and tag along until you feel confident in going alone.
Read Also
Agri-business and farms front and centre for Alberta’s Open Farm Days
Open Farm Days continues to enjoy success in its 14th year running, as Alberta farms and agri-businesses were showcased to increase awareness on how food gets to the dinner plate.
Learn the Latin name of plants rather than common names because common names vary from region to region. Learn about habitat and companion plants, where to find berries and what plants grow in proximity to each other. Learn what is available in each season, what parts of the plant are safe to eat and when to harvest. For example, stinging nettle should not be eaten after it has gone to seed.
Responsible foraging should be top of mind. Do not pick more than 10 percent and do not pick what you won’t use.
A guide is to harvest 25 percent of the plant unless you intend to use the root, such as cattails or wild onions.
Be aware of endangered plants like ramps. They are illegal to pick in the wild due to diminishing numbers caused by overharvesting.
Safety is another important concern. When harvesting water plants, be aware of the source of the water. Any toxins in the water will be in the plant. Cattails in a slough may be contaminated with farm chemicals or plants in ditches may contain road maintenance products and automobile exhaust.
Dandelion Green Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette
Don’t use lawn variety dandelion greens because they are tough and bitter. Go to a forest or coulee in early summer for the tender leaves.
4 c. dandelion greens 1 L
4 slices bacon
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar 30 mL
1 1/2 tbsp. cider vinegar 22 mL
1 tsp. grainy mustard 5 mL
2 hard boiled eggs, quartered
Cook bacon in a heavy skillet until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel to drain. Discard all but two tablespoons of bacon fat.
Add vinegars and mustard to the hot skillet and scrape up the tasty brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. This dressing is now ready to use.
Toss the dandelion greens with the warm bacon vinaigrette and arrange in a bowl or on a platter. Top with quartered boiled eggs and crumbled bacon. Serve immediately.
Tomato Salad with Ricotta and Wild Mint
If you make your own ricotta, this is the time to use it. Also choose the juiciest and most flavourful tomatoes you can find. Birch syrup takes on a flavour similar to aged balsamic vinegar while camelina oil has an earthy flavour.
2 tomatoes
1/2 c. fresh ricotta 125 mL
camelina oil
birch syrup
sea salt
Cut tomatoes in thick slices and place one in the centre of each plate. Top with a small scoop of fresh ricotta, then drizzle with camelina oil. Garnish with sea salt, mint leaves and a drizzle of birch syrup. Serve immediately.
Morel and Bacon Marmalade
Wild picked morels will have some grit if not washed before use but be careful not to soak them. Wash quickly in two changes of water and use immediately.
8 oz. fresh morel 250 g mushrooms
4 slices bacon/pancetta
5 tbsp. butter, divided 75 mL
1/2 c. beef, veal 125 mLor mushroom stock
1 c. shallots, diced 250 mL
1/2 c. Marsala or 125 mLred port wine
1/4 c. red wine vinegar 60 mL
1 tbsp. brown sugar 15 mL
1 tsp. black pepper 5 mL
kosher or sea salt
fresh thyme
Cook bacon until lightly crisp. Remove and add morels, two tablespoons (30 mL) butter and a pinch of salt to the pan. Cook mushrooms until they are soft, have released their water and are nicely browned. Add stock and two sprigs of thyme. Simmer until almost all of the liquid has evaporated but the mushrooms are still moist. Remove mushrooms from pan and set aside. Discard thyme.
Add three tablespoons (45 mL) of butter. Saute shallots and carrots with a pinch of salt until softened, about eight minutes. Add sugar, vinegar, pepper and wine. Cook over medium heat until the liquid is reduced to a small amount. Scrape the bits on the bottom of the pan. Chop mushrooms and bacon and add to sauce. It should be moist but not runny. Taste to adjust salt and pepper. It should taste peppery.
Serve warm with toasted thinly sliced baguette. Garnish with Labrador tea.
Fresh Baby Peas and Wild Mint Risotto
Wild mint is more delicate and tender than garden mint and turns dark quickly when added to the hot risotto.
1/4 c. olive oil 60 mL
2 tbsp. shallots, finely chopped
1 c. Arborio rice 250 mL
4 c. warm chicken stock 1 L
1 c. shelled fresh 250 mLbaby peas
1/4 c. mint leaves, 60 mLloosely packed
parmesan cheese, grated
fine kosher salt and black pepper
Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan and saute shallots until softened. Be careful not to brown.
Add rice and stir to coat with oil. Saute for two minutes, then add about 1/2 cup of stock. Stir until absorbed. Continue to cook and add stock 1/2 cup at a time until it is cooked al dente. It should not be too soft and mushy but still have some bite. Before the rice is fully cooked, add the fresh peas. Season with salt and pepper.
Just before serving, stir in the mint leaves. Top with grated parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
2 c. fresh rose petals 500 mL
1 tbsp. mild tasting honey 15 mL
Petals for garnishing
Ice cubes, frozen with petals
Bring four cups (1 L) of water to a boil and add rose petals. Simmer for about five minutes, until the petals discolour. Strain. Add honey and cool. Serve chilled with rose petal ice cubes.
