Nature's Pantry

I'm kind of amused that foraging has become a "thing."  You know: one of those trends that is discussed by foodies and lauded by fancy-pantsy restaurants.

For most of our history, foraging is just what people have done.  It was how we ate. 

When did we become so distanced from the sources of our food that gathering wild foodstuffs took on the cachet of exoticism?

It's a fairly recent thing, you know. 

During hard years of the 1930's, and during the rationing of the war years, it was rare for a homemaker to leave the house without a sturdy bag or basket.  On walks to and from church, or trips to town, or visits with friends, the family food supply was augmented by whatever could be gathered along the way.  

Food was not the only thing gathered either.  Bits of useful firewood, materials that could be used for basket making, and medicinal herbs were also prized.

In the 1950's convenience and modernity became the watchwords of the day, with home economists singing the virtues of package foods and supermarkets.  Many households moved away from foraging during that decade, and more again during the boom and exuberance of the 1960's. 

Foraging was not lost entirely, even during the 60's and 70's.  The young folk who participated in the "back to the land" movement placed great importance on natural foods. First nations, farmers, and others who lived a more rural lifestyle also continued to eat wild foods as part of their traditional diet.

Perhaps it was during the greedy 1980's that we seemed to lose sight of foraging altogether.  Certainly we lost track of many other traditions as we focussed on unrestrained consumerism.

Whatever the cause or the timing, North Americans have, within just a few decades, fallen out of the habit of gathering natural foods. 

Enter the current foodie culture and the "discovery" that wild foods are much more flavourful than many of the items commonly available on the shelves of big box grocery stores.  Voila! A trend is born. 

I came of age in the late 70's, at the tail end of the hippie era, and was greatly influenced by the "back to the land" philosophy, so I've always gathered wild foods.  They've formed a regular part of my diet for all of my adult life.  I enjoy gathering wild food, love the diverse flavours, appreciate the nutrients it brings to our plate, and am grateful for the way it helps me to stretch our food budget.

It's prime time for foraging in our woods and meadows right now.  There's lots and lots of wild food available in our area.  Here's some of what I gathered this week:

Plums: 

Plums are not, strictly speaking, wild food.  The plums in our area are the result of planned planting.  Many, like the ones pictured above, grow on ornamental trees that are planted for their spring blossoms.  These plums are often very small but they are also quite flavorful. 

Because the trees in our public spaces are prized for their blossoms and not their fruit, the plums usually ripen, fall to the ground, and are left to rot.  I note the location of the trees along my walking route and, when the first plums begin to fall, I gather together some buckets and go picking. 

This weekend, I picked two five-gallon plastic buckets full of cherry sized, dark red plums.  Some I canned whole, in light syrup, some I juiced for jelly, and some I cooked and pureed.  I froze the puree for use in baking and to combine with apples in sauce later in the season.

Huckleberries:

I realize that the term "huckleberry" refers to different plants in different regions, but here on the southwest coast of British Columbia it means these tiny red relatives of the blueberry.  Huckleberries are slightly tart in flavour, with little acidity and almost no natural pectin.  They are rich in nutrients and, for a short time each year, grow abundantly in the dappled shade areas at the edges of our woodlands.

Because they don't have a lot of pectin, huckleberries aren't really practical for jam making nor, by themselves, do they make a good pie.  They pair brilliantly with citrus flavours though, and make a nice addition to baked goods. 

Huckleberries are just beginning to ripen so I'll be picking them for at least a couple of weeks more. 

I wash the picked berries, spread them on cookie sheets and freeze them.  I use the frozen berries in many recipes that call for blueberries, and also incorporate them into some of my winter batch of marmalade.

Fireweed:

Fireweed grows profusely here on vacant lots, the edges of forest land, in well drained meadows, and in recently logged areas.  Besides stabilizing and feeding the soil, fireweed is beautiful, flavourful, and nutritious.  It is an excellent source of Vitamin C.

I cut fireweed when the flowers are at their peak, tie it into bundles, and hang it upside down to dry.  When the plants are dry, I remove and save the blooms, composting the rest of the plant.

Fireweed blossoms make an excellent herbal tea. An infusion of the dried flowers can also be cooked into a flavourful jelly.  The jelly is jewel-like, with a reddish purple hue and a delicate flavour that makes it excellent for gift giving.

The blooming season for fireweed varies, coming earlier in areas near the shore and later in areas higher up the mountains.  By choosing where we gather them, we can harvest fireweed blossoms for a full month or more.

Pearly Everlasting:

Pearly Everlasting is not harvested as food but is, instead, harvested for decorative use.  The flowers retain their shape and pristine white colour when dried, making them very useful for embellishing gift packages or making wreaths.

I try to gather Pearly Everlasting before they are completely opened, and before they look too weathered.  As with fireweed, I tie it in bunches and hang it upside down to dry.


The plants available for foraging in your area will, of course, differ from those mentioned here but, if you're interested in learning about wild foods in your area, many communities have courses available on gathering wild foods.  Courses can often be found through agricultural offices, local colleges, or through community groups focussing on ecological interests.  Wild plant books are usually available at public libraries and there's lots of information available on line too.  Enjoy the quest.

Steak and Veggie Hash With Baked Eggs

I married a guy who worked on a ship. 

What that has to do with a recipe for hash and eggs is not immediately apparent but there is, in fact, a straight line connection (or at least as straight a line as any in my life) between the two:

The crew on my husband's ship had a real synergy.  Their work involved search and rescue, and the need to place their very lives in each other's hands created an exceptionally close bond between them.  The "boys" were like a family: A big, often rowdy, frequently drunken, sometimes brawling family, but a family nonetheless.

When we first got together, my husband and I continued to live in the apartment he'd had as a bachelor, and his crew mates continued to view our door as always open. Our apartment was an extension of their shipboard home.

I was a little taken aback at first to realize that my fella's crew mates came and went from our place whenever they felt like it.  The first Sunday morning after I moved in, I got up to find them all sleeping in our living room and spare bedroom.  Every spare inch of carpet, bed, couch, and armchair was covered with sprawling, snoring sailors!

The boys had let themselves in through the spare bedroom window (jokingly known among them as the apartment's back door) and settled in.  They woke to the aroma of fresh brewed coffee and, once awake, asked in chorus "What's for breakfast Mom?"

Those Sunday morning breakfasts became a regular affair at our house and I quickly came to understand that, while they had started because the boys were protective of my guy and wanted to be sure I'd treat him well, they continued because I was approved of and liked...and because I cooked a darn good breakfast!  :^)

A sailor's income doesn't usually extend to lavish entertaining, so I quickly mastered the art of conjuring Sunday morning breakfast from what we had on had.  Hash was a favourite:  I combined potatoes with whatever cooked vegetables we had in the fridge and then, when the hash was cooked, added some eggs.  Sometimes there was meat, and sometimes toast or pancakes, but not always. 

There was never a complaint.  Sixteen rowdy men happily tucked their knees under our table and ate until all the food was gone.

Time passed, the boys grew older, transferred to different ships, married, or moved away, but they all still stay in touch.  When they come to visit us, I still make this dish.  

When the boys aren't around, hash is a popular supper choice at our house; transforming a small bits of leftover this and that into a generous quantity of tasty, filling food.

This recipe for steak and veggie hash with baked eggs serves four.  To make it, you'll need:

• 3 or 4 large baked potatoes, cooked and cooled
• 8 ounces of cooked steak
• 2 Tablespoons bacon fat (If you don't have bacon fat, substitute oil or butter, to your own preference)
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 1 sweet bell pepper (I used yellow), finely diced
• 1-1/2 cups finely chopped cooked cabbage
• 1 cup cooked carrots, cut in a small dice
• 1-1/2 cups black beans or pinto beans
• smoked paprika to taste
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 eggs

You'll need a large skillet that has a lid to fit and can go in the oven.  

Cut the potatoes and steak into similarly-sized cubes.  I like my finished hash to have some texture so I use about a half inch dice.  

Preheat your oven to 350F.

Melt the bacon fat in the pan, swirl it around to coat the bottom of the pan, then add in the onion and bell pepper.  Cook them, stirring constantly, until the onion is translucent and the texture tender crisp.

Add in the potato, steak, cooked cabbage, cooked carrots, and beans. Allow them to sit in the pan until a little crust forms on the bottom, then give them a gentle stir.

Season the ingredients to taste with paprika, salt, and pepper.  Add the seasoning, then give the hash a stir and a taste.  Repeat until you've arrived at a level of seasoning that pleases you.

Continue allowing a crust to form, then giving the hash a stir until there are some nice crispy brown bits distributed throughout.

Use the back of a large spoon or ladle to make "nests" in the hash.  Crack an egg into each nest.

Put a lid on the pan (this will help the eggs to cook more quickly and evenly) and put the pan on the center rack of your preheated oven.

Cooking time for the eggs will depend on how you like your yolks but I'd start checking them at about 10 minutes.

Cook the eggs until they're almost - but not quite - done.  They'll continue to cook in the residual heat held in the hash.  Plate your portions and serve your meal as quickly as possible after it comes out of the oven. 

Cook's notes:

This dish is pretty nearly infinitely variable.  You can make it with whatever leftover meat or poultry you have on hand, or with no meat at all.  I strongly recommend that you always include onion, potato, cabbage, and beans, but you can add in whatever other vegetables you have on hand too.

If you're cooking this for a big crowd, make a large quantity of hash in advance and divide it between 9 x 13 cake pans.  Make 4 to 6 egg "nests" per pan.  When you're almost ready to serve the meal, add in the eggs, cover the pans with foil, and bake them all at once, rotating their position in the oven about halfway through the cooking time.

Thrift Shop Haul

We budget $50.00 each month for thrift shop purchases. 

We use our thrifting budget to buy all sorts of things: clothing, linens, dishes, books, and furniture.  Some of these things we use within our own household and others provide material for craft projects that are either given as gifts or sold for a little extra income. 

I hadn't spent any of last month's thrift shop budget so I decided to treat myself to a visit to my favourite store.  

I came home with a skirt, a muumuu (handmade in the 60's, label still attached), a dress, 2 individual sized corning ware ramekins from the 1960's, 2 double bed flat sheets and one matching pillow case, 2 vintage pillow cases, 3 fabric yardages - different colours of the same design - dating from the 1970's (1 x 1.25 yards, 1 x 1.5 yards, 1 x 3 yards), and an assortment of knit and crochet pattern books. 

My haul cost me $29.25.

The skirt needed shortening so I hemmed it.

The mumu needs some alteration.  The armholes are a bit tight.  I want to enlarge them so that I can layer a shirt of some sort underneath.

The dress needed a belt but I have one already that will work.  It's ready for use as an office wear piece for me.

I'll use the ramekins both as every day kitchen wear and as props in future food photos.

The flat sheets and matching pillow case will be used for a variety of things:  I'll make a nightgown, a roman blind (lined with a second sheet I already have on hand), some cloth napkins, and possibly some tea cozy liners or re-useable shopping bag liners.

The vintage pillow cases will be combined with some of the fabric yardage to make another nightgown.

Part of that same fabric yardage will be combined with another pillowcase that I already have on hand, to make an apron.

The largest fabric yardage, combined with a sheet I already have on hand, will make another roman blind.

The last fabric yardage will be set aside and used later, with some other scraps to make a baby quilt.

Not too bad a return for what I spent, right?  :^) 

Are you a thrifter?  What do you buy on your thrift shop or yard sale forays?  Do you upcycle or repurpose any of your finds? 

Join the conversation at my new Facebook forum.  I'm sure we'll learn lots from each other.

Conserving Energy

You guys all know that I work hard at being frugal, right?  

I keep a budget,  try to eliminate waste in my kitchen and household, cook from scratch, walk instead of driving whenever I can, turn the thermostat down, unplug my electronics when I'm not using them.

Funny, then, that I can't apply the same principal to conserving my own energy.

A couple of years ago, I got very sick. I'm since recovered but my energy levels are not the same.  I tire more easily and yet - despite my doctor's cautions that this may be my new normal and I must learn to adapt - I continue to take on as many tasks as I did before I got sick, and I continue to expect myself to accomplish them with the same amount speed, and energy.  

Inevitably, a time comes when I have to pay for those high expectations.

Last week, after returning from our trip to visit my parents, I crashed and burned.  I had plans to use my remaining days off to clean house but, instead, ended up spending most of my time off sleeping.  

I returned to work still tired and struggled to make it through my work days and maintain my established routine and then I crashed and burned again this weekend.  I slept most of both days.

Clearly, my body is sending me a message.

I need to spend some time being kinder to myself.  

Although I'm often a mind-over-matter kind of person, determined to power through my low energy times, I think I need to slow down for a while.  I'll continue to blog, but less, and I'll continue to be on FB and Twitter, but post less often.  I'll continue to work, but work less.  

Eventually, I'll regain my stamina.  I hope you'll bear with me until I do because I do so enjoy my conversations with my on-line friends.

Thanks for hanging out with me.

Nacho Average Joe

"Some nachos, a Sloppy Joe, and a pizza walk into a bar..."

Sounds like the start of a bad joke, right?  But this dish came together from almost as random a series of events.

I try to keep my kitchen organized, to plan my meals, and to make the best possible use of the ingredients I have on hand, but some days I'm just not lovin' kitchen duty:  I'm too lazy tired to cook,  or too lazy busy, or broke to go to the grocery store.  Other days what I've planned for supper just doesn't appeal to me when it comes time to make it.

It's at those times that the oddest dishes come of of my kitchen.

Like this one.

These nachos smelled so good when I took them out of the oven, and tasted so good when we ate them, that I had to share them with you, but they were such an oddball combination that I took no photos while making them.  I really hadn't intended to post the recipe. 

Here's how this dish happened:

I'd made Slightly Disheveled Joseph ahead of time and planned to serve it over biscuits for supper, but I was so tired when I got home that I just couldn't summon up the energy to make the biscuits.  We were out of hamburger buns and all the bread was frozen, so I decided to save Joseph for the next day and peruse the fridge to see what other options were available.

I had shredded mozzarella and edam, some cooked Italian sausage, onion, yellow bell pepper, pineapple chunks, and black olives.  Yeah! Pizza!

...But no pizza crusts left in the freezer.  Dang!

I went to the pantry and found a big bag of tortilla chips.  Hello Plan C!  Nachos!

I spread the tortilla chips in a pan, then topped them with the Slightly Disheveled Joseph mixture.

I chopped the onion and yellow pepper and sprinkled them over top.

I decided to keep the Italian sausage for another day, but I did add some pineapple and sliced black olives, because I like them both on my pizza.  I figured they'd taste fine with the slightly acidic flavour of the Slightly Disheveled Joseph.

I topped the whole thing with the shredded cheese and popped it in a 350F oven for about 30 minutes; until everything was heated through and the cheese was all melty.

We ate the whole dish in one sitting:  Definitely Nacho Average Sloppy Joe!   :^)

Beef and Vegetable Stir Fry in Garlic Ginger Sauce

Every time I plan to share a stir fry recipe, I end up changing my mind.  I tell myself that they're so simple no one needs instructions from me on how to put one together.

But we each make our stir fries a little differently,

And many people - like me - don't own woks or other specially designed equipment in which to make them,

So - no matter how simple it may seem to me - I'm sharing a stir fry recipe today.

I often have these ingredients on hand, so some variation of this dish makes a frequent appearance on our dinner table.  It's a quick, easy meal, and a great way to use up bits and bobs from the vegetable crisper.  You can add in any vegetables you like and the quantities are easily adjusted.

To make Beef and Vegetable Stir Fry in Garlic Ginger Sauce, you'll need:

• 1-1/2 teaspoons cooking oil (I use sunflower oil)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 cup sliced onion
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 to 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger (to taste)
• 3 cups broccoli florets
• 1 cup sliced carrot
• 1 cup red pepper cut into strips
• 2 -1/2 cups beef stock
• 8 ounces leftover cooked steak, thinly sliced
• 2 Tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
• salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oils in a large, deep pot (I use a 6 quart Dutch Oven) until they are hot enough that the surface of the oil begins to ripple.  

Add in the onion and cook it, stirring constantly, until it's tender.

Add in the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, for a few seconds more.

Add in the broccoli florets, carrot, and red pepper.  Stir to distribute the onion, garlic, and ginger through the vegetables.

Add in 2 cups of the beef stock and bring it to a boil.  

Cook the vegetables until they're tender crisp.  About half of the stock will have evaporated.

Add in the beef and stir it through the ingredients.  

Continue cooking until the beef is heated through.  This won't take more than a minute or so.

While the beef is heating through, combine the rest of the beef stock with the soy sauce and cornstarch, stirring until the cornstarch is dissolved.

Add the cornstarch-beef stock slurry to the stir fry and stir it through until the sauce is thickened.  

If the sauce gets too thick, add a little more stock to the pot to thin it down.

Taste the finished dish and adjust the seasoning, adding salt and pepper if required.

Serve your beef vegetable stir fry immediately, over rice or noodles.  (I served this one over Secret Vegetable Ramen.)

If you have leftovers, you can reheat them in the microwave or you can use them to make a tasty soup.  

To make soup, cut the stir fry into smaller pieces, then stir in enough beef stock to thin it to the consistency you desire.  

Mix in a little more grated ginger.

Heat it to a boil, then stir in some cooked rice or noodles.  

I like to spice beef stir fry soup up a bit, so I serve sriracha sauce on the side.  

Cook's notes:

• If you don't have leftover cooked steak, an equivalent amount of thinly sliced uncooked beef can be used.  The uncooked beef should be the first ingredient you add to the pot, stirring until it's almost cooked through before continuing on with the recipe.
• Other proteins may be substituted for the beef.  If you choose to use poultry or pork, substitute chicken or vegetable stock for the beef stock called for in the recipe.  You can make a vegan version of this dish with marinated firm tofu and vegetable stock.

Two Butts in a One Butt Kitchen

There's no denying it:  Our kitchen is small.  It's a well designed small space, but the floor space not occupied by cupboards and appliances is just 4.5 feet by 8.5 feet.  

It's fine when I'm working by myself in there, but when there are two of us, it feels very crowded.  My husband and I vary greatly in our approaches to cooking.  I'm working quite a lot lately and my guy is spending more and more time in the kitchen. With our differing approaches to kitchen management, there's a huge potential for friction. I imagine that we're not the only ones facing these challenges.

Every household's routines are different.  We have only the two of us to cook for.  Many of you have larger families.  Even so, some tips are universally applicable.

Divide your time, not your space:  

Since we quickly realized that the kitchen is too crowded for us to work comfortably in there together, we now divide our kitchen chores between us and work in the kitchen at different times.

Allot some time for cleaning and organization:  

Cooking in a small space is much easier if you know where to find your ingredients and cooking tools.  

My fella does the dishes, cleans the counters and stove, and washes the kitchen floor daily.  I budget part of my weekly cooking-ahead day for putting stuff away, cleaning the fridge, and cleaning, organizing, and taking inventory of the freezers and pantry.  

I keep an inventory list on the inside of the pantry door, and on each of my freezers.  We update it by hand every time we take something out or put something in, and I clean it up and update it on my computer once-monthly.

Cook ahead:  

My precooking for the week always includes baking.  I make our week's bread and, if I have time, some cookies or dessert.  

I make some things we can use for breakfast.  Muffins, pancakes, and waffles can be made ahead and stored in the freezer. Granola keeps well in an airtight container on the pantry shelf.

I also try to cook at least one large protein:  a roast, a whole chicken, a turkey, or perhaps a whole fish.  We plan on using the leftovers from this one protein in at least two or three meals throughout the week.

If I have enough ingredients on hand, I'll often can a small batch of soup, and - if I've made a good buy on meat of some sort - I may can a protein.  These jars on the shelf may seem a lot of extra work, but they're a wonderful convenience to have on hand on a busy work night.

Plan together and determine who's doing what, in advance: 

My guy is a competent cook so he has a lot of say in the planning process.  Each night, we plan the next day's meals and then decide which of the cooking chores he'll undertake while I'm at work, and which of the chores I'll undertake when I get home.  

My fella does a lot of prep.  He washes, chops, and shreds vegetables.  He makes dishes that require long cooking times. He helps with the preparation and restocking of staples, and he pre-cooks large batches of things like brown rice, that can portioned and frozen for use over time.  

I do most of the dish putting-away (because then I know where the dishes are), and I make most of the vegetable dishes.  I often come home from work and complete the final stages of a meal, pulling together the ingredients my husband has prepped, and making salads and salad dressings.  

After supper is done, my guy does the clean up and, then, - if it requires pre-cooking - I make dessert for the following day.  I also pack my lunch for the next day, usually from leftovers, and tidy the space again so that it's ready to go in the morning.

In the mornings I start the day's batch of soup stock in the slow cooker or on the back burner of the stove, and write out any specific cooking instructions that my guy has requested.  He drains and cools the soup stock later in the day, and works at the day's dinner chores.

It's a routine that works well for us.  

Planning this way and then sticking to our schedule can seem like a real effort, especially if we're tired or very busy, but over time we've found it well worth the work.  We spend less money on groceries, and we eat very well. Our suppers are more flavourful and certainly more healthy than food from the drive through.

Do you share your kitchen with your spouse or your children?  

What tips and tricks work best for you?  

I'd love to hear from you.  Please stop by my Facebook page or Twitter feed to share your tips.