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PrintBeyond the Grocery Aisles
Harvesting bounty from nature’s shelves
illustrations by MEGHAN Hanson POWERS
(page 1 of 2)
Doug-fir tea, serviceberry smoothies, thistle-root fries, yarrow beer—just a few of the delicacies that can be made with wild plants growing in the Tetons. And the best part? Eating fresh, local, organic food without any of the work required of tending a garden.
Incorporating wild edibles into your next meal isn’t just about spicing up your recipe repertoire. It’s also a chance to connect with and learn a few subtleties about some of the diverse organisms that share this landscape.
“Every year I collect stinging nettles, then dry them and sprinkle them on my food during the rest of the year,” says local plant expert Kevin Taylor, program coordinator at Wildlife Expeditions of the Teton Science Schools in Jackson Hole. “As I do that, it gives me a chance to think about the plant and the day I collected it.” Taylor adds that harvesting wild edibles is a valuable way of fostering what he calls “conscious participation” in the natural world.
Responsible Harvesting
When harvesting beyond our backyards, it’s important to remember that we’re not the primary pickers. Animals shop for some of the same foods at the same spots. Responsible harvesting practices include picking from a variety of locations; taking into consideration current conditions, like a drought that may make certain plants scarce and/or particularly vulnerable; using Leave No Trace traveling skills when accessing plants; and taking only what you need.
Many plants have tasty roots that can be roasted, pickled, boiled, or mashed (cooking often helps reduce bitter flavor), or ground into a flour substitute. The downside is that, with the exception of plants with rhizomes, taking the root means that this individual plant is out of the ecosystem for good. Taylor encourages foragers taking roots to use moderation and to give the same amount of reverence when digging a plant as they would when hunting game.
Safe Sampling
There’s no better way to ruin a good dinner party than accidentally poisoning your guests with the wrong salad green. Most wild greens are at their tastiest and most nutritious and digestible early in the season, before the plant produces flowers. But, unfortunately, that’s when the plant is more difficult to identify. Do yourself and your friends a favor and look carefully at a field guide’s description and pictures, and, most importantly, for any poisonous look-alike. When in doubt, don’t eat it or bring a sample to someone with more experience than you, and ask them about it. (If it’s too late for that and you suspect you’ve ingested the wrong plant, call your doctor or 911.)
Creative Cooking
Edible plants can make a great addition to backcountry meals, especially on extended trips when our diets often suffer from a lack of fresh greens and vegetables. But many of these plants grow not only beyond our backyards, but right in them. Edible flowers can be used as a colorful garnish. Wild berries can be canned as jams or jellies or substituted for store-bought berries in baked goods and smoothies. Assortments of edible leaves make for a tasty salad, or you can sauté the greens and serve them as a side dish. If you’re a fan of cream of spinach or kale soup, try edible natives instead. Many seeds, like those of salsifies and dandelions, can be sprouted, just as you would do with different varieties of beans. The possibilities are nearly endless—all it takes is a little thinking beyond the standard cookbook.
