Foraging

Warning and disclaimer: Use common sense when messing with wild plants. Wild plants demand great respect and many are not edible. Never eat any wild plant or berries without 100 percent positive identification of edibility.


Like many other Portlanders, I have a great love for Mt. Hood, originally known as "Wy'East" by the Multnomah Native Americans. Back in my college days, I took a Geography of Mt. Hood course. The course was an adventure I'll never forget, and, since then, I've been fascinated by wild food sources. The stories of Lewis and Clark surviving on the food sources the Mt. Hood National Forest provided is especially cool to Oregonians.

But recently and unexpectedly, I had a pleasant surprise: I went on a local nature trek, and came across a path which led into a grove. The grove had a relatively clear path, and many different native plants were surrounding the area. After inspecting a particular berry bush, I was happy to realize the bush was a wild Thimbleberry bush; its berries not yet ripe. Near the Thimbleberry bush, however, was a Salmonberry bush, and its berries were ripe and juicy for eating. While the taste of Salmonberry has a more "relaxed" palate, Thimbleberry has an especially delicious taste. Furthermore, Thimbleberry is known to have medicinal properties. Unfortunately, the wild berries are seemingly scant.

I think there's something especially pleasurable about forging natural food sources. Foraging, I think, allows one to be in-tune with nature, and also, perhaps, able to be a little self-sufficient.

Rubus spectabilis (Salmonberry). 

If interested, and for more information, please check out the books:

Wild Berries of the West  by Betty B. Derig, Margaret Fuller, c2001

Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West  by Gregory L. Tilford, c1997



Calendula Solar Oil

I can’t wait until that bright light shines
Never did run, never did hide,
Waitin’ to see your bright light shine.
We’ll wait ‘til the mornin’ comes,
We’ll laugh as the sun.
Bright and loud, ha, ha, ha!

Rusted Root, "Laugh as the Sun"

My Calendula (Calendula officinalis), is now in bloom, and have added that touch of golden warmth to the garden. On that note, I made a Calendula solar infused oil today. Once ready, the oil is ideal to use as a natural anti-aging reform, and to clear your complexion. Awesome, eh?

It's quite easy to make your own. All it takes is snipping off Calendula flower heads, drying them, and then adding the flowers to a sterilized and dry jar. Immerse the flower heads in extra-virgin olive oil (or your favorite oil). I also like to add vitamin E to the infusion, but this isn't necessary. Place the jar outside in direct sunlight for several weeks. The sun will warm the contents and allow the Calendula to relase its medicinal chemicals, thereby creating an influsion. Strain and bottle when ready.

Calendula solar oil.

Good bread this

Even Pullo would approve.

For those who are gluten-intolerant, improvisation is all you need when it comes to baking your own bread. Making your own gluten-free bread saves you a lot of money, not to mention it tends to taste MUCH better than regular white rice bread sold in specialty stores (which, honestly, doesn't taste very good). When baking your own bread, the key differences are  ingredients, of course, and substituting any gluten products with replacements (such as Xanthan Gum, which is fascinating stuff). As biochemist/cook Shirley Corriher stated, baking and cooking is like chemistry as "it is essentially chemical reactions." It's quite fun to consider the science of such domestics.

Using a Breadman makes baking bread easier. Sure enough, I mix and combine the ingredients, but the machine does the kneading and baking for me. The other day I made my first loaf and it turned out great! Here is the recipe I used, courtesy of Bob's Red Mill:

"Our Favorite White Bread for Bread Machine" (Gluten-free!)

Liquid ingredients:

3 large eggs
1 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 cup Canola oil  (Note: I used Smart Balance Omega, which is a blend of oils and it worked fine)
1 1/2 cups Water

Dry ingredients:

2 cups Bob's Red Mill White Rice Flour
1/2 Bob's Red Mill Potato Starch
1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill Tapioca Flour
1/3 cup Cornstarch Yeast
1 Tbsp. Xanthan Gum
3 Tbsp. Sugar
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
1 Tbsp. Egg Replacer, optional
2/3 cup Dry Milk
2 1/4 tsp. Active Dry



Combine liquid ingredients; pour carefully into baking pan. Measure dry ingredients; mix well to blend. Add to baking pan, carefully seat pan in breadmaker. Select NORMAL/WHITE cycle (I actually selected the GLUTEN-FREE option and it was perfect); start machine. After mixing action begins, help any unmixed ingredients into the dough with a rubber spatula, keeping to edges and top of batter to prevent interference with the paddle. Remove pan from the machine when bake cycle is complete. Invert pan and shake gently to remove bread. Cool upright on a rack before slicing.


And of course, if you want to bring on the herbs in making bread, check out this page. Mmmm...  gaaaaarlic brrrreeeaaaad...

Drying herbs

I'm completely stoked that I have a new toy: a dehydrator! So far I've dried my own peppermint and basil, and it is awesome. Herbalists, gardeners, and other crafty people have wondered what the best method is to dry herbs, so,  In lieu of my new toy, I'm going to discuss drying methods.

Air drying herbs is the most common -- and probably most green -- way of drying. It is also inexpensive and relatively easy. Most importantly, though, air drying herbs doesn't rob the herbs of their important essential oils. However, this method works best for less moist herbs, such as Rosemary and Thyme. Air drying consists of tying herbs together in a bundle of 4 to 6 stems, removing the lower leaves, and hanging upside down in a cool, dry, and dark place. Another air drying method involves bag drying, which is essentially air drying the bundle of herbs in paper bags. Likewise, the herbs are hung upside down, and holes are punctured into the paper bags to allow air to circulate.

Room drying herbs on a tray works best for large-leafed herbs with long stems, such as Basil. Use a screen window for this process; it allows the air to circulate. Place the herbs on the screens and stack them. Cover with paper towels or cheesecloth. Place in a proped, warm location, where air can circulate. Check the herbs the next day and turn them over so they will dry evenly.

Oven drying herbs consists of placing herbs on a cookie sheet and warming them for a few hours at approximately 180 degrees F. The oven door should be opened slightly to allow circulation. I personally do not recommend this method for drying herbs; it can "cook" the herbs a bit, which removes essential oils and flavors. Don't leave oven-drying herbs unattended!

Drying herbs with a dehydrator may be one of the best drying methods, particularly for moist herbs such as basil and mint. An added bonus to using a dehydrator is that your home is filled with an herbal scent! When I dried my peppermint, I was delighted by the aroma. If the herbs you wish to dry are from your own garden, you only need to inspect the herbs for dirt and bugs. Wash the herbs in hot water throughly and leave to air dry for a bit. Dehydrators come with an instructional booklet, so follow the book's instructions as to how to dry the particular herbs you wish to dry.

If you plan to wash your herbs, I don't recommend press-drying. It is a great method of drying flowers for science and plant identification classes, but in my experience it's not the best for herbs. Then again, I dried some of my own soapwort this way (which I washed previously) and the soapwort became moldy during the drying process. That said, whatever method you do choose to use, it's important to store your herbs well; be sure to store in an airtight bag to prevent molding. Discard any molded herbs. Place out of sunlight, in a cool, dark place.

Air dryed lavender. Photo (c) S. Waters

Cleaning with Herbal Vinegar

Vinegar is awesome stuff. Apple cider vinegar is good for the hair as a rinse (future blog post!), but I want to address a brilliant and eco-friendly usage of vinegar:  It can be used to clean innumerable things! My dear Irish grandmother used it, for instance, with a bit of baking soda to clean the pipes in her house.
Instead of using harsh (and toxic) chemicals to clean your floors, countertops, or bathrooms, as well as discovering an even cheaper way to rather clean than buying the costly alternatives, there's herbal vinegar. Used solely, white distilled vinegar itself is a great cleaner, but the herbs make it better. It's a natural way to clean... and for hippies like me, it even makes the monotonous chore of cleaning f-u-n!

(A few words of caution, however: Don't add vinegar directly to materials containing ammonia, as it can create harmful vapors.)

To make herbal vingear, chop up about a handful of fresh herbs of your choice (lavender, lemon balm, peppermint, or basil, for instance) and steep in vingear (white distilled is the norm) for about five days, out of direct sunlight. Strain the infused vingear into a bottle, and voilà! You now have a natural, eco-friendly cleaner.

For more information, check out this website, and this one, too.

Sweet mint.

We're Jammin'

We're jammin'I wanna jam it with you
We're jammin', jammin',
And I hope you like jammin' too

I've been on a jammy excursion. A tasty one, though, as I've "invented" three of my own herbal jams, and the results have actually been pleasant. I now have Christmas gifts to give to people!

I've come to the conclusion that using pectin is completely unnecessary if you use apples when jam-making, because apples have natural pectin. I love using local Granny Smith apples when making jams (picked off apple trees in Troutdale... free apples FTW!), and you can add a variety of herbs for that extra "kick" of flavor.

Anyway, when researching the internet for basic jam recipes to tweak into my own creations, I came across a recipe that sounds quite interesting: A Caramel Apple Jam invented by Mr. Robert Atwood. I gave his recipe a try, with some modifications: I used less white sugar and replaced it with honey; I used lemon juice, and slightly more butter. All in all, it's a decent jam, and the cinnamon truly makes this jam taste like apple pie.

Apples freshly picked off trees in Troutdale, OR. 

Herbal Preserves

Well, Thanksgiving is over, and everyone's being good consumers and strengthening the economy with their holiday shopping (and providing free entertainment by fighting over socks), and I'm still in a feasted-stupor. Alas, I won't be venturing out on Black Friday.

But, it's good to be relaxing at home, because lounging around lazily -- still in my pajamas at 6:00 PM -- actually has its productivity: I get to contemplate Christmas gifts!

I like to give people Christmas gifts that are actually useful and functional, and what's better than to give something to spread on toast in the morning? Unfortunately, I missed Huckleberry season and didn't have a chance to hike in the Mt. Hood National Forest to pick those yummy berries, so homemade Huckleberry preserves are out of the question this year. However, herbal preserves and the similarly-related are, basically, the next best thing (at least, in my humble opinion). For an herb jelly, you can use thyme, lemon thyme, lavender, rosemary, mint, or lemon balm with this basic recipe:

Herb Jelly:

2 1/2 lbs. (5 cups) tart apples
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
Juice of one lemon
3 tbsp. chopped fresh herbs
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar (optional)

Lavender is great to add to honey.

Another great idea to jar is to make herb honey.

I'll make little baskets containing these jarred concoctions along with herbal sachets and other little goodies. Then, I'll hand them out merrily as I dance around in a santa hat.

I guess I better get in the kitchen soon!