Wild Ginger - Gorgeous Native Plant

Wild Ginger - Asarum canadense - is a gorgeous native wildflower which is in bloom right now in the Western Pennsylvania woods.

Each Wild Ginger plant has two heart or kidney shaped leaves, with a small maroon flower between the leaves, lying low to the ground.

As well as being a gorgeous spring plant and wildflower, Wild Ginger is edible and medicinal. Although it is unrelated botanically to its namesake, Ginger (Zingiber officinale), the settlers named this plant after it because of its similar taste and properties. The root can be eaten and has a ginger flavor. Some like to cook it in a little maple syrup to make candied ginger roots. 

The root can be used medicinally to settle one's stomach and treat colic. It can also bring on one's menses (similar to ginger/zingiber.)

Since it is a native plant, I leave it undisturbed.

If you're out looking for morel mushrooms, you'll likely come across a patch or two of wild ginger!

May Issue of Food Under Foot Magazine is Available!

 The gorgeous May issue of our Food Under Foot full-color, digital magazine is out!

You can get your copy by becoming a patron on our patreon page for as little as $3/month! Once you join, you will be able to download the magazine right from the site, as well as all the past magazines. You'll also have access to all the locked posts and videos. 

Please join us today, and get your copy of Food Under Foot magazine.

You can also buy the magazine directly from Kindle, if you'd prefer.

Thanks so much!

Melissa

Bountiful Morel Harvest

 Last year I found a spattering of morel mushrooms, and this year I was thinking might be the same. I went to my spots, and found one or two, here and there. It's still early, and yet...you never really know with morels, and mushroom hunting in general. Had I lost the magic?

On Friday I went back to one of my spots and found three small morels. Oh well. I decided to go on a hike afterward. A slow hike, of course, all the while looking out for morels. I found one half-free, and then veered into the woods. 

Eventually I ran into a bird watching group, and as I had my binoculars with me, I joined them for a stretch. 

Then my trail turned uphill so we parted ways. I sat and had my breakfast, overlooking a beaver dam.

After breakfast I made my way up the hill, and back toward where I had parked. At this point I was three hours into my walk. But then, finally, I saw what I was looking for!

And another, and another, and another!

I finally came upon a new patch of large yellow morels: eighteen in total. I was elated!

I invited a friend over, and we figured out how start up my grill, which had been dormant all last year.

I marinated the morels in a mix of olive oil, tamari (gluten-free soy sauce), rice vinegar, crushed garlic, ginger powder, and liquid smoke. Then I threaded them onto a wooden skewer, making kabobs with cherry tomatoes, red onions, and zucchini.

They were delicious!

I hope you are having a successful year finding morels, or whatever it is you are looking for.

Stay healthy, stay safe. 

Love to you all,

Melissa

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Have you seen our Food Under Foot full-color digital magazine? The April issue is all about morels and spring mushrooms! You can get it by becoming a patron on our patreon page, or buy it directly from Amazon/Kindle.

Two Walks on Saturday April 24 for Tree News

 

Looks like the Earth Day Walks are full, but there are two more chances to walk with me this month.

On Saturday, April 24, I am leading two foraging walks with Tree News, at Bandi Schaum on the South Side. More information and sign up can be found on their website.

Hope to see you!

~ Melissa

April Issue of Food Under Foot Digital Magazine Available Now

 The April, 2021 issue of our monthly, digital, full-color Food Under Foot magazine is available today! Visit our patreon site and become a member (any level) to access it. Once a member, you will also be able to access all past (and future) issues!

I hope you enjoy the issue! If you haven't checked us out on patreon, please do. Even if you aren't a member, there are posts and photos and podcasts and tons of stuff over there that are available to the public, not just members.

Have a happy spring, hope your mushroom hunts bring abundant joy this year!

April Walks Scheduled

I have two walks open to the public scheduled so far for this April:

April 10, 11 am at Bandi Schaum Park, in Pittsburgh's South Side

April 25, 11 am at Frick Environmental Center in Pittsburgh.

The walks are free, sponsored by Frick Park's Earth Day Celebration! However, there are limited spaces (COVID precaution), so please sign up today.

Food Under Foot Podcast is Here!

 Listen to the first episode of the Food Under Foot podcast! It's on soundcloud, but you can also find it on iTunes, where you can subscribe and get each new episode delivered to you automatically! Please do subscribe and rate if five stars...it will help others find it!

Also, you can support women in podcasting by becoming a patron of the Food Under Foot podcast over at patreon! Not only will you get the show notes to each podcast a day early, you will unlock patron-only blog posts and videos, as well as get the monthly full-color digital Food Under Foot magazine!! You really can't beat that, and I appreciate your support so much.

Enjoy the podcast! 

photo from pixabay.com

Check Out the Books and Magazines from Food Under Foot!

 

Check out Melissa's Books!

In this wonderfully accessible guide to winter foraging, Melissa Sokulski of Food Under Foot gives us ample reason to get out of the house and continue foraging even in in cold winter weather. With descriptions - including full color winter photographs - of twenty-six common edible plants easily found in even the coldest climates, and over sixty delicious recipes (which just happen to be vegan and gluten-free) Winter Foraging will have you excited to get out of the house and into the wild.

One Wild Year: In 2012, forager Melissa Sokulski came up with the idea of CSF - Community Supported Foraging. She and her husband David foraged wild plants and mushrooms to share with ten families. This ebook lists over 70 plants and eight mushrooms they found, with full color pictures and recipes for over forty wild edibles. Following the abundance of the season from early spring through late summer, you'll find recipes for Morel Mushroom Quiche, Garlic Mustard and Nettles Potato Pancakes, Spiced Chicory Root Latte, Sweet Dandelion Wine, and so much more.

Wild Ally Workbook: In answer to the question, "How did you learn so much about plants?" herbalist Melissa Sokulski has put together this fun, easy-to-follow workbook to help you delve deep into the world of wild edible and medicinal plants. 

The workbook is suitable for all ages: children through adults will love this step by step guide of exploring the natural world.

This is a workbook, so although there is some text and description, there are many blank and and mostly blank pages, allowing you to follow the prompts and fill in the information about the plant you have chosen.

Melissa will guide you in choosing a wild plant - a weed - and learning all about the weed: is it edible? Has it been used as medicine? Do other cultures use this plant? If so, how? There will be places for you to write information, keep track of recipes, and directions for making tinctures, vinegars, oils and salves.

You will not only be completely knowledgeable about the plant you have chosen as your ally, but by working through this book you will learn how to look at and work with all plants. Before you know it, you will be seeing the natural world differently, perhaps as a delicious buffet and stock for your first aid cabinet.

Have fun exploring food and medicine growing right at your feet!

Magazines

The inaugural issue of Food Under Foot, A Magazine of Wild Edibles! This is the February, 2021 issue about winter foraging. 

Food Under Foot Magazine is a monthly digital full-color magazine of wild edible plants and mushrooms. In the February, 2021 issue, we shine a spotlight on three wild edibles commonly found in winter: Deadnettles (Lamium purpureum), Onion Grass (Allium vineale) and Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) - which is of course most abundant in spring, but can be found every month of the year. We discuss foraging in February, cozy warming herbal teas that are easy to make at home, share original wild edibles nursery rhymes, and an essay about walking in winter, looking up, and being pleasantly surprised by what you might see. This issue is available to download from Amazon Kindle, but you can receive this digital magazine monthly when you join us at patreon.com. I invite you to join us, it is an amazing community and not only will you receive the digital magazine to download every month, you will get blogposts, podcasts, and videos.

Inaugural Issue of Food Under Foot Magazine!

I am so excited to announce the inaugural issue of our new digital magazine is due out mid-February!!! I have been having so much fun putting this issue together for you. Food Under Foot will be a monthly magazine, and you can get it automatically by signing up for the magazine tier on patreon! It will also be available to purchase on its own, probably through amazon kindle, though I haven't quite worked that detail out yet. 

It's almost ready to go...but today is such a beautiful day that I'm going to head out and see what yummy winter edibles I can photograph to include in the issue. (Did I mention it's a full-color monthly magazine?)

I really hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Lots of love,

Melissa

Visit Me On Patreon!

Hi Foragers!

Exciting news: A few of you have asked what you can do to support me and see more Food Under Foot content...it's taken me a while but I've started a patreon page! 

Patreon is a site which allows me to post photos, video, podcasts, blogposts...most of the content will be free for all. However, when you become a Food Under Foot supporter on patreon, you will receive access to exclusive patron-only posts, early access to podcasts, and even a digital monthly zine!

Starting in February I'll be posting regular podcasts, wild edibles photos, and blog posts. I'm so excited to be starting up Food Under Foot again full steam ahead! My first post is up and open to all...enjoy! 

Support Food Under Foot on Patreon!

Thank you so much,

Melissa