I N D I A N A S TAT E M U S E U M A N D H I S T O R I C S I T E S
CROSSROADS EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER JULY 2021
Foraging FOR FUN
By Renee Bruck Like most of us who venture into the great outdoors, Lauren Oxley looks for a bit of peace and quiet, and enjoyment in all that nature has to offer. But during her walks and hikes, she also keeps an eye out for things that can be added to recipes at the end of her journey. “As a kid, I’d eat random things from nature, like dandelions,” the program developer at Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site said, but a few years ago, she began to research edible plants and incorporate wild food gathering practices into some of her meals. She started small and simple by adding a few flowers to salads. From there, with a lot of research and cross-referencing – and a little hunting – she’s found several plants that can provide a different look, or
at least a different texture, to favorites. Take fungi, for example. Pheasant back mushrooms, when picked while young, smell like watermelon, although the mushrooms don’t taste like watermelon once cooked. The mushrooms can be fried with a little butter and end up tasting like meat, she said. They also can be added to a dish for flavor or texture. Pheasant back – a shelf fungi – are found easily in the spring. Chanterelles are another kind of edible mushroom that adds flavor to dishes – especially pasta. Unlike the pheasant back, which are around in the spring, chanterelles can be found during the summer. Other plants – like staghorn sumac, sassafras and dandelions – can be used to make tea.
“I just think a lot of people find foraging scary,” she said, but it really isn’t with a little bit of research. “If you want to try a violet or a lilac, do it.” Through foraging blogs like Edible Wild Food and Forager Chef, Lauren continues to expand her knowledge of wild food gathering and make new recipes from plants she finds during hikes and walks. Just recently, she discovered that Virginia Bluebell flowers and leaves can be added to salads or stir fry.
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