“We are the billionaires of
foraging!”-Alex Izzarelli----
I woke early and assembled
the gear. I was presenting some of my research at a conference in a few days,
and wanted to make sure it was well put together, so I had only one day left for
an adventure and I wanted to make sure we had everything put together early so
we would be prepared to do it right. Into the basket went all the essentials
including a couple of strips of bacon, some rosemary, chives from my parents
garden, and a couple of bottles of my Dad’s newest home brewed India Pale Ale
(made with our home grown hops). I also brought about a third of the winter
chantrelles, black trumpets and hedgehog mushrooms I had gathered the day before
with my brother and his girlfriend.
Alex picked me up at about 10 am and we headed out to
the coast for a little spring foraging. We carefully climbed down a crumbly
sandstone cliff to the rocky beach below. Armed with a plastic bag, fishing
license, and a water bottle, we scrambled along the algae encrusted boulders of
the inner tidal zone gathering sea water, edible kelp, and filled the bag with
fresh mussels in about 15 minutes time. Inner tidal foraging is very productive
if you know your marine plants and shellfish, and today was certainly no
exception.
From there we
could see the boulder outcrop exposed at the top of Coyote Ridge nearly a mile
up the canyon; our favorite cooking location. We climbed back up the cliff and
made our way up the hill stopping to forage as we went. Along a small creek we
gathered a few sprigs of wild fennel and a few leaves of nettle to add to our
feast. We got a nice oak and coyote brush fire going at Coyote Ridge and laid
down our mussels over a bed of fennel and dried bay leaves (locally foraged as
well). We added a little sea water to the mix to impart a salty taste and help
steam the shellfish, and placed the pot over the coals. Once the mussels were
done we grilled a few strips of bacon kabob style on whittled coyote brush
skewers, and sautéed the mushrooms and nettle in butter with the fresh chives
and rosemary. We quickly carved a couple pairs of coyote brush chopsticks,
cracked our home brewed IPA’s, sat back, relaxed and feasted like kings.
The herbs and salt water
imparted great flavor to the mussels which we were thoroughly enjoying, but once
tasting the mushroom-nettle medley I was really impressed with the meal.
Something about the flavors in both dishes seemed to complement each other
perfectly. We sat on the ridge overlooking the canyon and Pacific Ocean below,
laughing at the prospect of buying shellfish. An hour’s work (if you can even
call it that), and we had a meal that couldn't be found at the finest
restaurant. Not only was it delicious, but as fresh as possible. And we had an
intimate association with every ingredient, as we had selected each from the
field and cooked each with joy. When all was said and done, we figured our total
costs at around eighty cents, which comes out to forty cents each.
As always, a warning
regarding shellfish and wild edibles- bivalves (clams, mussels, etc.) can only
be safely eaten in the colder months as they filter-feed on toxic plankton in
warmer months, so always check with the county department of health before
gathering. Wildcrafting can be a fun and productive undertaking if conducted
properly, however, ethical foragers must always respect private property, and in
regards to health, never forage near power lines or roadsides as they are often
the subject of pesticide spraying by power companies and public road maintenance
organizations. Remember to forage seasonally as there is abundance out there
every day, take the time to adventure even if it’s just outside your door, and
always strive to keep the old ways alive!----Kevin Smith
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