Foraging in the Bluffs

Getting oriented
at Eagle Bluff Environmental Center

The Driftless area has a wide variety of edibles in the woods and lowlands along the trails. As a MN Master Naturalist volunteer, I look for ways to add to my learning through various training opportunities. This week I had a chance to learn more about the "goods in the woods" during a foraging class at Eagle Bluff Environmental Center in Lanesboro MN.

I say class but, like all great outdoor education, it was in the woods that the hands-on part of our learning took place. We spent an hour and a half learning and identifying a variety of edible plants and their identifying characteristics from our knowledgeable guide, Lukas Wahl.

Sochan (cutleaf coneflower)

Before we started, we were reminded of a few things to keep in mind as we forage for edibles:

• When gathering, use the 1 in 7 rule - for every one plant foraged, leave seven. Don't clear any plant area completely.
• Be sure of the identity of what you harvest.
• Know the rules/laws of where you are gathering. For instance, in MN state parks, you cannot remove any vegetation (but berries and fungi are ok).
• As a rule of thumb, don't forage in drainfields, ditches, sidewalks (think of dogs walking); and sensitive areas.  Be aware of the "history" of the land you are foraging. Was it once used for conventional agriculture; was it formerly a dump, etc.

Spring beauty and an I.D. booklet from
Eagle Bluff Environmental Center

Tasty treats gathered on our May 7 trip included:

• White pine needles - buzz them in herb grinder and add to sugar cookies
• Sochan (cutleaf coneflower) leaves - in spring these tender greens can be eaten as is or in salads
• Spring beauty - their twin leaves, mildly spinach-like in taste can be added to salads
• Violets - flowerheads add color and a bright tang to salads
• Ramp leaves - adds a bright, sharp note to salads, compound butter, pesto dishes. To tamp down the sharpness for pesto and compound butter, do a quick blanch, ice water, drain and squeeze.
• Ostrich fern fiddleheads - a delight when sauteed. Pick before they uncurl.
• Burdock root - first year plants have a long root that can be peeled, then sauteed or roasted.
• Parsnip - roots are great for roasting/sauteing
• Garlic mustard - annoying invasive, yes! Tasty pesto, also yes! Use on pasta or bread

Although it was too cold for morels yet, our guides helpfully provided some dried chantarelles and oyster mushrooms from last year's foraging if we wanted a few fungi to rehydrate and taste (we all held out for fresh morels that will be popping out in earnest as the weather warms).

We pool our foraged food and start cooking

In a wonderful wrap-up to our foraging, we brought back our loot to the Center's kitchen. There were four stations set up. The group divided up and made garlic mustard pesto on noodles; ramp butter on bread, freshly baked by our Eagle Bluff trainers; sauteing station for parsnips, burdock root and fiddleheads; and cookie station with white pine needle (buzzed in an herb grinder) cookies. It was a wonderful communal, social, gustatory end to bring our learning full circle and admire the culinary prowess of our foraging group.

Resources (suggested by Eagle Bluff Center staff)

Books:

• The Forager's Handbook. Samuel Thayer - A great "local" resource for MN/WI specific foraging
• The Forager Chef's Book of Flora. Alan Bergo - tips and recipes
• The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen. Sean Sherman

Online, follow:

• Forager Chef
• Black Forager
• Chaotic Forager
• Edible Illinois
• Four Seasons Foraging
• Linda Black Elk
• MN Forager/Ironwood Foraging

There are still foraging classes coming up on May 13 and 14. Stop here to register.

Mixing up a batch of ramp compound butter

Burdock toot and parsnip sauteed with ramps

All images - Marge Loch-Wouters