Filed under food

Onion skin dyed Easter/Eostre Eggs

“Old English Eōstre continues into modern English as Easter and derives from Proto-Germanic *austrōn, itself a descendant of the Proto-Indo-European root *aus-, meaning ‘to shine’ (modern English east also derives from this root).[3] Writing in the 8th century, the Anglo-Saxon monk Bede describes Ēostre as the name of an Old English goddess and behind the … Continue reading

Exploring Acorns, Starch Noodles

Some of you may remember my post on making pinole energy cakes with acorn flour. This fall, with the arrival of acorn harvesting season, I decided to finally try making the acorn starch noodles I had learned about in a foraging group on Facebook. Pictured above is the outcome of my SECOND attempt at making … Continue reading

Mallow Mallow and more Mallow Soup

Really, though. What has taken me so long to learn about molokhia (mulukhiyyeh) soup??? It’s a soup-like dish made in Egypt, Lebanon, etc… A recent post in a foraging group led me on an adventure with our local, invasive cheesewheel mallow plant (Malva parviflora or Malva neglecta). Although the mallow used in molokhia soup is … Continue reading

Pumpkin Spice Marrow Custard

It is that time of year. Imbolc. The mid-point between Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox of the Old Celtic Wheel of the Year. It’s at this time that eggs are starting to be laid. Eggs of all kinds. Wombs are full. Nature is preparing for birth. Years ago, in Mississippi, I cooked and prepared … Continue reading

Big-berry Manzanita, Forage & Craft

It has been awhile since I last wrote a blog post. Mostly, the reason is that WordPress shifted the tools for creating a blog post and I was disgruntled to have to figure it out. Sigh. I tend to be really resistant to change when it comes to technology. Grumble. Grumble. Grumble. Anyway. Now that … Continue reading

Rootin-tootin Fermented Radishes

Our favorite veggie ferment used to be sauerkraut.  THEN then THEN we discovered fermented radishes.  Everything changed. They are easy to chew.  Sour.  They have a subtle spice to them.  Well.  And, they are pink. My three year old LOVES them. The only thing is…they smell like baby diapers.  I know.  Strange. This ferment smells … Continue reading

Carpobrotus edulis: invasive food & medicine

New wormhole => Carpobrotus edulis (Latin name) Common name in California:  ice plant Common name in South Africa (place of origin):  sour fig, hottentot fig, or sea fig Indigenous names for sour fig (South Africa):  hotnotsvy, suurvy, perdevy and ghaukum As many of you know…this plant is *everywhere* in coastal California. Don’t forget. Invasive plant … Continue reading

Wild Blueberry Galette (gluten-free)

My first experiment with a nut-based, gluten-free crust.  I must say.  It was very, very tasty.  Husband said it grew on him and then he was craving it.  My little one gobbled it down.  I enjoyed every crumbly, buttery bite (smile). The crust is not as flaky and crisp as your usual wheat-based galette crust, … Continue reading

Pinole Energy Cakes

A wee bit of kitchen witchery happened tonight.  Thought I’d share. So, what is pinole? As I understand it, the word pinole arrived in California with the early Spanish colonizers who had been in Central America before arriving here. They called the local toasted seed foods they experienced with First Peoples of North America, pinole…as … Continue reading