Hello, and we hope everyone is well!
Stop by our next delicious Pathfinder Produce fresh market, this Thursday, September
19 from noon to 5 p.m. for the very freshest, tastiest fruits and veggies
around! Pathfinder Produce …. We’re rooted in community!
A word of welcome to our local
friends and neighbors: Come over to Grant’s Field at Pathfinder Village tonight
at 4:30 p.m. to cheer on our local scholastic cross-country athletes during the
annual Meghan Sorbera Memorial Invitational XC meet. Another meet is
scheduled for Tuesday, September 24 as well! To all the runners -- Good
luck and go for those personal records!
***
Tis’ the harvest season and nature’s bounty is all
around us. I was looking out at my front yard the other morning and found the
largest puffball I’ve ever seen, just waiting to be picked. I’ve never had a
puffball before, but a few mushroom enthusiasts I know say they are delicious.
Of course, walking on the wild side can be a “walk
on the wild side” if you ingest the wrong thing. The links below offer some
tips on how to identify edible puffballs. (As stated in prior blogs, unless you
100% know what you are about to eat or touch in nature, don’t eat or touch
it!):
- Mushroom
Appreciation: Puffball Identification Guide
- Livestrong.com:
The Best-Ways to cook Puffball Mushrooms
Wild foods were a staple in the larder and
medicine chest of our forefathers, and I’m very jealous (I mean like green with
envy jealous) of a friend who has a stand of elderberries near her home. She
has been documenting the process of making syrup through pictures, bottling
this magic elixir which is believed to be very
helpful in reducing the severity of colds and flu. The links discuss how to identify elderberries and a few
recipes; be aware that elderberry stems are somewhat toxic (as are non-ripe
berries), so be sure to only use fully black, ripe berries if you make your own
syrup.
- Outdoor
Life: How to identify an Elderberry Bush
- Edible
Wild Food.com: Elderberry
- Wellness Mama: Elderberry Syrup
Lately, we’ve been watching “The Wild Chef” on
Netflix, which features Chef Martin Picard’s adventures with wild game and other naturally sourced
ingredients. It’s interesting to see Quebecois-inspired foods being made in
non-restaurant settings, similar to our region. An ingredient he shared in one
episode that abounds here is sumac: I found this interesting as I’d always been
told to avoid the
plant because there is a variety that creates a skin reaction similar to that of poison oak or
ivy.
It turns out non-toxic varieties of sumac are rich
in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory
compounds. Most blogs recommend making
sumac-ade, and the berries are used as a spice in traditional Middle Eastern
cooking. Who knew!?
Until next time, be open to outdoor adventures!
Lori
