August, 23 2012
I recently took a 5 day class in Medicinal and Wild Edible Plants of the Sierras taught by Kathi Keville, and Nancy and Bill Harnach. It was held at the San Francisco State University Field Campus high up in the mountains near the Sierra Buttes. It was a wonderful experience. I learned so much, spent glorious days outside foraging and swimming in lakes, and met many interesting and kind people.
During the class we were guided to dig up camas and yampah roots in a sustainable way. It takes a lot of digging to bring up enough thumbnail sized bulbs with which to create a dish for a hungry crowd.
The thought of the meal did not sound appetizing at first, but we were all delighted with the results, thanks to the chefs. It was incredibly delicious, and made me think that our ancestors enjoyed a gourmet cuisine. Here is our menu and some pictures:
Edible Wild Plants Meal
Wild Greens Salad of Sweet Cicely, Lovage and a wild cress
topped with Monkey Flowers, Indian Paintbrush and Penstemon Flowers
Elderberry Flower Fritters and Scones with Chockcherry and Elderberry Jelly
Chockecherry, Wild Sunflower and Pine Nut Pemican
Wild Rice Risotto (from Michigan, not local) flavored with Fireweed
Yampah Root Sautee with Wild Onion Flowers
Roasted Camas Lily Root
Wild Bolette Mushroom Soup
