In springtime, one of the first plants to appear in the woods is wild ginger. It has 2 large heart-shaped leaves that sit on hairy stems. And it sports a lovely maroon flower, which rests on the ground and is very easy to miss.
Wild ginger is much more subtle in flavor than store-bought tropical ginger root. But our native wild ginger has a wonderfully earthy taste and is worth seeking out. Its long roots grow horizontally and not very deep in the ground, so they are easy to dig up. Choose a healthy-looking group of wild ginger and don’t dig it all up. Since you destroy the plant when you dig up its roots, it’s nice to leave some in the ground for next year.
To clean, remove the small, hairy roots that grow off the main one, then wash the root very well in running water. I find it best to run a paring knife over the root to remove its fine membrane. This reveals yellowish-white flesh that darkens (like an apple) when exposed to air.
3 roots (about 2 to 3 inches in length), chopped into ½-inch pieces
2 cups of water
Add the scrubbed roots to a small pot of water. Bring to a boil and cover; then turn down heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Strain into a mug. Delicious served with a spoonful of honey, and very soothing for an upset tummy.
You may also dry the roots, after cleaning them. Set them on a baking sheet and put into a 200°F oven for 3–4 hours. Dried wild ginger roots can be stored indefinitely in an airtight jar. These can be used for making wild ginger tea all winter long.
Although fresh wild ginger is the main flavor of this cake, it is nudged along by the addition of dry, ground, commercially packaged ginger. This helps intensify its ginger taste.
2¼ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
⅔ cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 tablespoons fresh wild ginger root, chopped
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup milk
Glaze:
2 1-oz. squares of semisweet baking chocolate or ½ cup semisweet chocolate morsels
1 tablespoon butter
In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, and ground ginger. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Meanwhile, in a food processor fitted with a metal blade, grind the peeled wild ginger root until pulverized. Add it to the egg mixture, along with the vanilla, and beat well. Then add the dry ingredients a little at a time, alternating with the milk. Beat well.
Spoon the batter into a well-greased 5 × 9-inch loaf pan. Bake at 325°F for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Wait at least 10 minutes before removing the cake from its pan, then cool completely before glazing.
To glaze: Over low heat, melt the chocolate and butter in a small saucepan, stirring until smooth. Drizzle over loaf and let cool before serving.
The Jerusalem artichoke never saw the Holy Land! The origin of its name apparently stems from a confusion of descriptive Italian, Spanish, and Arabic languages.
This much-cultivated native has been recorded and known to the North American habitat since the 1600s. It is an edible tuber from a sunflower plant that grows up to 6 feet tall but has a rather small bloom. Raw, it tastes like a water chestnut. Cooked, it tastes like a nutty, sweetish potato. So it can be baked and used as a potato substitute, or julienned and served as a dipping veggie.
The Jerusalem artichoke blooms in late summer; one plant can yield dozens of underground treasures. If you decide to plant them close to home, be careful where you put them, as they are hard to eradicate.
4 cups Jerusalem artichokes, shredded
1 small onion, grated
3 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
vegetable oil for frying
Peel the artichokes and shred in a food processor (or by hand) and put in a mixing bowl. Finely grate a small onion (I usually do this by hand, as I find the food processor makes the onion too mushy) and add into bowl. Blend in eggs, salt, pepper, flour, and baking powder. Mix thoroughly.
In a frying pan, heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil on medium-high heat. Put a large spoonful of the artichoke mixture into the frying pan. Add as many as will fit in your pan and fry until brown around the edges (3–5 minutes). Then turn over and cook another 3–5 minutes, until golden and crispy. Turn fritters onto a plate covered with paper towels, to blot off excess oil. Keep warm in the oven. Add more oil to the frying pan (as needed) and repeat above procedure with the fritter batter.
Serve with sour cream or applesauce. Makes 12–15 fritters.
This recipe is based on an old Pennsylvania Dutch recipe. But because these pickles are unusual, your friends will think you are letting them try something totally new.
1½ to 2 pounds Jerusalem artichokes
3 cups white vinegar
¼ cup honey
2 teaspoons turmeric
5 dried red hot peppers
5 cloves garlic
25 peppercorns
10 whole cloves
5 bay leaves
2½ teaspoons mustard seed
Wash the artichokes very well, removing all dirt (if they are scrubbed very well, they needn’t be peeled). Slice them into quarter-inch pieces. Set aside. Work quickly, as sliced Jerusalem artichokes will start to discolor once they are exposed to air. Or set them in a bowl of water with a dash of lemon juice to prevent discoloration until ready to use.
In a stainless steel or porcelain-coated saucepan, bring vinegar, honey, and turmeric to a simmer. Meanwhile, sterilize 5 pint jars. In each jar place a dried pepper, a clove of garlic, 5 peppercorns, 2 whole cloves, a bay leaf, and ½ teaspoon of mustard seed. Then add the sliced Jerusalem artichokes to the jars, packing them tightly. Fill each jar with the simmering liquid and seal. Process in a hot water bath (see pages 14–15 for instructions). Yields: 5 pint (500 mL) jars.
2 tablespoons butter
2 medium onions, chopped
2 stalks of celery with leaves, chopped
3–4 large carrots, chopped
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 pound Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed or peeled
4 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth
salt and pepper to taste
½ cup sour cream (or plain yogurt)
mint leaves (optional)
Melt butter in a large pot. Add the onions, celery, carrots, and ginger. Soften the vegetables over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes.
Cut scrubbed (or peeled) artichokes into chunks. Add them to the pot along with the broth. Cover and let simmer for 15–20 minutes or until the artichokes are soft. Let cool. Purée all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Put contents through a fine sieve. (If you have peeled the artichokes beforehand, you might not find this step necessary.)
Return mixture to the pot and reheat. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and top each with a dollop of sour cream (or plain yogurt). Garnish with mint leaves. Makes 4 servings.
Wild leek (also known as wild onion, wild garlic, or ramps) belongs to the lily family. When the leaves are very young and tender, they can be added to a tossed salad. As soon as its broad, tapered leaves have come out fully, dig the wild leek up and make sure to keep the roots attached and dirty until you’re ready to use them. If you wash wild leek clean and keep it for hours, it’ll soon lose its freshness.
Wild leek has a very delicate flavor when cooked. Some people love to eat it raw. Careful ... there may be social repercussions.
And remember, because you are digging the roots, you are essentially killing the plant. So a general rule of thumb is to always leave more than you take. The best part about that is you’ll have some for next year and the year after that (provided you keep your spot a well-guarded secret).
5–6 wild leeks, white part only
½ teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
juice of ½ a lemon
2 tablespoons white vinegar
6 tablespoons olive oil
Put all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth and creamy. Will keep for a week in the refrigerator.
Serving suggestion: Pour salad dressing over romaine lettuce with slices of hard-boiled egg and crumbled bacon.
5–6 medium potatoes
30 wild leeks, white part only
2–3 tablespoons oil
¼–½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
Scrub the potatoes well, leaving the skin on. Cut them into wedges and put into a mixing bowl. Clean the wild leeks very well and cut off the green ends, leaving just the heads, and add them to the bowl. Sprinkle oil, cayenne, salt, and pepper on top and mix well, making sure to coat everything. Put the oil-coated potatoes and leeks onto a foil-lined baking pan. Bake uncovered at 400°F for one hour, or until potatoes have browned. Make sure to stir the potatoes once or twice while cooking, to brown them evenly. Transfer into a bowl or casserole and serve piping hot. Makes enough for 6 people.
Wild leeks become sweet when sautéed. This flavor combines well with the earthy taste of the potatoes. A really delicious spring soup.
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup water
35–40 wild leeks, white part only
4–5 medium-sized potatoes
5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste
1–2 wild leek leaves (for garnish)
Put a large pot over low heat and add the butter and water. When the butter has melted, add the cleaned, chopped leeks. Sauté gently until the leeks get tender, but not brown, about 15 minutes.
Peel the potatoes and chop them coarsely. Add them to the leeks, along with the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover the pot, and cook about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
Put this mixture into a blender or food processor and purée until smooth (you might have to do this in batches). Season with salt and pepper. If the soup is too thick, thin it with a bit more stock or water until it is the desired consistency.
Ladle the soup into bowls and top with a few thinly sliced wild leek leaves. Makes 4–6 servings.
