Chapter 15

VEGETABLES AND OTHER FOODS FROM THE WILD

Historically, folks in Appalachia have made considerable use of wild vegetables. That was particularly true in early spring, when months of a diet sorely lacking in the nutritional needs fulfilled by vegetables led them to the fields and forest. Delicacies such as sochan, creasy greens, watercress, poke, ramps, branch lettuce, dandelions, chickweed, nettles and fiddlehead ferns were not only welcome, but they also served significant needs by providing certain vitamins as well as bringing dietary variety and being available for the gathering. Add mushrooms (especially morels), and you had a veritable panoply of goodness from the wilds.

Sautéed Chanterelles

Fresh chanterelle mushrooms, chopped roughly

Butter

Garlic

Salt

Pepper

Gathering chanterelle mushrooms. Tipper Pressley.

Look chanterelles to make sure no bugs are hiding among the gills. Melt butter and add garlic to pan. Cook for 1 minute. Add mushrooms and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook lightly until moisture from mushrooms has mostly evaporated and then serve.

—Tipper Pressley

Sautéed Purslane

Purslane is a readily available weed in most areas. The easiest way to utilize this free, nutritious vegetable—which is considered a superfood—is to toss the tender, succulent leaves with other greens for a fresh salad. My favorite way to cook it is also simple and easy.

1 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 medium tomato, diced

1 or 2 handfuls purslane, chopped

Dice up onion and cook in your favorite oil in a frying pan until it’s just beginning to brown around the edges. Throw in garlic and let cook for another minute. Next, add tomato and purslane. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes and serve as a side dish.

Other vegetables can be added depending on what you have available or your personal preferences. I love to eat mine with cornbread, and it’s especially good over rice.

TIP: If you pick wild purslane away from home (it readily grows in home gardens), be sure it is not in an area that has been sprayed.

NOTE: The stems and flowers, as well as the leaves, are edible.

—Tipper Pressley

A serving of sautéed purslane. Corie Graddick.

Dandelion Jelly

1 quart dandelion flowers from an area that has not been sprayed with chemicals

1 quart water

1 box powdered fruit pectin

4½ cups sugar

Sterilized jars, lids and rings

Rinse flowers and add to quart of water. Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes. Drain liquid from flowers. Using a piece of cheesecloth works well to get the tiny pieces out. Put strained liquid in large pot. I typically end up with 4 cups of liquid after boiling and straining the dandelions. Stir in pectin and let mixture come to a full rolling boil. Once mixture boils, add sugar and stir well. Cook mixture until it comes to another full boil. Boil for 1 minute. Quickly ladle hot liquid into sterilized jars and seal.

TIP: If you don’t have quite 4 cups of liquid, water or fruit juice may be added to make up the difference.

—Tipper Pressley

A cluster of just-picked dandelion blooms. Tipper Pressley.

Dandelion Greens

½ gallon loose dandelion leaves per large serving (chop off the bottom portion of tough or woody stems)

¼ onion, diced, per serving

3 or 4 tablespoons hot bacon grease

Gather young dandelion leaves in early spring, making sure you know they have not been sprayed. Wash leaves well and pat dry with a clean towel or paper towels. Sauté diced onion in bacon grease until tender. Add dandelion greens and cook until wilted—about 4 to 5 minutes.

TIP: Like other greens, cooked dandelion leaves wilt down to take up significantly less space than fresh ones, so remember that when judging the amount needed for a meal.

—Tipper Pressley

Violet Jelly

2 cups violet blooms from an area that has not been sprayed with chemicals

2 cups boiling water

1 box powdered fruit pectin

Juice of one lemon

4 cups sugar

Sterilized jars, lids and rings

Rinse blooms. Place in a glass bowl and pour 2 cups of boiling water over them. Cover bowl with plate and allow to sit on counter overnight. Drain liquid from violet blooms. Place violet juice, pectin and lemon juice in a large saucepot. Bring mixture to a boil. Once mixture boils, add sugar and stir well. Cook until it comes to another full boil. Boil for 1 minute. Quickly ladle hot liquid into sterilized jars and seal.

TIP: If you don’t have quite 4 cups of liquid, water or fruit juice may be added to make up the difference.

—Tipper Pressley

Fried Ramps with Potatoes

Potatoes, diced

Ramps, chopped

Oil (vegetable oil, lard, olive oil or bacon grease)

Fry potatoes in your choice of oil. Once potatoes are nearly done, add chopped ramps and finish cooking.

—Tipper Pressley

Freshly harvested and cleaned ramps ready to cook. Jim Casada.

Ramps with Eggs

Butter or bacon grease

Ramps, chopped

Eggs

Add bacon grease to frying pan and heat to medium high. Cook ramps for a few minutes until tender. Add eggs and scramble. Serve with biscuits or toast.

—Tipper Pressley

Poke Sallet

1 gallon poke sprouts

2 or 3 pats melted butter or 3 tablespoons bacon grease

Salt and black pepper to taste

2 eggs (optional)

Gather a mess of tender poke sprouts (they are best when 3 to 5 inches high) and rinse thoroughly to remove any dirt. Place in a pot and bring the water to a rolling boil, then cool to a simmer before pouring the poke sallet and water into a colander to drain. Repeat the process at least once, preferably twice. The reason for doing this is that pokeweed is exceptionally rich in Vitamin A, so much so that it can be toxic unless you use this cook-and-drain process to remove some of the vitamin.

Next, place the drained poke in a skillet with a bit of melted butter or bacon grease. Heat until piping hot, add salt and black pepper to taste and serve immediately. Some folks like to garnish poke with chopped boiled eggs or break a couple of eggs into the greens when they are added to the skillet and stir until the eggs have cooked.

NOTE: A pone of cornbread or cathead biscuits goes mighty fine with poke sallet.

—Jim Casada

Sautéed Morels

Morel mushrooms are a great delicacy, and when sautéed, they retain all their delicate flavor. I have three favorite ways of preparing them in this manner. In each case, soak the mushrooms in cold water for 15 to 30 minutes and then look and clean them thoroughly. Inspect carefully, because critters like to crawl up inside the hollow mushrooms. There’s almost always a bit of dirt to be dealt with as well. Dab dry with a towel or paper towels and slice each mushroom in half.

It is hard to beat introducing the mushroom pieces to simmering butter in a pan, sautéing until they begin to brown and eating them right from the pan. Put a few pats of butter (the real McCoy) in a large frying pan and melt it before adding the sliced morels. Simmer until the morels are cooked. They will shrink quite a bit and, thanks to the fact that they hold considerable moisture, you’ll have lots of a juice/butter combination in the pan. You might want to save this flavorful broth to use in a morel soup or chowder (see below); I like to dip toast points in it.

Another approach is to beat up a couple of eggs and dip each mushroom piece in the resulting batter before putting them in hot butter to cook.

A third option is to crumble up saltine crackers, then use the same egg dip and follow with a coating of crushed saltines before putting the morels in the frying pan. Whatever your choice, it’s food for the gods.

Eat the morels piping hot as an appetizer or as a side dish to scrambled eggs.

—Jim Casada

Morel Chowder

2 cups morels, cleaned and sliced

¼ cup chopped onion

1 cup peeled and diced potatoes

½ cup finely chopped celery

½ cup finely chopped carrots

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon flour

2 tablespoons cold water

2 cups chicken broth (or use the broth left from sautéed morels in combination with chicken broth)

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 cup whole milk

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Paprika

Clean and slice mushrooms; chop vegetables. Melt butter and add olive oil. Add onions and sauté until tender. Add mushrooms, potatoes, celery and carrots; cover and cook on medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. In a small bowl, thoroughly combine flour with cold water and slowly stir into vegetables. Add broth, salt and pepper until heated through. Add milk and Parmesan cheese and heat; do not boil. Serve immediately, topped with additional Parmesan cheese and paprika.

—Jim Casada

A bowl of morel chowder. Jim Casada.

Morel Soup

1 pound fresh morels, cleaned and sliced

1–2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 large sweet onion, chopped

3 tablespoons butter (do not substitute margarine)

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups whole milk

3 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules

½ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon black pepper

Clean morels and sprinkle with lemon juice. Sauté in a saucepan with onion and butter until translucent and tender. Sprinkle with flour and stir thoroughly. Gradually add milk, bouillon, salt and pepper. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring vigorously as you do so, and continue stirring for 2 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer 10 to 15 minutes. If you like the taste of thyme, add ½ teaspoon to the recipe, but keep in mind that morels have a delicate flavor.

—Jim Casada