This Week at Foraged and Found Edibles 6/8

We are back! We will be at all our regular markets this weekend- University District, Ballard and West Seattle.

Lobster mushrooms are here! These rich and meaty mushrooms are one of my overall favorites. Lobster mushrooms are an interesting phenomenon. One mushroom colonizes another turning into a delicious bright orange red edible. Get to the market early for these beauties.

Also sea beans are still available but it is their last week at the markets.

The hot sun has been quickly ripening the huckleberries and we may have blue mountain huckleberries this weekend. If not this weekend, next for sure. These big juicy hucks rival blueberries with a deep and tangy flavor that is delectable in any berry dessert.

2010 Wild Foods Recipe Calendar on it's way!

Calendar this, calendar that.....My friends and family are pretty tired of me talking about the calendar. Maybe now that it is almost here I can zip up about it for a few. First though, I need to share with all of you that it is printing this week! Emily Counts and I have been diligently working to polish the writing and artwork till it is shiny and perfect before it goes on the presses. We are proud of and pleased with the final work. Thanks so much to Phyllis Counts(Em's mom) for all her precision graphic work and Lisa Gordanier for her editing prowess.

The 2010 The Wild Foods Recipe Calendar will be available August 15 at the Foraged and Found Booth at Seattle Farmers Markets. Soon after it will be also available at many local grocery stores and boutiques. In Seattle Whole Foods and PCC markets will be carrying it. You will also be able to find it at Eat Local on Queen Anne, Kobo at Higo and Kobo Capitol Hill. In Portland look for it at Pasta Works, Food Front, New Seasons, and Whole Foods. Also Pharmaca stores nationwide. You can directly purchase it online at our Etsy store. The retail price is only $13 this year- thanks for all the support last year that makes this possible.

My friend Matty Harper from Dreamlets is working on our website for the calendar that should prove to be style-y and cool. This will have a updated list of stores it is available at. Also some launch parties and calendar dinners are in the works too so keep posted.

And to kick us off to a good start, earlier this week I also got a nice write up by Angela Garbes on the Seattle Weekly food blog Voracious with a sea bean recipe and sneak peak of a page from the new calendar.

Orcas Island Wedding Feast

I was lucky to have one of the greatest cooking opportunities of my life placed before me on Memorial Day weekend. Let me set the scene:

What: Two old friends, finally tying the knot with their families in tow. End of May bounty at my disposal.

Who: A beautiful highly accomplished creative chef and the other a handsome wine-know, well posed server - a striking duo.

Where: Orcas Island, waterfront cottage and lush homestead on a small inlet.

My inspirations were overflowing for the event. First of all, it's a wedding - bring out all the stops, feast ‘til you drop, and only the best ingredients! Secondly, cooking for great lovely foodie friends- creative freedom and reasons for extra special touches. Thirdly, it's spring - so many awesome things to work with!
I made a list of possible ingredients - morels, porcini, seabeans, watercress, miner's lettuce, violets, asparagus, peas and favas (from down south), green garlic, spring onions, oysters, spot prawns, razor clams...to name just a few. The bride and groom had some requests which were a good jumping off point- they knew they wanted lamb two ways and lots of seafood. My head exploded with ideas, I never had the occasion to do such a lush menu. For some reason I had this obsession with adding flowers to everything...the wedding bells were ringing in ears!

Looking at the bounty that we gathered for the meal I was floored by all the beautiful ingredients we procured from our gardens, friends and farmers in the area. Local Roots Farm radishes and baby turnips. Foraged and Found mushrooms and wild greens. Kurtwood Farm raw milk for making yogurt. Coffelts Farm Lamb from Orcas. Spot Prawns and Razor Clams from my friend Doug in Grayland. A dozen or so herbs from the Corson Building's garden and my own yard too....
the Menu....

After the ceremony - served on a lookout deck over the water
Hibiscus Orange Flower Water Ice Tea
Judd Cove Oysters With Celery Shiso Mignonette
Spring Seven Layer Dip- ricotta, peavines, peamole, fennel lemon salad, sheep cheese, scallions, pinenuts
Hazelnut Dukkah With Olive Oil
Pacific Razor Clam Seviche with Aleppo Pepper,Whole Lemon, Parsley
Mt Townsend Seastack Cheese
Crudite and Crackers
Sit down - served family style on the cottage deck
Shaved Bolete and Artichoke Salad on Lemon Balm Leaves
Razor Clams with Dill, Scallions, and Fried Shallots
Spot Prawns with Soft Almonds, Butter and Saffron

Seafood Fiesta Platter!
Chilled Spot Prawns, Tiny New Potatoes, Asparagus, Sea Beans, Fiddleheads, Hard Boiled Eggs, Baby Miners Lettuce, Creamy Sorrel Anchovy Sauce

Roasted Leg of Lamb rubbed with Sumac and Cinnamon
Lamb Kefte with Cumin and Allspice
Morels, Peas and Fava Beans
Yellow Violet Mint Sauce
Homemade Yogurt
Rose Petal Harissa

Pickled Fennel with Golden Raisins and Coriander
Red Wine Pickled Spring Onions with Rosewater
Homemade Pita

This Week at Foraged and Found Edibles

The seabean season has begun. Also known as salicornia, glasswort or pickleweed. This salty tide flat plant adds texture and fun. Can be eaten raw or cooked. Perfect with fish dishes, potato salads, soups, and dishes with an Asian flair.

Spring kings are here! The spring flush is on. Kings Boletes (also known as porcini in Italian) will be available off and on into July. Quantities are limited but it is worth coming to the market in early hours to hopefully pickup some of these beauties.











Porcinis grow from small firm buttons to large spongy giants. Because of this difference in size, texture, and gill formation we sell them in different grades. One is not necessarily better than the other, just different and used for varying types of preparations. It is like the difference between baby vs mature zucchini.

Small button boletes(#1's) are firmer fleshed, and can have a longer shelf life. Use for roasting, sauteing, and can be eaten raw. Also good if you want a picture perfect presentation. Medium to large boletes(#2's) are softer moist fleshed, with a slightly more pronounced flavor. These are perfect for sauces, sauteed, or my favorite, grilled. The mature gills on the older mushrooms are delicious when grilled- crispy on the outside, custardy on the the inside. Remember boletes are best eaten asap, shelf life can vary but you don't want the bugs to beat you to the feast. And always refrigerate.

Also still in season- fiddlehead ferns, miner's lettuce, watercress, and morels.

Seen at the farmers stalls this week-
The first snap peas! from Alvarez Farms from Eastern WA (I could live on snap peas- minimum allocation -2 lbs a week)
Lots of greens- spinach, scallions, spring onions, mint and garlic scapes
Asparagus is still marching in droves- great with morel mushrooms

Foraged and Found Edibles is a northwest wild food business selling locally to restaurants and at farmers market in the Seattle area. Throughout the summer you will find us Saturdays at the University District Market, and Sundays at Ballard and West Seattle markets.