Just a few weeks ago in May, my sister and I were hiking with her flat coated retrievers through some rolling fields (dare I tell you where?) and low and behold we saw a stalk of wild asparagus! Immediately the two of us fairly pounced on it. I reached it first and snapping it off at the base I immediately ate it, yes, raw. Delicious! Eyes narrowed, the hunt was on! It was like Christmas as we hiked along, scanning the ground as the dogs danced along beside us until our pockets were bulging with long, green shoots of asparagus. In one field it almost seemed as if a fairy had planted them every few feet apart. We also kept our eyes out for morels but despite all the rain we never saw even one, whereas in previous years, they were abundant. Mentally, I mapped out the locations of our spring shoots, knowing they would be there faithfully next spring.
One of my favorite books during my hippie years was Eulle Gibbons book Stalking the Wild Asparagus. I'll never forget reading it, gathering wild ingredients and then boiling up some wild carrot soup (Queen Anne's lace) and getting so ill I was sick for days - but that didn't stop me! Nowdays, I delight in watching Dual Survival on the Discovery Channel or Bear Grylls, a master at surviving in the wilderness and knowing exactly what to eat and not to eat in almost any environment. However, even though I know my morel mushrooms, I still carefully double check my guidebook, knowing that even experts have been killed eating the deadly false morel. So check out a good book on harvesting wild food and enjoy - carefully!
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