Harbinger of Spring
This is an early wildflower. The formal name is Erigenia. It is what plant geeks call an “ephemeral.” Basically, it appears briefly in early spring, it is rarely found in abundance and it is gone almost as quickly as it appears. If you do find enough for a serving, the steam/saute method works well for the small, tuberous roots but you get more food value if you stretch them out by making a casserole.
Harbinger of Spring Casserole with mixed spring shoots.
Ingredients:
Harbinger of spring tubers – 1/2-1 cup, or so
Asparagus and/or asparagus-like shoots of early spring vegetables (any you find in this book will work just fine) or fiddle head ferns, etc.
Early spring greens – either spinach or wild greens, chopped
Optional veggies for flavor – fresh, sweet peas, chopped carrots
Onion or other alliums, chopped fine
Celery
Mushrooms
Chopped nuts like pecan, hickory or almond (optional)
Chicken stock or broth
Flour and butter enough to make roux
Milk
Mayonnaise
Cheese
Bread crumbs
Herbs
½ glass white wine
Dash of Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, etc. (optional)
Instructions
This is much like other casseroles I have mentioned, but we are really going to try to stretch the Harbinger of spring tubers out along with maybe a handful of milkweed shoots or some Solomon's seal. This is a basic recipe for any time you only have say, one side-dish sized amount of a wild vegetable but you either need to make more food from it for necessity or want to share it with multiple people. All of these ingredients are interchangeable, and if you don’t have something (other than the roux) substitute something else – you can use most anything from the garden, canned or frozen vegetables, etc.
Start by cooking the tubers, alliums, mushrooms and tougher veggies in some fat and salt. Once tender, toss in any leaf vegetables and allow them to wilt. When soft, either push them to the side or reserve them.
Add fat and flour and cook over medium heat, stirring until the flour is cooked
Stir in Broth, wine and milk
Add herbs, salt and pepper, Worcestershire, a grate of nutmeg, crushed red pepper, Creole Seasoning, etc…. Whatever you like
Taste and adjust seasonings
Add the nuts
Remove from heat
Stir in the mayo… maybe ½ cup
Pour into a casserole dish
cover the top with grated cheese and bread crumbs
Bake until brown and bubbly
I usually add leftover chicken to a casserole such as this. You could certainly include anything you like, from meat to fish, to boiled eggs. The herbs, seasonings and ingredients you use are entirely up to your taste. Casseroles are simple, humble, French home cooking and can be made with literally anything added to a cream soup base (roux and milk) and baked. This is an excellent way to use stale bread and cheese, various veggies, scraps of meat, leftover broth or stock, etc. Only a century ago, oysters and lobster were the food of the poor, and many such casseroles including foraged vegetables, stale bread, abundant milk and shellfish, etc. were staples of the diet both in America and Europe. Basically, I figure if it would taste good in a soup or an omelet, it will be even better in a casserole!
Honewort
First, see all warnings under Wild Carrot and Wild Caraway. Honewort, sometimes called Wild Chervil, is in the same family. Again, identification must be absolutely positive…. And that is why this book has no pictures! I want you to use several good field guides and/or cell phone plant ID apps… or even better, learn from an experienced forager. Honestly I have dozens of books on my shelf that describe how to identify plants like this, that are absolutely worthless for identification. They may have a photo. They may have a drawing. They may have complicated and detailed botanical descriptions. But, plants look different when growing in different locations and conditions, and at different times of year. There is no substitute for experience. Yes, I know I covered all of this in the introduction, but misidentifying some plants will kill you. It bears repeating.
Regardless, if you are sure you have the right plant, Honewort makes a nice potherb and may be used like parsley as a culinary herb. All parts of Honewort are edible. The leaves and stems can be used as a cooked vegetable and the leaves and flowers like an herb, fresh or dry. The roots are similar to parsnip. Of course, you would have to harvest a lot of Honewort roots for a meal. So, much as we stretched the Harbinger of Spring in our last recipe, let's stretch Honewort roots.
Mashed Potatoes with Honewort
Ingredients:
1 pound of potatoes +/-
1/4-1/2 pound Honewort roots, cleaned and scrubbed
Optional other edible tubers from parsnip or salsify to goatsbeard, day lily or Jerusalem artichoke tubers… even celeriac, carrot or cauliflower florets cooked and finely chopped.. you could even use rutabagas or sweet potatoes – whatever you like and have on hand.
Salt and pepper to taste
Butter
Milk
Optional mayonnaise
Optional herbs like parsley, caraway, fennel, etc.
I never peel potatoes; I just cut off any bad spots. Slice your potatoes into thick chunks. Boil all your tubers/roots together. When tender, mash.
Add 1 pound butter
Whip in ½ cup milk
Add herbs
A little mayo and/or grated cheese adds flavor
Top with good, brown gravy made from meat, onions and broth or stock
This article is an excerpt from
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Medicinal Shrubs and Woody Vines of The American Southeast an Herbalist's Guide
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Disclaimer
The information on this site is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease or condition. Nothing on this site has been evaluated or approved by the FDA. I am not a doctor. The US government does not recognize the practice of herbal medicine and their is no governing body regulating herbalists. Therefore, I'm just a guy who studies herbs. I am not offering any advice. I won't even claim that anything I write is accurate or true! I can tell you what herbs have "traditionally been used for." I can tell you my own experience and if I believe an herb helped me. I cannot, nor would I tell you to do the same. If you use any herb I, or anyone else, mentions you are treating yourself. You take full responsibility for your health. Humans are individuals and no two are identical. What works for me may not work for you. You may have an allergy, sensitivity or underlying condition that no one else shares and you don't even know about. Be careful with your health. By continuing to read my blog you agree to be responsible for yourself, do your own research, make your own choices and not to blame me for anything, ever.
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