Chelsea Green Blog
Food & Drink
The Hunt for Huckleberries (Plus A New Recipe!)
Huckleberries are a true prize for fruit foragers. Describing them as “intense, juicy, and addictive,” author Sara Bir has the lowdown on where and how to harvest them. And if you’re one of the lucky ones who brings home a bountiful harvest, the recipe below for Buckwheat Huckleberry Buckle is a MUST-make. Trust us. The…
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Raw Fermentation: How to Make Apple Scraps Vinegar
The vinegar used in a dish can make or break the flavor altogether. With this simple raw fermentation recipe for apple scraps vinegar, you’ll have all the tools you need to create a crisp concoction that serves as the perfect addition to almost any condiment or dish. Hungry for more? Add a little of your…
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Foraging For Wild Strawberries
Have you ever stumbled across wild strawberries? Growing along the sunny banks and around a forest edge, along roadsides, hillsides or even in your own back yard, wild strawberries are delicious. Wild strawberries are much smaller than those hollow, crunchy, off-season truck farm monstrosities most of us allow to pass for strawberries. Cultivated in-season berries, the…
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A Good Stock Takes Time: Setting Up Your Kitchen for Making Stocks and Broths
A good stock takes time. This is part of the pleasure — making stocks is meditative and meaningful, if you allow yourself the occasion. Making stocks often happens in the background of most kitchens — a smell that permeates a residence, a gentle warmth that radiates from the kitchen. Mastering Stocks and Broths is the definitive…
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Homemade Dandelion Beer
You can forget about waiting for your wine to ferment, because we have a recipe for dandelion beer that will be ready in just a week! Who knew those weeds in your backyard could make such a fun beverage? The following excerpt is from Pascal Baudar’s Wildcrafting Brewer. It has been adapted for the web.…
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Ramp It Up A Notch: Tabasco-Style Ramp Hot Sauce
Looking for a delicious (and spicy) DIY project to work on this spring? This recipe for foraged, tabasco-style ramp hot sauce is sure to turn up the heat. With just a handful of ramp leaves, some jalapeños, and a little bit of patience, you’ll be able to whip up this sauce like a pro. The…
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How to Forage and Store Wild Greens
Whether you are an expert forager or new to the skill, it’s important to understand how to store your freshly picked bounty. Luckily, author Alan Bergo has the lowdown on how to harvest wild greens and cook them for the best storage so your harvest can stay fresh for days after being picked. The following…
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How to Use Lambsquarter from Root to Plant to Seed
Before yanking out the next patch of lambsquarter you find in your yard or garden, consider the different edible and medicinal uses of this “super weed.” From green juices to soaps, lambsquarter can be used to create and enhance plenty of health-boosting meals and products. The following is an excerpt from The Wild Wisdom of Weeds…
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In Search of Wild Yeast: Using Foraged Yeast to Create Your Own Brews
Since the dawn of humanity, people have enjoyed a deep relationship with yeasts. You may not realize it, but yeast spores are present everywhere. They’re in the air we breathe; in plants, flowers, fruits, and soil; and even on our skin. And, perhaps more importantly, yeast is a key ingredient used in making alcoholic drinks. More…
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PB & J Remix: Kick Peanut Butter and Jelly Up a Notch
You don’t need us to tell you how to make a PB & J sandwich, but we can teach you how to go the extra mile with your ingredients. Here are a couple of our favorite recipes that use those timeless ingredients: peanut butter and jelly. RECIPE: New World Grape Jam From The Fruit Foragers…
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A Recipe for Homemade Ginger Beer: The Old Fashioned Way
Ginger is a spice perfect for any time of year. Its fragrance can perk up everything from chai tea to apple pie. This humble root can also add a gentle kick of heat to stir-fries or soups. The natural yeasts in the root can also be used to kick start a bubbly ginger beer. Give…
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The Mystery Behind Meat Labels: Got “American” Beef?
Where does the beef we consume actually come from? And why does it matter? When we purchase beef, we may not consider everything that took place before the package hit the grocery store shelf. However, where and how cattle are raised can have a big impact on the quality of meat and the overall well-being…
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Miso Soup for the Soul
Miso soup is the perfect, soul-healing meal; not only does this soup taste great, but it has amazing health benefits. Add in a little imagination and you can build your own culinary creation on this humble miso soup base. The following is an excerpt from Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz. It has been adapted for…
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Chickpea Sprout Hummus: Breathe Life Back Into Winter
Just because the months are getting colder doesn’t mean you can’t still have homemade hummus with fresh chickpeas; you just have to get creative with it. This hummus recipe uses chickpea sprouts, which are growable indoors and during winter. The following is an excerpt from Wild Flavors: One Chef’s Transformative Year Cooking from Eva’s Farm by…
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Cauliflower Cheese: The Ultimate Comfort Food
If you need a new cheese-filled comfort food, then look no further! This baked dish is exactly what you need to warm up in the cold months. Read on to get a glimpse of what it’s like during the cold months at the London-famous restaurant Towpath – right before they close for the winter. The following…
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Basics of Cider Making: Cider Preparation
To make the best cider, you first need an understanding of the processes and the art & science behind them. Thankfully, world-renowned cider maker Claude Jolicoeur is here to help. Become a cider making expert with help from these preparation tips! The following is an excerpt from The New Cider Maker’s Handbook by Claude Jolicoeur.…
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Fire Cider: A Healing, Warm Tonic
“It is more important to know what kind of person has a disease than to know what kind of disease a person has.” —Hippocrates Drawing on her decades of clinical experience and her extensive research, Dr. Jill Stansbury offers an unparalleled range of herbal formulas in her five-volume set, Herbal Formularies for Health Professionals. For each…
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Survive the Winter Blues: Grow, Eat and Plan
There is no denying it: the days are short and unless you planned for a winter garden, fresh vegetables from your backyard have long passed. But don’t let the winter blues get you down. There are plenty of recipes to last you through the cold season and into the ‘hungry gap’. We’re sharing a few…
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Seeds of Hope: Striving For A Sustainable Future
Over the years, many of our world’s most flavorful vegetables have become extinct for a variety of reasons; however, these lost crops and their seeds may be the secret to gaining global food security and achieving a higher level of overall wellness. So how can we get them back? What can we do to ensure…
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Chelsea Green Staff Picks for Your 2023 Reading List
From the enlightening and thought-provoking to the quirky and fun, we, the Chelsea Green employee-owners, have the perfect list to get you started on your next read! And if you’re looking for more, you can check out our full list of staff picks here! Mini-Forest Revolution We’ve long heard that we need to plant…
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4 Simple Recipes Using Homegrown Sprouts
Having a lack of outdoor greenspace doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy homegrown fresh food. Sprouts are a quick, simple, and ridiculously healthy way to keep your localvore appetite satisfied, no matter what season it is. And we don’t just mean tossing them in your salad or on top of a sandwich. No, we’ve got some…
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Banana Snowmen & Strawberry Santas
Who says you can’t play with your food? These treats are a snack, a craft, and they’re healthy to boot! Brighten up snack time this winter using fruits and veggies we all know and love. The only problem? These snacks might be too darn cute to take a bite of! The following is an excerpt…
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Simple Whole Roasted Chicken and Grain-Free Gravy
Looking for a healthy meal that the whole family will enjoy? Try out this simple recipe for whole roasted chicken with grain-free gravy! The following is an excerpt from The Grain-Free, Sugar-Free, Dairy-Free Family Cookbook by Leah Webb. It has been adapted for the web. RECIPE: Simple Whole Roasted Chicken A classic whole chicken is…
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Cooking with Fir: A Taste of the Holidays
The scent of fir trees is a holiday staple. From seasonal greenery to candles, the aroma heralds “the most wonderful time of the year.” If you’re looking for a way to immerse yourself even further into the holiday cheer, try introducing fir to your taste buds. From classy cocktails to rustic potatoes, fir adds excellent seasonal…
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Holiday Cookies with a Koji Twist
Looking for a twist on a classic cookie? We’ve got you covered! Chef Markow uses the sweetness and caramelization of koji to add a whole new palette of flavors to a well-loved, traditional cookie: the snickerdoodle. You can go ahead and add this to your holiday cookie list. Want to know how to grow koji…
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