JUNE 19, 2007 - As anyone following the blog has noticed, the foods we list as "in season" are also pretty unusual and specific to the West Coast. They're local treasures - foods that remind us of our distinct ecology and the megamarket's inability (despite all those bright and shiny aisles) to really tell us anything about the places we live. That said, chances are good that our "in season" foods aren't in season where you live, so it's a bit tongue-in-cheek. We invite you to balance the tables, though. What's growing where you live? What have you found there that really says something about the landscape? Write it up and send it in, with a photo if possible. We'd be happy to share the discovery.
Around here it's time for sea asparagus , a truly seasonal food that is available through June to mid-July. Sprouting in brackish marshes (or so they tell me at the fish shop), these branching, succulent seaweed shoots have the vivid green and crunch of asparagus, as well as a similarly strong, fresh flavour. They're usually prepared in
simple recipes, such as garlic and butter stir-fries to be served alongside seafood. I like them raw, too, when they taste most like the sea.
Our local variety is
Salicornia virginica (Europeans enjoy
Salicornia europaea), but it goes by many names: samphire; glasswort; chicken claws (which describes the look of the plant pretty well). Oddly, it appears that the West Coast's indigenous nations didn't eat sea asparagus until recent times. If so, they missed out on an excellent source of fresh spring greens loaded with vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. For today's wild food eater, the plant also pickles and freezes well.
We ate our sea asparagus with
spot prawns - the local prawn, fished only in the spring, that Alisa and I discovered during our 100-mile diet year. There was no fancy cooking involved. Just damn good food that tastes that way, too.-JBM
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JUNE 19, 2007 - As anyone following the blog has noticed, the foods we list as "in season" are also pretty unusual and specific to the West Coast. They're local treasures - foods that remind us of our distinct ecology and the megamarket's inability (despite all those bright and shiny aisles) to really tell us anything about the places we live. That said, chances are good that our "in season" foods aren't in season where you live, so it's a bit tongue-in-cheek. We invite you to balance the tables, though. What's growing where you live? What have you found there that really says something about the landscape? Write it up and send it in, with a photo if possible. We'd be happy to share the discovery.
