Category Archives: foraging

The call of the elver, eel fishing in Maine rivers.

Dim shapes move back and forth along the banks of the river, distorted by the wavering light of kerosene lanterns. Moonlight shines on a crowd of gauzy structures supported by bits of twine. Nets and tents are illuminated from the lamps inside, and a bonfire is sending neon orange sparks into the sky. This is […]

Foraging for maitake mushrooms–the time is now.

Maitake season is upon us. I was mourning that we had not gotten any this year, and that my supply was getting rather slim, and that it was pretty late, and whine after whine. Then, a burst of rain, and they were popping up all over. Now I have to scramble to freeze or cook […]

Feeling Sappy

Sitting by the fire, sap simmering in a stainless steel pan, sparks fly bright and hot, drifting high into the black sky before fading. I am alone, but connected to the perhaps thousands of fellow Mainers tending their syrup with me tonight. Freeze, thaw, hot, cold, this is the season of contrast. Cold nights and […]

Appleloosa: The Year of the Apple

Red apples and golden yellow, apples that are pink with stripes, green with tan specks, and blushing rose. Small cherry-sized bitter-fruited apples, mammoth thick- skinned pie apples. Apples to eat, apples to store for the winter, apples to make ciders and sauce—this is the year of the apple. Trees are loaded with fruit, so big […]

Samphire, seepweed and seaside salad.

  Samphire, seepweed and seaside salad, that’s a tongue twister, and after a samphire-Sapphire adult concoction, I prefer to savor the flavor of these Maine edible plants instead of trying to say them. Samphire is a lyrical word for an earthy and salty edible plant that grows along the seaside. It frequently keeps company with […]