Spring Summer Fall

So honored to be included in this book. Originally Kirsten Shockey - the author - would like me to be in foraged / wild ingredient made vinegar section. So humbled / cool to see my name next to Rosemary Gladstar - legendary herbalist and among others.
Hope you check out this book.

7 years ago - today. Fermented cattail vinegar. Cattails are edible in three stages. Early spring, I have preserved shoots/ young stems in the past posted on . Lower part of leafs- used in salad. The flower part is what I have collected pollen / meal. I used this to make vinegar.

So much White Mulberry - carpeting all over. Excellent for pie and jam making. ( Mulberry ) Native to South Asia ( China & surrounding countries). Distributed to South Africa, South America, North America, and Europe. They are invasive plants here but known in as immune booster.

( Where to find ? )
You will hardly find mulberry trees in the wood lands. It needs plenty of sunlight. Most likely you will find them around edge of wood lands and private lands. In conservation lands or State forrest ( reservation), park rangers or caretakers most likely stupid enough to cut all down. Birds eat them and p**p those seeds. But in many neighborhoods or city owned parks you will find the trees as they were planted or gifted by those Asian countries….same as Cherry Blossom trees.

In Thailand, it is called “ Look Mhon “. In South Asia, it’s part of their diet. Blooming in New England right now.
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My friends - Keith Sarasin, chef of The Farmer’s Dinner & author of several cookbooks gave me a shout out in his book. He came by to spend sometimes with me along with Chris Viaud. Together they opened a restaurant, Green Leaf in Milford, New Hamshire. Chris also entered TopChef competition/show. I don’t watch TV but will root for him.

Wild mustard

I am very allergic to pine. Even just to gather them in spring, I have to wear a goggle, disposable gloves, and hold my breathe. The fume from the resin in Spring can burst blood vessels in my eye balls.... I ended up with blood shot eyes because of it. Pine pollen also.

But after fermenting it, the vinegar fume doesn’t bother much only when I taste it. So every year, I take a few sip of it so my immune react to it. I have been allergic to pine over 2 decades. For the 10 since since I drink pine vinegar + water, it gradually improves...

This bearberry was found in August 2019 in Essex, Massachusetts.

Bearberry can be founded sometimes near coastline along New England all the way up to some mountain top near coastal Maine. The name of it came from the fact that bears love eating them. They are small berry size fruits usually fruiting around mid August to close to winter here.
Somehow they became very popular ingredients in beauty products, just like Sea Buckthorn. I found fruits twice in the past decade. It can grow in sandy to soil/ rocky lower to the ground to shrub.