Miss Wondersmith Forages Her Recipe Ingredients from the Wild

By
Andrea Z
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Miss Wondersmith is a talented food blogger who enjoys foraging wild plants to use in her recipes. On her Instagram page and her website, she shares the recipes to her favorite dishes, constantly coming up with new ones.

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Fermentation can seem intimidating to the un-initiated, but there's really no better place to start than with sauerkraut! The homemade variety is SO much better than the lifeless jars of store-bought kraut. For one, homemade can have a much more satisfying crunchy texture. It's also totally customizable (I made mine with red cabbage, apples, and foraged juniper) and comes with a healthy helping of good bacteria. One of my all-time favorite breakfasts is toast topped with avocado, kraut, and an egg over easy. Yum. If you want to try your hand at this ancient way of preserving food (as well as read about microcosms and macrocosms and other such concepts), just head to my blog (link in profile) and search for "fermentation." What flavor would you make? I'm thinking I might try curry next! . ✨✨✨ . #juniper #redcabbage #kraut #sauerkraut #fermentation #fermentationathome #homemadekraut #wildflavor #wildcrafted #wildfoodlove #pinkfood #brightpink #magentafood #healthybacteria #thewondersmith #misswondersmith

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“My passion in life is sharing the wonder with others, whether that’s posting my recipes, writing about the legends and lore that inspires them, or throwing parties for total strangers (who stumble upon invitations hidden in public places),” she says.

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It's the time of year to share one of my all-time favorite recipes! This cake is in honor of my love of moss, and is full of foraged flavor: the cake itself is naturally green thanks to the addition of stinging nettle (or spinach) but has a bright, lemony flavor. It is complimented with grapefruit and douglas fir buttercream. Yum. Doesn't it just make you want to go find a nice big patch of moss and have a little picnic? You can find the recipe for this lovely cake on my blog (link in profile) by searching for "moss cake" Also, stay posted today since I'll be sharing another fabulous secret recipe this afternoon! Finally, if you give this recipe a try, I would love it if you tagged me in your post about it! It's so rewarding for me to see that people are finding joy and wonder in the recipes I share with you. 💕🌿 . ✨✨✨ . #moss #mosscake #foraged #foraging #wildcrafted #stingingnettle #naturalcolor #naturallygreen #nettle #douglasfir #firtips #springrecipe #thewondersmith #misswondersmith #green #allgreen

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“I like to create experiences that could have wandered off the pages of a fairytale, set in the ever-inspiring Pacific Northwest. If you live in this region, keep your eyes peeled – you never know where I might pop up next!”

Enjoy!

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I’m excited to announce a little collaboration with @ancientrootsmama, a hearty and healthy winter lunch! I love her approach to health and lifestyle and find her writings about Chinese medicine in relation to food really interesting. We decided to create a virtual meal together, swapping recipes to compliment each other with the theme of winter’s slow nourishment. She’s contributed the recipe for Wild Winter Pickles, the perfect counterbalance to my Snow Day Soup! We each made and photographed both recipes (first photo is mine, second is hers.) Find recipes and links on my blog, thewondersmith.com/blog . ✨✨✨ . Snow Day Soup is a hearty white truffle and potato soup filled with the richness of goat cheese. It makes perfect sense to me that white truffle season is in the middle of winter, since its rich flavor pairs so well with the kinds of starchy and creamy foods I crave after a day in the snow! It’s the season of simplicity and heartiness, of leaving space in your life for both rest and play. And whichever you choose, this soup is comforting and filling. . ✨✨✨ . Hadas shared her Wild Winter Pickles, a bright contrast to the creaminess of my soup. Not only are they crisp, zesty, and delicious, they also help with absorbing other nourishment. Here’s what she has to say: “Fermented foods like pickles are great this time of year because our life-essence or “jing” in Chinese medicine needs the most nourishment. One way to help is through diet, and all the healthy foods in the world won’t nourish us unless we have the gut flora to digest them! Fermented foods supply vitamins and minerals that are easily absorbable, are sources for unique, wild, and beneficial bacteria, stimulate the immune system, and are rich sources of living enzymes and nutrition.” . ✨✨✨ . So take a little time to make homemade broth and let your veggies ferment. Slow into the pace of winter and give your body what it needs to be happy. Once again, you can find recipes at thewondersmith.com/blog and be sure to give @ancientrootsmama a follow for more inspiring writings and recipes! . ✨✨✨ . #snowday #soup #pickles #fermentation #whitetruffle #goatcheese #oregontruffles #wildfoodlove #foraged

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Secret Recipe Alert: blueberry and wild violet cakes baked in real eggshells! Eggs symbolize wholeness and serve as metaphors for the universe in many diverse ancient cultures. Many believed that life itself was born from some kind of a cosmic egg. And why shouldn’t they? It is, perhaps, the most strikingly obvious source of nourishment and new life! That's why I love to incorporate eggs into many of my meals and celebrations this time of year, especially since my friends' hens have started laying more as the days lengthen. This is one of my favorite ways to honor the magic of eggs: hollow blown eggshells are filled with a cosmic indigo cake colored naturally with blueberries and flavored with the light floral flavor of wild violets, it's a delicious and stunning surprise to crack into. I'm sharing this recipe and technique with my patrons as a thanks for all of their support! It's through their monthly contributions that I'm able to create and share so much magical content with all of you. <3 For the cost of a cup of coffee a month, you too could get access to secret recipes like this one, plus plenty of other wonderful bonuses as well! Learn more at patreon.com/thewondersmith I hope all of you are starting to feel the magic of spring, I sure am! . ✨✨✨ . #eggcake #eggs #eggart #easyereggs #secretrecipe #wildviolets #foraged #blowneggs #cakeineggshell #misswondersmith #thewondersmith #blueberry #easter #ostara #spring #springfestivals

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The very first spring wonders are coming up and I couldn't be more excited about it! Shown here are cleavers and mallow, with a few wild violet leaves lurking underneath. Not only do these plants have many nourishing qualities (more on that later), they are also fairly easy to find, even in the city. Plus you're actually often doing a favor by harvesting them as cleavers and mallow are both seen as weeds. A quick trip to a patch of cleavers by the park and some time spent "weeding" the local community garden filled my basket full of spring goodness. Back to the Wonder Labs I've come, working on some lovely new concoctions to share with all of you soon ✨🌿 my house smells like the color green, of grassy sweetness and sharp sagebrush and fresh mint and more… oh how wonderful it is to have a whole afternoon to give these plants my full attention. What have you been foraging lately? . ✨✨✨ . #foraging #wildcrafting #wildcrafted #wildherbs #aweedbyanyothername #eattheweeds #springgreens #foragersbasket #forage #wildfoodlove #pacificnorthwest #pnwcuisine #herbalism #folkherbalism #plantmagic

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A mysterious green liquor sparkling with clarity and infused with the healing powers of over a hundred different herbs… it sounds like a potion out of a fairytale, but it is a liquor known all over the world by the name “Chartreuse.” This sweet and herbal libation is mysteriously brewed by Carthusian monks in the mountains of France, who keep their secret recipe under tight wraps. The good news is that you can create your own layered, complex, delicious, and healing brew by using the plants available a lot closer to home. Whether you strive for the legendary 130 different herbs or keep things a bit more simple around 5, your herbal liqueur will be the hit of the dinner party. I named mine "Peridot" – the Pacific Northwest version of chartreuse. If designing your own complex brew sounds like a dream to you, head to my blog and search "liqueur" to find out how! Cheers! . ✨✨✨ . #chartreuse #chartreuseliqueur #herbaldrink #herballiqueur #herballiquor #digestif #aperitif #foragedherbs #foraged #wildcrafted #thewondersmith #misswondersmith #diydrinks #infusions #infusingherbs #greendrink #lemonbalm #peppermint #thyme

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They say that leprechaun gold disappears overnight… which makes me think perhaps it's not really gold at all, but a candy so rich and tempting you just can't help yourself 😉 I've been fascinated with Filipino "Yema," a confection made from egg yolks, for some time now. I decided to finally give it a try and add my own spin with the addition of primrose-infused sugar. Yum. These treats are silkier than caramel, with the rich taste of custard and primroses and spring sunshine. They are the perfect treat to make with leftover egg yolks if you're making macarons, meringues, etc. And while they might not be traditional Irish fare, they sure seem worthy of the most discerning of leprechauns to me. Find the recipe and a short ritual for "Sun Soaking" on my blog. (Link in profile) . ✨✨✨ . #primrose #yema #custard #confection #springsun #leprechaungold #gold #goldattheendoftherainbow #wildfoodlove #primroserecipe #magicrecipe #cauldron #potofgold #yemacandy #thewondersmith #misswondersmith #sunsoaking #springsunshine

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These tender and vibrant green crepes are made with only 3 ingredients: foraged spring nettles, tapioca starch, and eggs. They have become one of my absolute favorite breakfasts or desserts and taste wonderful when filled with either a savory asparagus and mushroom filling or a sweet yogurt and jam combination. I've found them to be gentle on the stomach as well as deeply nourishing. I make them year-round by substituting spinach for the nettle, but there really is nothing quite like the richer nettle crepes of spring. Give them a try and let me know what you think! Recipe can be found on my blog (link in profile) – just scroll down a little bit. I hope all of you have a wonderful spring day today! 🌿 . ✨✨✨ . #easycrepes #paleocrepes #spinachcrepes #nettlecrepes #crepemastery #wildfood #foraged #stingingnettle #nettle #springnettle #wildcrafted #foragersbreakfast #wildfoodlove #greenfood #eatyourgreens #foraging #forager

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It felt a little weird to be slicing into my Green Man Picnic Pie, but boy was it delicious! Stuffed full of foraged spring veggies, cheese, and purple potato slices it was the perfect dish to share with my family for a celebration of spring. It was a really fun pie to make, too – so much opportunity for creative decoration! If you also want to try your hand at this naturally-colored showstopper, you can find the recipe on my blog (link in profile- just scroll down a little bit.) P.S. I'm going to share something extra special tomorrow, so be sure to check back! . ✨✨✨ . #greenman #picnicpie #inspiredbythegreatbritishbakeoff #ancientarchetypes #naturalcolor #naturalfoodcolor #naturallygreen #stingingnettle #nettle #foraged #forager #wildfood #wildcrafted #wildfoodlove #ostara #springequinox #theultimatepicnic #naturecelebration #celebrationofnature #thewondersmith #misswondersmith

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Mushrooms may seem like an odd addition to chocolate truffles, until you consider the candy cap mushroom. These unassuming little brown mushrooms have an intoxicating maple-like flavor that is strong enough to perfume an entire room. Even better, when you eat them the smell permeates through your body and your skin gives off a pleasant warm maple scent too. This time of year I think a lot about mushrooms and moss, those first signs of new life hiding amongst rotting logs. Mycelium, the network of threads that function as the "roots" of fungi can be seen as white threads underneath the snow. There's magic to be found in the woods right now…and there's definitely magic in these sugar-free whiskey-spiked truffles. Find them on my blog (link in profile) by searching for "candy cap" . ✨✨✨ . #wildcrafted #candycapmushroom #candycaps #sugarfreetruffles #chocolatetruffles #moss #matcha #greenfood #matchachocolate #springmushrooms #springtruffles #foraged #forager #thewondersmith #misswondersmith

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